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Mel Parsons presents the Castle Hill album tour
Saturday, August 29 — Glenroy Auditorium
Review by Brenda Harwood
Award-winning New Zealand musician Mel Parsons is celebrating the release of her Castle Hill album in style, with a series of performances across the country.
As part of that tour, a large Dunedin audience were treated to a night of fabulous kiwi music, storytelling and laughter, as Parsons and her band played the whole of the Castle Hill album, along with selected favourites from the back catalogue.
The show featured Parsons on acoustic and electric guitars and lead vocals, Aaron Stewart on bass, Jed Parsons on drums, and Ben King on guitar — with all band members chipping in on backing vocals.
The result was a lovely blended sound, with vocals complementing each other beautifully, and each band member contributing to the overall alt-folk/country sound.
At the time of last Saturday’s show, Castle Hill was sitting at number 1 on the NZ album chart — a fact proudly, and amusingly, pointed out by Parsons in a gig filled with great music, stories, and plenty of laughter.
The songs on the Castle Hill album have a melancholy feel, as Parsons explores themes of resilience, grief, self-doubt and presence in her songwriting.
From the catchy Grain by Grain and Brick by Brick — perfect for a building supplies retailer to use for promotion, as Parsons pointed out, to the contemplative Time Slows Down, the songs flowed nicely.
Parsons also shared an important message with the audience in her introduction to and performance of the song Be Here Now — highlighting the need for everyone to put down devices and be present in the room with loved ones. A timely message indeed.
After an interval, the concert’s second half featured a shift in energy as the band played favourites drawn from across Parsons’ seven earlier albums, including several songs from Drylands (2015), Glass Heart (2022), and the award-winning early album and Red Grey Blue (2011).
Following thunderous applause and cheers, Parsons and band returned to round out the show with an energetic rendition of Far Away — recorded with Fly My Pretties in 2013/14.
The song was the perfect conclusion to a thoroughly enjoyable night of music.