Big Fan, Auckland, New Zealand
19.05.23

The day started early with pickup at 5:40AM to make it into the TVNZ studios for our 6AM call time. Load in was pretty direct, straight through to the separate studio where the performances operate from. The room was a huge studio with a ceiling crammed full of lighting options and a giant curved screen behind the band.

Once we had setup the equipment we worked through a number of run throughs of the track to initially setup the audio mix, and then had a gap before running a test performance for the cameras so they had some idea of where we’d all be during the performance.

I got some work done on one of the spare news desks out back with a giant mug of coffee from the break room whilst Georgia went in and smashed through her interview in fine form, afterwards she came straight back through and joined us for the performance.

The performance all went really well and looked great on screen which we were all happy with.

Once we had loaded out of the TVNZ studios we went straight through to Big Fan to drop our gear off before heading across to Crave for a much needed breakfast and an even much more needed coffee.

We setup all of our equipment and worked through a basic line check in preparation for soundcheck later in the afternoon. Theo had popped my amp backstage which was was a smart decision as it gave a little more room onstage and meant it was easier for him to approach the show from a mix stand point.

We chipped through a pretty basic soundcheck in the afternoon after a couple of hours at home resting up. Georgia was quite exhausted by that point after a huge day of interviews and another performance at NZME so it was best for us to conserve everyones energy for the main show.

The show rolled around with a nice and rare, earlier start at 8:45PM. I got there at 8PM and had a slightly off feeling stomach which was probably due to the excess coffee throughout the day. I took it easy out back ahead of the show which felt like it leapt around a little quickly, I felt I could have been a bit better warmed into things by the time we rolled up onstage.

The audience had a number of friendly faces out front which was great to see - some younger students made it along, and my friend Jess from CHCH was able to pop along as she was staying with us over that weekend.

The first track felt like it started a little shakily for me but I think that was largely due to the fact that I hadn’t afforded myself much of a warm up. It was great to be able to play the SXSW set in NZ for the first time with the new transitions and set order that were put together for that. There were some big moments with lots of moving and energy from everyone onstage, Gabe and I went nice and hard for ‘Faith’, and ‘Monopoly’ went really well with some people knowing the words already (despite the fact the track was only released that day). The moodier moments in the set were great as well with ‘Leave Behind’ slowing things down and the big climax of ‘My love’ at the end. Georgia played two songs on her own in the middle whilst we stood side of stage and she also closed the set out with ‘Hine e Hine’ - all of which had the crowd completely silenced which is always special to see/hear.

I had a couple of weird pedal clicking noises popping up during the set which confused me once again, but after many attempts to figure out the problem I haven’t gotten to the bottom of it so I’ll do some investigating with our soundie Theo over the week. I also forgot my capo for ‘My Love’ so just had to adapt my playing at the end of the track, but that all ended up going smoothly.

Afterwards we milled around and I said hello to a couple of the students who had popped along before I loaded up the car and headed home with Em, Evie and Jess.

SETLIST:
Never Had Love
Nothing But Love
Same Things
Monopoly
No One Knows
Leave Behind
Save Me (Solo)
When The Party’s Over (Billie Eilish Cover - Solo)
Made For Loving
Faith
My Love
Hine e Hine (Solo)

Black Barn Vineyards, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand - 20.04.23

We cruised to the airport in Carla’s car getting there in plenty of time for a catch up and a donut. Come time for boarding we whisked through the gate and onto the plane, following the herds of people. We settled onto the plane only to find Carla and Kat had people in their seats, it was at this point we discovered we had boarded a flight to Blenheim and not Napier. We quickly clambered off the tight plane and ran to the other available gate to catch the right plane in the knick of time. 

Once we arrived we checked into our lovely farmhouse accom at Aramata lodge and then headed down to the beautiful natural amphitheater that was Black Barn for setup and soundcheck. 

Soundcheck all went smoothly and monitors felt better with Olly at the helm this time. 

Come show time we had 25 minutes for our set so really worked on maximising our time on stage. Amelia had trouble with her monitors for the first few songs but handled it well. The crowd was a pretty young and relaxed feel for the majority of the set. 

We were playing at night which was lovely as the lights decorated the amphitheater and gave a beautiful view for us to perform to. It felt like ‘Winter’ was a little more solid than normal which was great as we’d done some work on that at rehearsal. 

After the set we watched Lordes scaled down set with the four piece which was cool to see. They owned it in a different way to the other set which was a more staged production, such incredible professionals.  

We had a nice hang back at the accom after the show then buried back into bed for the night. 

SETLIST:
Reel
Come Apar
Break!
Winter
So Easy
Lucky Girl

Black Barn Vineyards, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand - 21.04.23

We woke up and had some breakfast and then drove to Te Mata Peak for a wee walk amongst the tracks (which had a lot of dog poo to avoid). 

Afterwards we went to Black Barn for a lovely lunch with Ray and Ben from Lorde, Georgia, Caleb and James from Broods and Jess (Ben’s sister). The lunch was a really nice hang and the food was tasty albeit a little pricey. Afterwards we waltzed our way over to the venue on the property to hang out and prep for soundcheck. 

Soundcheck was a really relaxed affair, getting everything run that we needed to. I realised I should have requested some more reverb on my vocals during the show but I’m learning my likes and dislikes the more that the shows go on and I get familiar with the subtleties of in ear monitors. We had a really solid warm up for the gig which was great. 

The start of the gig was a little awkward with some confusion with the production manager as to the start of our set - we ended up walking on and walking off twice for some reason. The crowd for the show was a good vibe and the set felt great. I had my friends Jack and Meg there from Taihape, it was nice to see their familiar faces in the crowd. ‘Break!’ Had a good energy to it and it was fun to play ‘Thick of the honey’ again. It was a little drizzly and the rain kicked in a little more for Lordes set but didn’t really hamper the crowds energy. Again during the show, Ella pulled up Rachelle, Georgia and Amelia to join her for Solar Power which was a cool moment for the guys. 

After the show we popped up to Ella’s place for a drink and some pizza to hang out with the crew before saying our goodbyes and heading back to the accom. 

Overall, was a lovely time in the Hawkes Bay. Was great to spend so much time on this tour with such experienced, friendly friends/musicians who were always willing to lend an ear and offer advice to help us to constantly improve. Hoping we get to see them all for a hang soon over in the states. 

SETLIST:
Reel
Come Apart
Break!
Winter
Thick Of The Honey
So Easy
Lucky Gir;

The Factory - Hamilton, New Zealand - 31.03.23

This show was a hard one, I was with my beloved father-in-law who was very unwell in hospital in Chch beforehand but decided to pop up for the show as it is what he would have wanted. He has been a big part of my musical journey and a big source of inspiration. He gave my first band $500 to help us get up and running right when we were first starting and that display of faith from him really stuck with me. 

Soundcheck for the show was a little challenging with huge subs in the venue muddying up the sound and requiring more monitor adjustments than normal. The venue was more commonly used as a Drum n Bass venue so the sound system catered more to that arrangement. We were on wired monitors again which is always a bit of a challenge in terms of the amount of cabling you can get tangled up in. 

The show rolled around a little faster than expected as soundcheck had taken a bit longer so we had limited time to group together ahead of the performance. 

We played the same set as SXSW with Georgia switching out ‘Hine e Hine’ for ‘Save Me’ in the solo section. 

It was a hard one for me in terms of focus but it was great to get out there and play with Alan in mind. The crowd was a little challenging but they came around in the end, there was a fun moment in ‘Monopoly’ where Georgia and jumped up on the bigger speaker stacks. For the last two songs I had gear issues again, something still wrong with my EQ pedal I think - I gave all of my equipment a thorough test out ahead of the show but think I tripped on the edge of the board during the tail of the set causing something to come loose. For the end of the gig I went straight into the amp, turning it up to full for the big final moment in ‘My Love’. 

A challenging show but I’m glad I did it. I jumped on a plane the next morning to head back to Chch. 

SETLIST:
Never Had Love
Nothing But Love
Same Things
Monopoly
Leave Behind
Save Me (Solo)
Made For Loving
Faith
My Love

Mt Smart Stadium - 26.03.23

We made our way to the venue at around 9AM to get soundchecks underway for the performance later on in the afternoon. We were sharing the stage with Vince Harder whose band were a big bunch of funky talent.

The stage was big enough to have both setups left on stage which made for a tidier changeover and a smoother running of the show. As the show and stage was lot more open I needed to make some adjustments to my monitor mix to account for some of the missing details you might normally hear in a club show, Theo did well at tweaking those for us.

Afterwards we popped into town for a coffee and some book shopping in the gap between soundcheck and the performance so that we weren’t holed away in the green room for the whole time.

It was an unusual show playing in front of league field with players warming up etc. but a fun outlook from the usual. We played the first four songs from the SXSW set, we were hoping to end on ‘My Love’ but that got cut due to time restrictions. Theo kept us in the loop through our ears as we were playing the last song about the restrictions which was a new experience for me (having someone chat to you in the middle of playing a song). It was Gabe’s first time playing ‘Monopoly’ which was fun to get that going with him - we missed jamming with him at SXSW. 

I had some minor issues with the guitar cutting out during the set which was either down to a patch cable or the output of my delay pedal. The gear got a really hard run in Texas for the fast changeovers so something on my pedalboard has come a bit loose or been banged around one too many times.

We played ‘Faith’ in the half time spot which was fun, Gabe and I got up on one of the risers to play an emo style breakdown of the bridge which was a good laugh.

We got in our fix of hot dogs and mini-donuts and then made our way home before the rush of the crowds at the end of the game.

SETLIST PRE-SHOW:
Never Had Love
Nothing But Love
Same Things
Monopoly

HALFTIME:
Faith

We headed to the airport in the afternoon to start the long haul to Texas. After arriving in Houston and getting through the drawn out process of customs and getting to the rental we successfully packed the van only to find we’d packed the wrong one, had to unload, and reload into the van next door. 

We drove past a constant scenery of beige strip malls and gas stations before heading to a place for ribs for dinner where we tried some crawfish and I enjoyed a Budweiser. We dropped into a Buc-ees (Texas’ infamous giant gas station) and then headed through the night to the Airbnb. 

The Airbnb was a little tight with everyone booked in there and Logan arriving in the middle of the night so I followed through to Foleys ‘Ranchito’ where I crashed in the cosy laundry for the night and enjoyed a much needed shower. 

I cruised back to the Airbnb with the van in the morning to meet the band again. 

We packed up the gear and headed to Space ATX for a rehearsal. They provided donuts and coffee which was a godsend whilst Mikee whipped out to grab us some breakfast tacos. Rehearsal was all super tight and everyone was feeling really comfortable. 

Afterwards we headed into town for the event registration where I picked up a couple of souvenirs before Theo, Logan and I went for a walk around town. We stopped in at the world famous ‘Gus’s Chicken’ for a Pabst beer on tap, some fried pickles and some wings which and then went for a wee walk around the river and to a local nearby park which we sat at and enjoyed the weather for an hour or so.

After the park we conveined at a local bar and met a bunch of the NZ industry contingent before heading to our first real BBQ experience at Terry Black’s. The line was long and chaotically quick once you got to the counter but the BBQ was great - some brisket and a sausage with Mac and Cheese and beans.

We took the Uber back to the Accom in town then followed through back home for the night. 

I started the day with a late wake up as we were still sleeping on NZ time. I headed out for a little walk on the river while Theo and Logan got ready. We then packed up and headed down the road to ‘Juan in a million’ for tacos and coffee. 

From there, we met up at the hotel and then headed to the free artist area to get our hands on some swag, but it was a little underwhelming - I got a bandanna, hat, ear plugs and a gross drink ‘White Claw’ which seemed to follow us around the festival. Afterwards we went to the Empire for soundcheck. The venue was a nice dark room, we setup and it all sounded good at my end, it was our first time on wired in ears which felt ok but easy to forget that you’re attached to something and can be a bit of a tangle with cables. This was the only soundcheck we got at the whole festival.

We then made a quick pop in to harvest whole foods and then back to the hotel to get ready.  

Changeover all went well and the show was great for the first one off the block. The intro for the set is a great moment and Mikee (our manager) made everything look great with some projections behind us. The energy in the room was solid and there were a decent amount of people, it was great having Holly and Elijah (from Foley) up the front for some friendly faces. ‘Never had love’ felt really good and the crowd really got into ‘Made for loving’ and the dance moves for ‘Faith’. It was our first time playing ‘Monopoly’ live and that hit it off too. ‘Hine e Hine’ was a beautiful moment as well with the crowd all going dead quiet for the performance. 

After the set we received lots of great feedback and everyone felt good about the performance. We hung around for a little bit and then trudged our gear back to the hotel. A big thanks goes out to Liz from the Beth’s when we were making the multiple gear transfers as she had warned me just before I left to take bags etc. to make it easier to cart around my gear for the big walks around the city so I ended up being well prepared. 

We all popped to ‘Happy Chick’ for some dinner which was pretty average, but close to the accom. From there we had a quick dip to CVS to fix Logan’s glasses and then Ubered back home for the night. 

SETLIST:
Never Had Love
Nothing But Love
Same Things
Monopoly
Leave Behind
Hine e Hine
Made For Loving
Faith
My Love

We were awakened with some road works outside in the morning which, oddly enough, was actually a good way to get us going for the day. I went for another walk while the other guys got ready and then we ubered to ‘24’ diner for some breakfast. It was a bit of a hipster diner joint so didn’t really hit that classic 50’s diner mark we were hoping for.

Afterwards we popped next door to ‘Waterloo records’ where I grabbed one of Lordes records. I’d tried grabbing one from the perch stall when we toured together but they didn’t have any so I ended having to go to America to get the copy I was after.

We met up at the accom after breakfast and headed to the venue. Hans Pucket played a great set, albeit shortened due to very tight timing and ludicrous changeover times. We found out we had a 20 minute set and a 10 minute changeover. The 10 minutes meant we were effectively left with five minutes to get running after the band prior was able to get their pack down out of the way. The set was reduced from five songs to four due to delays caused by the changeover but all went well and the reception was good. The set went ‘Never Ha Love’, ‘Monopoly’, ‘Hine e Hine’ and ‘My Love’. Daniel Bedingfield was there and told me I was one of his top five favourite guitarists from NZ. We scrambled off the stage and packed up the mess we had made before watching Foley and then returning the gear to back to the accom. 

We hung out for a wee bit in the room and then made our way to Hotel Indigo for Georgia’s solo set. It was a small affair but the people there seemed to enjoy the close knit show. Georgia was able to play a handful of different songs that suit that more relaxed setting as well. The bar was right in front of the stage and two coffees were made during the set which was hilariously loud, but it made for good banter. 

Afterwards we went back to the hotel once more before Theo, Logan and I walked back home on the hunt for an Apple pie. We were unsuccessful across the whole 40 minute walk so ended up having to go into a convenience store for some American Snacks - Honey Buns, Twinkies and an Oreo ice cream. We cruised home, watched some TV and hit the hay.

SETLIST:
Never Had Love
Monopoly
Hine e Hine
My Love

It was a bit of a groggy start to the day due to a rough sleep followed by a quick shower and an Uber into a bakery in town before heading to the accom. 

Once we all convened there we headed to the first venue of the day where we were met with a very grumpy sound man (that made a terrifying comment praising the work of the unabomber). We all avoided letting him get to us and stayed positive while we were setting up, we played some tunes from Spotify based off ‘unwritten’ by Natasha Bedingfield and got ready as we went grooved along. The show crept up quickly, suddenly switching from soundcheck to gig. I was only really half dressed with ankle socks and boots and unzipped pants when we started. It was a short show with only half an hour under our belts so we had to cut a couple of tracks. Theo our sound guy was only allowed to supervise the sound man which was a bit weird and we were running without In Ear Monitors for the first time. The set all went smoothly and was a good bit of fun as we pushed through it. ‘My Love’ was fun and it was good to get ‘Faith’ back in the mix. 

Once we were finished it was a quick, sweaty pack up before heading to the next  show which followed two hours later. 

We had a little backstage area to access which was nice and some good free help on hand. Setup all went smoothly from the instrument side of things but was a big stress for Theo (our sound guy) to get us all up and running on time due to a weird desk, and a lack of knowledgable help on hand. We fired into the set with energy but found out later that Stan had trouble hearing his mix so was guessing a little bit to begin with (which he handled like a pro). We fired all we had into the set and the crowd response was great. ‘Monopoly’ was a goodie as well as ‘My love’ once again. I had some small guitar issues at the beginning of ‘Faith’ but it all came right, it may have been due to the challenge of hearing myself. We had lots of great comments afterwards (including a great response from a ‘White Claw’ drink server who said lots of people had been talking about us). It was a hot day and my shirt was completely drenched with sweat by the time I’d finished due to the energy we’d thrown at it.

We hung round for a little bit then headed back to the hotel for a desperately needed shower and to take the gear back. From there, Logan and I popped to Gus’s fried chicken again for some food and a Pabst before jumping in an Uber to head back home. 

After a quick chill Logan and I walked down to ‘The White Horse’ for the true Texas experience. It was a two step bar with amazing bands. We danced all night, struggling to learn the foot pattern (‘slow, slow, quick, quick’ or was it ‘quick, quick, slow, slow?). There was Pabst on tap which was great and the locals were so friendly an did their best to show us what they could but there were a lot of toes stepped on throughout the night. We were there dancing non-stop for about five hours and had the best night - it’s definitely a bucket list thing to do if you’re in Texas. When things were winding down we walked back home, we caught up with Theo to find that the weather had been wild and that the Foley show had sadly had some challenges but had pushed through to an indoor venue. We’d been inside all night so had no clue but saw some videos of the constant lightning flashes that were going on. 

SETLIST SHOW (Planetary Showcase):
Never Had Love
Nothing But Love
Same Things
Monopoly
Made For Loving
Faith
My Love

SETLIST SHOW 2 (International Day Stage - Reduced from 40mins):
Never Had Love
Nothing But Love
Same Things
Monopoly
Made For Loving
Faith
My Love

We began the day by heading into city to meet up with the crew at the hotel. Georgia had a solo show that morning which Logan and I walked to. The air was super crisp and it was the coldest day we’d experienced so far. The solo show was an odd affair feeling a bit like a Folsom Prison performance, mid way through the performance we roped the handful of people watching into a two step display. 

Afterwards we made our way to ‘Micklewait’ for a little sample of BBQ and then walked down the road to ‘Dicada’ for a fantastic taco. They have no menu and only one option for tacos which was a mixed meat on a corn tortilla - delicious. Afterwards we walked around the area, popped by Franklin BBQ which had sold out for the day but it was interesting to see the place. We signed the wall and then walked back to the accom, I got some laundry done as I’d run out of undies and then we all went to check out the poster display/shop at the convention centre. Before the show we headed to ‘Buck Wild’ to go for ride on a mechanical bull which was far harder than it looked. I fell off just trying to get on it and then squashed my private areas in the process of the ride. Awkward but fun but I think that’s all the mechanical bull riding I’ll be doing in my life. 

We waited round at the accom before heading to ‘Esther’s Follies which was the venue for the evening. Foley got a last minute booking to open the show and put on a great set, it was good to see them get their full show running. Changeover was good, albeit with a couple of little issues with the keys but we just jumped into it on time rather than wasting our set. The gig was great, the room felt awesome and it felt like there was a little buzz around the band. Sandi, the woman who taught me the two step, came with two of her friends and had a great time. Georgia’s sustain pedal for her keyboard wasn’t working so when we got to ‘Hine e Hine’ she opted to just jump into the crowd with the microphone and sing accapella which was a beautiful unrehearsed moment. All of the transitions and the flow of the set felt great, ‘Leave behind’ felt like it came at the right point in the set in terms of mood and everyone in the audience got onboard with ‘Faith’. 

After the show everyone was feeling jovial, we had sone Long Island ice teas and hung around the venue. We then dumped our gear back at the hotel and wildly scootered our way to Australia house to hang out. I met a nice man there who bought me a ‘Paloma’ which was tasty margarita style drink. We moved to a bar next door and hung round there for a wee while. I got stuck at the bar and everyone left without knowing I was still there. Thankfully Logan and Theo came back to rescue me and we had a wobbly walk home. We crashed pretty quickly after a big night, big day and big week. 

SETLIST:
Never Had Love
Nothing But Love
Same Things
Monopoly
Leave Behind
Hine e Hine
Made For Loving
Faith
My Love

The final day… we popped to the hotel to grab gear and then headed to ‘Juan in a million’ again for tacos for breakfast. After that we popped to Allen’s for a look at their impressive array of boots and cowboy hats. They had everything you’d need for the full cowboy outfit, it was a truly Texas experience. 

We then sadly dropped off local Logan and said our goodbyes. He’s been a great solid part of the team over the whole week, hopefully we get to play together again.

We talk the 3 hour drive back to Houston and did the big process of rental car, bus, airport, security, lounge and boarding before jumping on the plane bleary eyed and delirious to make our way home. 

TSB Arena, Wellington, New Zealand21.02.23

We left early for the airport, meeting Ollie there and collecting everyone on the way. Arriving in Wellington we went to the supermarket, then Amelia’s Dads place to hang and have some lunch for an hour before heading to the venue for load in / soundcheck. 

Changeover for soundcheck was a swift affair where we aimed to maximise the small window we had to setup and play through some songs. Due to the stage restrictions we had to set up entirely in a line which was a little unusual but not too bad. Visibility to the monitor engineer was limited which made for a challenge in getting our levels sorted before we had to swap with Riiki Reid for their check. We were working with a new sound Engineer for the show (Oli) who was really helpful and helped alleviate some nerves.

Changeover for the show was the usual fast chaos when playing support but all went well. The show went really well as well with the crowds enthusiasm building throughout the set. ‘So Easy’ went nicely and people seemed to enjoy ‘Come Apart’ too. The crowd in general built, getting more and more into it all as the show progressed. During ‘Lucky Girl’ something odd happened with my pedals so I had to make the quick decision to go straight into the amp halfway through, it didn’t end up being a major drama. 

Lordes set was incredible - she is truly iconic: An incredible performer, singer and writer. The show itself has so many great levels to it and includes a great mix of new and old material. 

SETLIST:
Reel
Come Apart
Break!
Winter
So Easy
Cherry Pie
Lucky Girl

TSB Arena, Wellington, New Zealand22.02.23

We started the day pretty relaxed in the accom and then all popped to 1154 for a pasta for lunch. After that I went and met up with my Mum and Glenn who had flown up for the show from Chch. We had a drink at their hotel and then I headed to the venue for soundcheck. 

We had a good plan of attack for improving our monitors and had some good discussions with the engineer to help improve things which got everything back to a more comfortable level for us. Jimmy from Lorde also offered some really helpful advice from the future. 

Even though our monitors for this show weren’t ideal, we were able to sit more comfortably together on stage and operate more as a unit. It felt like we were more in sync with vocals and all other elements. Playing shows where you survive difficulties and the audience knows none the wiser is always a great lesson in facing future adversities - it helps to remind you that you can manage well and not lose your cool in the heat of the moment. It also reminded you to appreciate the moments when things do go smoothly even more. 

Some of the same crowd were there from the night before and I found I had a little ‘shaker fan club’ that enjoyed the moment of my shaker wizardry in ‘So Easy’. I thought ‘Winter’ felt more solid and my vocals felt more relaxed. Again, the crowd was fun and got into it more as we went along. 

Mum and Glenn loved the show, it was so great to see them afterwards for a hug and a recap. 

Again, Lorde was fantastic but I didn’t watch the full set from top to bottom this night. 

Had a nice catch up with Ben and Jimmy from the band who were in the same music community as me when they began before they signed on with Lorde in those early days. They’re both doing well and still the lovely guys they were back then. 

SETLIST:
Reel
Come Apart
Break!
Winter
So Easy
Cherry Pie
Lucky Girl

Neudorf Vineyards, Nelson, New Zealand27.02.23

Carla collected Kat and I early in the morning for a smooth trip to the airport, we took a plane to Nelson for the third show of the tour. 

When we arrived we popped into town for some Indian for lunch and then had a wander around, ending at the church steps in the centre while awaiting for Nathalie to pop back and collect us. 

From there we checked into the hotel and headed to the venue. The venue was a beautiful solar powered winery in the country about half an hour out of Nelson. The stage this time was smaller with a scaled back set in place for Lorde and little reduction in space onstage. Soundcheck was a far more rushed affair than we expected as the time for both ours and Riiki’s check was reduced in comparison to the Wellington shows. We were all a little nervous about getting our monitors sorted and managed to work some improvements in the small time we had. 

We had a really nice BBQ style dinner at catering and then the show time seemed to roll around quickly. It was drizzling on and off for a while but nothing substantial eventuated. We had a little light rain in our set but nothing to require the audience to bring out their jackets or umbrellas. 

There was a good group of people up at the barrier and lots of people in a picnic style nearer the back of the venue amongst the trees. We noticed a couple of girls up front that had been at all of the shows thus far and must be following the tour on the road. We setup onstage on the base of Lordes set which boxed us in a tiny bit but kept us raised on the stage. The playing of the show all went, there was a little getting used to for me in regards to playing daylight after playing two night shows. ‘Break!’ Felt good and the set went relatively smoothly. 

After the show we had a little dance to some of Lordes set and had a nice catch up with Caleb from Broods in the crowd who we haven’t seen in a wee while (and lived just down the road). 

We then retreated back to the main catering area and had some dessert and a couple of lovely wines from the venue. Ella swung by to hang for a bit and then we headed home. 

SETLIST:
Reel
Come Apart
Break!
Winter
So Easy
Cherry Pie
Lucky Girl

Western Springs, Auckland, New Zealand04.03.23

It was a pretty slow start to the day with the venue only being five minutes down the road for me. I went out for a walk in the morning and pottered around in the sunshine. It was the first beautiful day that we’d had in a while so I felt fortunate that it was on show day.

Nathalie came and collected us just after midday and dropped us down at the venue. We got all of the backline negotiated around Lorde and Marlon’s set and managed a quick soundcheck. The sun was absolutely scorching with no shade hitting the stage which threw in it’s challenges. I had some small issues with gear not working properly and was forced to create a makeshift shade for my pedals so that I could see their LEDs. 

For the show I decided to stick to just one guitar as the others would run into tuning issues while they were sitting out. We had a good long warm up and then jumped on stage.

The crowd was lovely and the set all started really well. We felt comfortable and confident and our mixes were better which was great. There was some obstacles to negotiate on stage which kept us a little separated in terms of stage position but we did well with working around them. Was really great to get to play the fuller 45 minute set and get some more of the old and new tunes in the mix to balance everything out. ‘Bigger’ was a fun one to play and the faster EP numbers like ‘Break!’ And ‘Thick Of The Honey’ were also great. The towels came in handy for this show due to the heat, I went through a litre of water in the first half of the set. Probably my favourite gig of the tour.

Afterwards we all hung round and got some dinner / dropped some gear off and then went and watched Lorde for the last time. I was in the crowd with my wife and some friends and they all enjoyed the set as much as we had throughout the run.

Once we got through the negotiations of pack downs we popped to Ella’s for a nice chill afterparty, catching up with all of the people that had been surrounding us over the tour. Was lovely to hang with the Rikki Reid crew as they’ve been so great to work with over the shows - nice and easy and really helpful when working together with these support slots.

SETLIST:
Reel 
Come Apart
Break!
Winter
So Easy
Jennifer
Misread
Thick Of The Honey
Bigger
Cherry Pie
Lucky Girl

w/ Hollie Smith, Troy Kingi & Bic Runga
The Hunting Lodge, Kumeu, New Zealand
12.02.23

We popped out to the festival grounds late morning to get prepped and have a small soundcheck before our performance at 2:30PM.

The amphitheatre is a great natural hill leading down from the lodge itself so was a great spot for people to setup and watch with picnics.

The set started with Georgia on the piano playing a shortened version of her song ‘Falling’, from there we opened as a band with ‘Never Had Love’ which was a nice change to the usual opening song and set a good energy for the rest of the set.

The audience was a more relaxed one so the set went relatively quick fire with not a great deal of banter between the songs. ‘Leave Behind’ returned to the set for the first time in a while and was the song with the greatest reception on the day so it was cool to be able to incorporate that once again. Georgia did her usual floor tom inclusion which always beefs up the outro of the track.

By the time we played ‘Faith and ‘My Love’ we realised we were ahead of schedule so Mikee (Georgia’s manager) popped side of stage and got Georgia to include ‘Hine e Hine’ which was a great last minute addition.

After the show Georgia went to visit her family in the crowd and was given a standing ovation by the surrounding crowd which was a sweet moment for her.

The rest of the day was lovely with great crew and plentiful wine provided by the venue. It was good to spend some time with some musician friends as well as my wife, friends and Uncle over from the UK. 

SETLIST:
Falling (Solo)
Never Had Love
Made For Loving
Driver’s License (Olivia Rodrigo Cover - Solo)
Leave behind
Faith
My Love
Hine e Hine (Solo)

Laneway Festival - CANCELLED, Replaced with Turnstile show at the Powerstation

Auckland, New Zealand

29.01.23

With Laneway cancelled on Monday, we were asked to jump onboard the show that was initially planned as the pre-party for the festival. The lineup originally featured Turnstile, 100 Gecs and Yard Act but both 100 Gecs and Yard Act couldn’t make it due to the Monday cancellation. The bill in-turn became Turnstile, Fazerdaze and Dartz. 

Soundcheck was smooth running, it was our first show with Carla on keys and Suren mixing. We had a good amount of time to go through things and the crew was really helpful.

The stage layout was a little odd, setting up in front of Turnstile, it meant that Olly was tucked into a corner and there was a bigger distance between myself and the rest of the band.

The gig was fun, a little challenging for me on the vocals to begin with but it settled in as it went on. I forgot to turn off my synth pedal for the start of ‘Reel’ which made for a far less delicate sound than what I was going for and I tripped over a microphone stand at one point - all part of the fun. It was a bit of an unusual pairing for the gig with Darts and Turnstile leaning on the heavier side but we may have been playing a bit of a palate cleanser roll in the middle - I described it as feeling like we were the salad in the middle of a hard rock sandwich.

‘Break!’ And ‘Come Apart’ felt like they clicked more with the Auckland audience and the new songs, particularly ‘Cherry Pie’ seemed to get a great reception. Buzz jumped on stage to play ‘Magic’ for the first time which was super fun, hopefully we can maintain that in the set for future shows.

We took a lot away from the show for the next one, realising that having some crowd mixed into our monitors will really help with the vibe, we also really liked the way Turnstile had a lot of musical interludes between songs and less chat. 

SETLIST:
Break!
Come Apart
Thick Of The Honey
Reel
So Easy
Jennifer
Misread
Magic (with Buzz Moller from Voom)
Bigger
Cherry Pie
Lucky Girl

28.11.22

We played ‘school night’ on a Monday night which is a showcase of up and coming artists outside of Los Angeles. On the bill were Anna Clendening, Monet Ngo and James Barre. 

For this show I was borrowing our friend Tia’s (from Benee) guitar which was nice to have something new to try out for a change. I bought a strap for the guitar from LA vintage before the show as during the rehearsal the night prior I was forced onto a stool. Was an interesting show gear wise with a stripped back pedalboard, working on getting the best from what I had, which was a nice new challenge. 

We had ‘local Logan’ joining us on bass for the show and he did a great job. No issues learning the set and a super smooth bass tone. 

The green room at the venue was a huge back theatre which was an unusual, but beautiful, place to be amongst prior to the show. 

I felt nice and comfortable leading into the show and we made a solid start. Georgia started the set solo in the crowd and deadened the room before we jumped to ‘Nothing but love’. There were some early nerves that passed through quickly and the crowd really seemed to get onboard. ‘Never Had Love’ and ‘Faith’ both went well and ‘Hine e hine’ was a big moment with complete silence in the room. 

It was so great to have my sister in law and brother in law up from San Diego for the show - it was special to play in front of them after years and years of them being away or the covid dead zone. 

The set seemed to go by pretty quickly, everyone seemed happy with how it went in the end which was a great result. We finished the night with a big catch up at In and out with some other kiwis along for the ride (Teeks, Estere, and Willy from No Cigar). 

SETLIST: Falling (Solo)
Nothing But Love
No One Knows
Never Had Love
Made For Loving
Hine e Mine (Georgia Solo)
Faith
My Love

26.11.22

A little more anxiety and anticipation leading in to the Auckland show as it’s the one where we play to more of our friends and family. Soundcheck for the show was great, we worked hard on getting our monitors better and that made a big difference come show time. Our sound guru Andy had setup surround sound at the venue to do some cool effects which was the first time I had come across something like that.

The start of the set all went smoothly and the gaps between songs were tidier and more organised. The stage at Hollywood has an unusual slope to it as it’s primarily a movie theatre. The slope can be a little unsettling as it puts you off balance a little as you move around, no one fell off the stage though so that’s a win.

For this gig we changed the stage plot and it was nice to have Ollie behind me, a bit more stable than having another band member you can bump into.

It was Indi’s (keys) last gig and she did well to survive though it, It will be nice to see Indi again when we tour Europe at some point.

There was a wee tweak to the setlist to break up a couple of the new songs which felt good. ‘Bigger’ was a popular one as far as the new songs go and the crowd seemed to be having a great time. There was a rumour that Jacinda and Taika were there but that was never confirmed so that will ust stay as that, a rumour. 

Was really nice seeing a handful of students at the show and bumping into other friends from the music community that enjoyed the gig. Was interesting thinking how things had come full circle from taking Fazerdaze on her first tour with Clap Clap Riot, to then playing in her band many years later.

SETLIST:
Break!
Reel
Come Apart
Thick Of The Honey
Overthink It
Jennifer
Winter
Treading Lightly
So Easy
Take It Slow
Shoulders
Bigger
Cherry Pie
Lucky Girl
——
Misread
Little Uneasy

25.11.22

Gig was a full house, if not sold out, very close to it. A much smoother start this time, we are still wrestling a little with monitor mix but learning more each time. 

Was a really nice show in terms of connection and emotion with funny moments, sad moments, high energy and low energy - it felt very human. 

Was great to be out and appreciate a NZ crowd in full force again after the long challenges brought on by covid. 

Had lots of fun at this one with a funny leg on the rail moment in ‘Treading Lightly’ that people really got into. New (unreleased) tunes went really well with people seeming to really get into ‘So Easy’ in particular. 

Was cool for Mealz to have some old school friends there including the girl ‘Jennifer’ was written about at the show. 

Feel like vocals are getting a little stronger and a warm up helps with the confidence. 

SETLIST:
Break!
Reel
Come Apart
Thick Of The Honey
Overthink It
Jennifer
Take It Slow
Winter
Treading Lightly
So Easy
Shoulders
Bigger
Cherry Pie
Lucky Girl
—
Misread 
Little uneasy

After an early flight to Jakarta we were met by our lovely crew of Arghia, Alliya and Rai and were taken to a lovely restaurant to try some local food. We then popped to the hotel briefly before heading to soundcheck. 

The venue was a wide open warehouse space with a high stage which was an interesting spot to play. 

Soundcheck all went well with greater success with our monitors and a smoother setup for the band due to the large amount of crew to help out. 

Before the show we popped out of the green room and grabbed a cocktail from a stall (‘Fuller smoke house’) where they had signage made up with Fazerdaze imprinted on the menus etc. they gave us a couple of free hats and we got some photos with them. 

The show had a tricky start with gear not working as the intro loop was running, we vamped an intro for ‘Reel’ whilst everything got organised. The crowd all coped well with the hiccup.

The set from there went well with less errors and a smoother run of the songs as a whole. The crowd were enthralled by Amelia, holding their gaze on her for the entire show. They knew all of the lyrics and sang them back at volume, even for the new EP songs which is something we don’t normally get in New Zealand, they seem to study the lyrics ahead of the show in preparation for the main event. ‘Shoulders’ and ‘Jennifer’ were sweet moments to appreciate this. 

We got a chant of ‘one more song’ before we had even finished which was pretty funny, we then got a photo together onstage and promised to play one more - finishing on ‘Misread’ for the first time. 

After the show Amelia was busy for a long time signing autographs and meeting fans - a scene unlike any I had ever seen. She is a true superstar over in Indonesia with gifts from fans and so many die hard supporters. The merch all sold out and probably could have sold even more if we had it on hand. 

At the airport Amelia was met by a fan that had waited for 3 hours. He gifted her a guitar strap and some gloves and got her to sign a bunch of tees and a hat. We then said goodbye to the crew that had looked after us. 

Lovely people, hot sun and good times. A wonderful adventure. 

SETLIST: 
Break!
Reel
Come Apart
Thick Of The Honey
Overthink It
Jennifer
Take It Slow
Winter
Treading Lightly
So Easy
Shoulders
Bigger
Cherry Pie
Lucky Girl
Little Uneasy
—
Misread

19.11.22

We made our way to the festival at around midday and got settled into our green room whilst organising bits backstage. Our set time was at 4:30pm and went through until to sunset which was a lovely vista, the heat was like nothing else I’ve ever played in before - a sauna of sorts. Changeover was chaos as per usual at a festival. We ran into issues with power supplies etc. whilst setting up but managed to get some resolution before we started. 

The beginning of the set was a huge challenge with the click track not coming through in our ears and the backings needing to be dropped. We had issues with amp levels and Amelia and I were getting shocked by our mics for the whole duration. It took a good 6 or so songs before things felt like they settled down a bit and we found our footing. 

We learnt a huge amount from the show and did so well to effectively push through a worst case scenario from the very first note. Pretty proud with how we survived through it and adapted. The crowd really seemed to enjoy ‘Come Apart’ and some of the newer numbers. ‘Lucky Girl’ really kicked into gear at the end. 

It was great to see Amelia have such an engagement with the fans after the show and to sell out the merch.

SETLIST: 
Break!
Reel
Come Apart
Thick Of The Honey
Overthink It
Jennifer
Take It Slow
Winter
Treading Lightly
So Easy
Shoulders
Bigger
Cherry Pie
Lucky Girl
Little Uneasy

Spark Arena
25.10.22

Caught up with Georgia and the team for rehearsal at DeBase at 2PM ahead of the show before heading to the venue to get prepared for soundcheck. Spark has a huge backstage area with a large number of dressing rooms and catering etc. We dropped off our gear, had some snacks from the rider and shared some kind words with each other before sound check. We meet George on the way to soundcheck - a really lovely man. Had a good chat about the Kings of Leon gig he went to the night before at Spark and wished him luck for the show. 

The show went really well, Georgia had a great rapport with the crowd. It was a magical moment getting to sit on stage while she performed ‘Drivers License’ by Olivia Rodrigo solo, thousands of people singing along with their phone lights waving in the air. She managed to get a big sing along on ‘Made for loving’ as well. I’m slowly starting to get a little more comfortable being back onstage again which is really great, it feels like finding my sea legs again after this covid induced drought of shows over the last three years.

We hovered around for a wee while afterwards to watch some of George’s show - band all sounded super solid and was interesting watching the details of choreography in the set.

SETLIST: 
Nothing But Love
No One Knows
Never Had Love
Drivers License (Olivia Rodrigo cover - Georgia Solo)
Made For Loving
Faith
My Love