On the Floor: Delgirl to launch tour

Delgirl is (from left) Lynn Vare, Deirdre Newall and Erin Morton.
Delgirl is (from left) Lynn Vare, Deirdre Newall and Erin Morton.
Dunedin's Delgirl is off on a 29-date tour through New Zealand.

With generous support from Creative New Zealand, the band will bring its unique blend of folk/swamp/roots music to a town near just about everyone.

The three-piece weaves tight harmonies around the double bass, guitar, banjo, ukulele and percussion. The band plays songs about love, murder, lonesome livestock and road rage.

Recently, Delgirl has appeared on National Radio and TV One's Good Morning show.

And now it is about to tour the nation. Delgirl's members say they have had great feedback from around the country, so they are looking forward to meeting new fans.

In a statement, Delgirl said: "We had such a lot of people from around the country get in touch with us after our May tour to Wellington, asking us to come and play for them . . . Assistance from Creative NZ means this is now possible. We were totally blown away by their support; it is such a huge positive acknowledgment of our band and what we are trying to achieve musically."

The band's first album, Two, Maybe Three, Days Ride, released in November 2007, received great reviews and has been re-pressed twice. Critics have compared the group to the Be Good Tanyas and Tres Chicas, while noting a distinctive sound coming from heartland New Zealand via a Louisiana swamp.

William Dart, of Concert FM's New Horizons programme, has long been a fan: "I was hooked irretrievably from their opening song. Don't miss out on this one."

Writing in the Listener, Nick Bollinger said: "Delgirl succeed in evoking the casual flavour of a sing-along while subtly crafting something more complex, simultaneously evoking Flannery O'Connor's American South and New Zealand's Southland.

The band launches its tour at 12 Below in Moray Pl tonight, and is hoping for a large sendoff.

• On the web: www.delgirl.co.nz or www.myspace.com/delgirl.

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