DARTZ Tour Blog Week One: Pneumonia, King Tides, and Regional Hospitality.
DARTZ has kicked off a tour that’ll take us across Aotearoa, Europe, and Australia for the next two-and-a-bit months, and I figured I’d document each week, a travel blog of sorts, to have a look into life on the road and our possible unraveling.
The Aotearoa leg of the tour kicked off last week at the top of the South Island, and some events leading up to kick-off had us concerned. Firstly, I had been diagnosed with, and was taking antibiotics for, pneumonia after a visit to the doctor about a cough that wouldn’t go away, then we saw the news of a storm making its way up the south island – and scheduled to hit on the days we were meant to fly down and play.
The plan was for Rollyz to take the car with all the gear on the interislander, and the rest of us to fly to Nelson and meet him there on Thursday, but the forecast had us fearful that one, or both, of those modes of cross-island transportation would be canceled due to the weather.
Luckily, we all made it to Nelson safely and on time (although the small Nelson plane had a few bumps on landing) and headed towards our accom and then venue for the night: the Boathouse. Both of these buildings had their quirks, our accom was built in the 1800s and featured a hallway of circular framed black and white photos of old-timely people who most definitely could have been haunting the place.
The boathouse was a venue built over the Nelson Haven that in 2018 had its entire floorboards destroyed by a storm surge that forced seawater through the building. Now this was relevant as last Thursday the storm was scheduled to hit alongside a king tide right around the time we were scheduled to hit the stage. The council had announced it was closing the road that the Boathouse was situated on at 10 pm in preparation, so we moved the set times a little earlier in preparation for this.
But in an incredible showcase of the power of the regional community, every single person who had purchased a pre-sale turned up, as well as a large amount of on-the-door sales. Around eighty Nelsonites(?) braved the weather on a Thursday to see the boys, and it was extremely heartwarming, some older people were grooving, some younger kids in clown makeup thrashing and we all defied the odds and had a good night – even my lungs survived! However, I was reminded of the storm as we packed the gear into the van as the king tide waves came right up over the entrance and completely soaked me from head to toe…
After a ghost-free sleep, we packed into the van and headed to Blenheim for the next show, playing a function room at the back of Waterfront Bar & Grill. I should stress that the “waterfront” part of the name is a tad misleading, the bar just backs onto the bank of a small river – although this rose considerably throughout the evening due to the aforementioned storm.
Once again everyone came out and then some, the gig was in part run by House of Pluto, a local arts collective that works tirelessly (and sometimes battles the council) to foster a thriving arts scene in the city. Their hospitality and the eagerness of the locals to get right into it really made for a great time, the room was packed and intimate. My favorite interaction was with a man who gave me a tight handshake and said “The music isn’t for me brother, but I had a great time” then proceeded to buy two shirts.
We then headed up over the Takaka hill to play the final show of the weekend at Mussel Inn. Located between the Takaka township and Collingwood this is probably the most wholesome venue we have ever played. If I’m being honest I was worried about this one, I know DARTZ has its popularity across the motu, but a small community pub in the middle of nowhere at the very top of the south island? A region that (I assumed) preferred roots, reggae, and dub music? I was worried we would go down like a lead balloon.
Luckily Golden Bay proved me wrong, we packed the tiny treehouse-like bar with around sixty people, who let loose and loved what we had to offer. And then there was the Mussel Inn beer, oh my lord, possibly the best craft beer I’ve ever had in this county, I’d even place it higher than my beloved Lion Red. The hospitality given to us by the locals and Mussel Inn owners Jane and Andrew Dixon (who put us up in their beautiful hand-made home) is beyond words. It may have been the post-show magic mushrooms, but the wonderful conversations, gentle ribbing, and recommendations of what to do in the area made me miss the Inn when we left the next morning, as I type this I think I’m still in mourning.
These first sets of shows were a genuine lesson in why I think it’s worthwhile for musicians to add smaller regional shows to tours, there is an audience in these places, and better yet a community keen to show you what makes their hometown so great. The cast of characters we met set a high bar for the tour, in the big centers we religiously hit we rarely get to hang out afterward and get a sense of the place, but in these smaller locations they’re invested to the early morning, and for that reason, we will be back to the top of the south again for sure.
Danz
DARTZ heads to Dunedin, Christchurch, and Hamilton this week, if you wanna see what the fuss is about, you can grab a ticket here.
We also dropped a new music video last week for the title track of our new album ‘Dangerous Day to be a Cold One’, directed by the extremely talented Tom Grut, and starring our good friend Jake Love as an anthropomorphic beer who we chase across Auckland: