|
Fly My Pretties first entered our hearts and minds in 2004, with the idea from The Black Seeds' front-man Barnaby Weir and co-conspirator Mikee Tucker, to assemble a talented and exciting group of Wellington-based musicians for a ‘one-off’ project. The objective: To meet, exchange ideas, and then perform and record the results in front of a live audience.
Creating an atmosphere especially for the theatre, Fly My Pretties performed their first season at Wellington’s BATS Theatre over five nights. It was a hit, and Fly My Pretties became Bats’ most attended event of 2004. Likewise, the album ‘Fly My Pretties: Live at Bats’ (LP024) became one of LOOP’s most successful releases to date achieving gold-status, receiving 6 B-Net nominations (winning Best Pop Album), and being released internationally in the UK.
Building on last year’s event, The Return of Fly My Pretties sees key members of the original cast reunite, and meet with new faces from the Wellington music scene. With the repertoire encompassing a diverse range of styles from folk-roots, to reggae, rock, new-soul, and blues; the themes repeatedly reflect the state of contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand: A nation isolated in the pacific that is searching for its identity, while remembering where we have come from.
To represent this, The Return of Fly My Pretties has a nostalgic ‘vaudevillian’ aesthetic, complete with 1930’s working-class influenced costumes. To support the performance, a visual backdrop was lovingly crafted by some of New Zealand’s finest video-jockies, gathered together by the clever people at Nektar Films. Incorporating rare and restored film footage, generously supplied by The New Zealand Film Archive, and live action captured on stage, the visual backdrop was mixed live to great effect. This work can now be seen on the DVD live record, and can be seen on its own for the track ‘Catch the Light’ in the Bonus Features section of the DVD.
Once again, Barnaby Weir has taken the role as the creative leader of Fly Pretties, assembling the musicians and directing the show, while spreading the writing responsibilities evenly across the ensemble. One particular standout from Barnaby is ‘Catch the Light’, which was written and performed alongside legendary sound engineer Lee Prebble. The gentle, reflective song features only an acoustic guitar, and lyrical lapsteel, keeping the audience attention until the final chord dies away.
Another welcome return is Age Pryor, who has contributed two new songs. The first, ‘King of You All’ is performed with Tessa Rain, and sung at a whisper to a silently entranced audience. The second, ‘Shouldn’t I know’ is performed by a larger ensemble and finishes with an uplifting three-part harmony, making it a favourite of the collection. Tessa Rain, also has her chance to shine, and introduces the audience to her ‘sassy-side’ with two sublime numbers: ‘Smoke Me’ and ‘Carrier Pigeon’.
The Phoenix Foundation’s Sam Scott also returns to the stage, making his indie presence felt throughout the show. His tune ‘Don’t Start’, filled with pained political metaphors spurred by the recent general elections, is yet another welcome change of direction in the repertoire. Sam also adopts the role of ‘the freaky conductor’ in the audience participation extravaganza entitled ‘Flight of the Owl’, which rounds off the CD, and DVD tracklist. Sam’s only explanation for the madness: “Sometimes when you want a climax, you need to get a little freaky…”
In The Return of Fly My Pretties, plenty of new contributors also enter the fold. One such exciting addition to the ensemble, is vocal-diva/multi-instrumentalist Hollie Smith, who has collaborated previously with some of the countries top acts including Fat Freddy’s Drop, and recently-disbanded TrinityRoots. One of the rising stars of the show, Hollie is proving to be a world-class songwriter and singer, her emotionally charged blues-driven tunes ‘Miracle’ and ‘Clarity’, are welcome additions to the already diverse palette on offer.
Wellington three-piece Seven Suns’ lead singer, Adi Dick also showcases his talents as a songwriter and vocalist with two of his own tunes. Foresight gets the shoulders moving with its chilled R&B groove, while the happy skanking 'Get Out', is promising to be one of the sing-along hits of the summer (and not only in Upper Hutt!)
Another new addition to Fly My Pretties is Jeramiah Ross (aka Module), whose debut double-album ‘Remarkable Engines’ & ‘Movement’ has recently been released on LOOP Recordings. In Fly My Pretties, Module shows his passion for classical music, opening the show with a romantically inspired piano solo entitled ‘Oh Fair Moonlight’, effortlessly performed on a gorgeous Steinway piano - the piece captivating the audience with its peaceful, yet mysterious quality.
Also contributing their expertise is Charlie ASH bassist Mailee Mathews appearing on ‘Flight of The Owl’; Dan Weetman who provides percussion throughout the show, and keys and vocals for his own heart-stopping tune ‘All That Could Be’; The rocking rhythm section including ex-Paselode bassist Nato (whose track ‘Nato’s Theme’ is sure to be the rock n’ roll hit of the album) and Flying Nun sweetheart Brendan Moran on Drums; and finally The Black Seeds’ Mike Fabulous on Bass, and Jarney Murphey on Drums, who are being touted as one of the best rhythm sections in the country listen to the solo on ‘Alright’ and see why…)
The Return of Fly My Pretties sees a wide range of musical influences converge in writing and performance to create something altogether unique and special. The tracks on the CD and DVD represent the best takes from the sell-out season, and have been un-altered so that the listener gets the chance to relive the magic of the performances.
Band Members:
Barnaby Weir (vocals, guitar)
Lee Prebble (lap steel)
Hollie Smith (vocals, rhodes, guitar)
Mailee Mathews (bass)
Sam Scott (vocals, guitar)
Module (keyboard)
Adi Dick (vocals, lap steel, guitar)
Nato (bass, guitar)
Dan Weetman (vocals, keyboard, percussion)
Age Pryor (vocals, guitar)
Tessa Rain (vocals, guitar)
Jarney Murphy (drums)
Brendan Moran (drums)
Mike Fabulous (bass)
|
