Fly My Pretties Announce Album Release Shows

Fly My Pretties are excited to announce the return to Auckland and Christchurch for a series of special shows celebrating the release of their seventh album, ELEMENTAL. These shows will see the musicians who created ELEMENTAL perform the album for the first time in Auckland and Christchurch, along with some surprises from Fly My Pretties’ eclectic catalogue. The cast for these shows, led by Barnaby Weir and Laughton Kora, includes - Barnaby Weir, Laughton Kora, AJA, RIIKI REID, Taylah, Louis TM, Aaron Stewart, Iraia Whakamoe (The Nudge), Nigel Patterson (The Black Seeds) and Ryan Prebble (The Nudge).

Set for release on May 16, the new album ELEMENTAL sees Fly My Pretties exploring a range of fundamental human, spiritual and natural elements through waiata. The resulting project is a collection of songs dripping in soul and blues, performed by an all-star band and a collection of incredible vocalists. Written and recorded over one week at the world-class facilities of Wellington’s Massey University, the new album represents a step in an exciting new direction for Fly My Pretties, while still maintaining the unexpected nature fans have come to expect.

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Auckland will be treated to three shows at the intimate confines of Q Theatre, including a matinee performance on the Saturday. Christchurch will see them return to their spiritual home in Ōtautahi of the Isaac Theatre Royal, a venue they helped re-open over 10 years ago. These will be the first shows in either city in nearly five years.

Known for their folk/singer-songwriter sound, ELEMENTAL sees Fly My Pretties taking their sound into an exciting new direction. While famous for their big band set up, this album is relatively stripped back, featuring only 11 musicians who appear on every track, giving a constant soulful groove throughout the album, anchored by a rhythm section of Iraia Whakamoe (The Nudge) and Aaron Stewart (Mel Parsons, T-Bone. Driven by musical directors Barnaby Weir and Laughton Kora, the album sees te reo Māori feature prominently throughout, with the language lending itself perfectly to the theme of all things ELEMENTAL.

As with previous iterations of Fly My Pretties, ELEMENTAL sees a group of established and up-and-coming musicians combining. Vocalists AJA, RIIKI REID, Taylah, TAWAZ and Louis TM all bring their unique styles to the release, with the stunningly powerful group vocals combining throughout the album. First single ‘Red Flags’ captures the sound of the project, showcasing Taylah’s unique vocal blend of neo-soul and R&B, with a mighty backing chorus provided by RIIKI REID, TAWAZ, AJA, Laughton Kora and Louis TM.

Created in partnership with Wellington’s Massey University, the project saw Fly My Pretties set up camp at Massey for one week’s worth of writing, rehearsing and recording. Performed on stage at The Great Hall as part of the Wellington Jazz Festival, each show was filmed, recorded and mixed at Massey by a contingent of industry pros, lecturers and students.

The resulting album is the most cohesive of Fly My Pretties’ already impressive catalogue. An album which effortlessly moves between te reo Māori and English vocals, and sees vocalists and styles come and go, all while grounded in a neo-soul sound that still sounds distinctly like Fly My Pretties.

Don’t miss this chance to catch Fly My Pretties for this special run of shows. Presented by Loop, with thanks to Cassels Brewing Co and Main Divide.

Tickets for all shows are on sale at 12pm Friday April 11

ELEMENTAL is released Friday May 16 - pre-order vinyl now from FlyMyPretties.com

About Fly My Pretties:

Fly My Pretties are New Zealand's favourite collaborative group starring a selection of the country’s finest contemporary musicians. Since its inception, Fly My Pretties has grown to become a local legend of music that continues to reach people all over the world.

Fly My Pretties first appeared in 2004, led by The Black Seeds front-man Barnaby Weir and a talented group of Wellington-based musicians for a special project. The resulting LIVE AT BATS was a multi-platinum award-winning album, one which created the ethos behind Fly My Pretties - to meet, exchange ideas, and then perform and record the results.

The collective have since released eight projects, exposed an incredible range of musicians, and created countless true classics. ELEMENTAL is their first new work in over five years, one which again features frontman Barnaby Weir and frequent collaborator Laughton Kora, alongside a cast of both familiar and undiscovered musicians.

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