Members of Cloudboy — Craig Monk, Demarnia Lloyd and Johannes Contag — are touring around the country to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their 2001 album, Down at the End of the Garden.
The album sold out when it was re-released on vinyl for Record Store Day this year.
Joining them on tour is the band’s original drummer Heath Te Au.
Guitarist, flautist and bassist Contag said it was absolutely great to come back to Dunedin and served as a chance to catch-up with old friends.
Contag described the Dunedin Sound as an original and insular hot-bed of creativity and said playing in the ’90s was "the most amazing music scene to be a part of".
"I’ve never seen anything like it anywhere else in the world.
"It’s usually the Dunedin people, whether that’s either in London, Berlin or wherever, they will be at the party the longest."
Contag said remastering the album was an "archaeological dig" but it otherwise stood the test of time with a full experience yet a stripped-back feel.
Vocalist Lloyd said it felt special and exciting to return to Dunedin, which was the place where everything began for her.
"There are these people that we haven’t seen for years, and it’s really nice reconnecting with the community that was around us back in the day."
She recounted one of her old Dunedin friends, who used to play the album at her cafe, had told her it was amazing to hear it all over again.
"It seems to be deeply embedded in some people’s listening history and it all comes back out.
"To see it all again and hear it all again live seems to be quite an emotional experience for some people and quite special."
Lloyd said it was amazing to get the band back together, and despite all being in different spaces, there was a lot of love between them as a group.
Violinist, guitarist and synth-player Monk said it would be lovely to finish the tour in the place where it all began.
Monk said it was idealistic and thrilling to be adjacent to the Dunedin Sound, and fast forward to now, said he saw young people performing with "exactly the same energy that we had" at Yours cafe, in Moray Place.
Live backing films, courtesy of photographer and film-maker Stuart Lloyd-Harris, would accompany the music.
Cloudboy will be performing in Dunedin, at Te Whare o Rukutia, on December 16 and 17.
tim.scott@odt.co.nz , PIJF cadet reporter
