Christchurch Folk Music Club

Hobnail 25th Anniversary “Boots and All” Tour

14th July 2019 In 2019 Hobnail celebrate 25 years of touring far, wide, and tirelessly throughout New Zealand. To mark the occasion they are embarking on a national tour and releasing a “Best Of” album showcasing tracks taken from their 7 studio albums, we were lucky to have their exuberant talent with us on 14th July for a powerful concert.. Sierra Leone, a cover of the Coconut Rough classic has been with me all week, Hamish’s vocal capabilities added his voice, supplemented with a full voice contrapuntal chorus that added fresh new sounds to a NZ standard. Jo, Caroline, Rob and Hamish all have vocals to add light to the night, the changes in texture between duality and multiplicity add variety that is complimented by the variances of instrumentation.

Many of Hobnail’s much loved tunes came to the fore over the night: String Things, Good Night, Haul Away, Westbound Train, Maria’s Last Words and an imaginative version of Ride On. The audience responded to the impeccable sounds, with raucous applause that showed the appreciation felt. The band themselves valued the time the audience had gifted them as the cricket final also featured that night. There was a slight smattering of empty seats in the second half yet those remaining continued to be treated by the originality of the band combined with world class musicality and texture. This concert was a tremendous celebration of the 25 years of success that has laid a very firm foundation for this quartet of troubadours, we look forward to another 25 years and many many more tuneful songs for our listening pleasure. It will not be a long wait until we can enjoy Hobnail melodies again, as a Saturday night dance is being planned for November. We will let you know. Judi Smitheram Secretary

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