In months like August, only the bravest (or the most foolhardy) venture south instead of north. Despite this, the pull of the mythical winds of Wellington bring two Auckland-based bands south to see old friends and meet new ones in Raglan and other places around the North Island.
Great North will appear as a duo – a rare, stripped-back incarnation of this usual five-piece act who enchants with the intimacy and directness of their beautifully crafted songs. Hayden Donnell and Rachel Harrison will be bringing both new material and songs already familiar from their debut album ‘Newfoundland’ in their first visit to the capital since their album release tour in 2010.
The brooding pathos of Luckless sends metaphorical electrical sparks from their guitar-and-drums two-piece line up. The minimalist line-up belies the astonishing volume Luckless creates on stage, belting out indie-rock energy that subsides into melancholic reflection and then roars back with astonishing swiftness.
The two bands are enlisting the aid of Karin & Felix in Raglan, The Body Lyre and What Noisy Cats in Wellington and D Burmester in Paekakariki. This tour precedes the forthcoming Luckless album, due to be released in November this year.
Tickets are available at www.undertheradar.co.nz, or can be bought on the door on the night at any of the venues. Great North and Luckless promise to provide you with a haven from the cold and the wind on a potentially otherwise colourless August night.
Raglan Show, 18 August 2011
Great North and Luckless – South for the Winter Tour
Thu 18 Aug, 8:00pm–11:00pm
Where: Vinnies Restaurant & Bar, 7 Wainui Rd, Raglan
All Ages
$5.00 at the door