Thursday, October 5, 2017
Paua will be playing Whakatane’s Boiler Room on Saturday, October 21. Photo Supplied
OPOTIKI reggae fans will be queueing up for tickets to see Brisbane outfit Paua when they land on our shores in a couple of weeks.
The band, who have played at festivals in New Zealand, will be heading to the Eastern Bay for the first time on October 21, where they will play at the Boiler Room in Whakatane.
Paua have also released their latest single, Play By Your Rules, online today (Friday October 6).
Three of the band’s members are Maori – Jay Whitmore on lead vocals, Clinton Cochrane on drums and Muz Mane on guitar.
“We love playing in New Zealand because it’s always beautiful to bring our music back home,” says Jay.
“We like to play in as many places as we can, all over New Zealand, to share our music with the people.
“This is also the first time Paua have played in Whakatane so there’s lots of excitement from the band.”
Saxophonist Cassie Whitehead says they have been hoping to play in Whakatane for a long time.
“But it often hasn’t worked out due to our festival appearances,” she says.
“For a couple of our latest Australian recruits this will be one of only a few visits to New Zealand so they’re particularly excited even though they’re still learning how to pronounce Whakatane.
“I think Whakatane will suit us well with the sunny weather – fingers crossed. Looking forward to a swim.”
The band’s other members include Norman Baquiran on guitar, Lachlan Symons on bass and Ed Ruben on keys.
The band will be touring New Zealand and Queensland from October 13 to November 5.
Their latest tour follows a successful New Zealand visit earlier this year, which included the sold-out One Love Festival.
They said they had been focusing on writing and recording fresh material since then.
Many of Paua’s releases have hit number one on the New Zealand and Australian iTunes reggae charts, including 2016 album Sometimes Conscious, singles What’s it Gonna Take and Losing My Religion, a reworking of the REM classic.
Tickets for the show are $30 and presale tickets can be obtained from the venue or www.ticketspace.co.nz.
Opotiki News has one double pass to give away to see Paua.
To enter email administration@opotikinews.co.nz with “paua” in the subject line. Entries close at noon on Friday, October 13.