Local band to open for Evermore | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

A band of Masterton musos gunning for entertainment "with a twist" has landed the Wairarapa support slot for Kiwi big hitters Evermore.

Deaf Lemon - comprising vocalist Pip Hansen, guitarist Mike Rigg, bassist Peter Pauli and drummer Toby Mills - have been steadily building their live sound and show since forming almost a year ago, Mills said.

The band were yesterday named as winners of the inaugural Tui Brewery Battle of the Bands and will open at the Small Town Big Sounds concert at the Maingatainoka brewery on February 27 that is bringing New Zealand charting bands Evermore and Supergroove to headline the show.

Mills said Deaf Lemon are also performing at the same venue for the Hurricanes pre-season game against the Blues on January 23 after also playing the main stage in Palmerston North Square to count in the New Year.

"We're all from Masterton and we now have a gig calendar that's almost fully booked through to April next year," he said.

Mills said the band bill themselves as high energy entertainers who have, since forming, "developed a unique style of entertainment that combines re-writes of infectious dance classics and a high level of crowd participation".

"The Deaf Lemon mission is to develop our sound and stage show using a carefully chosen set of covers that have been rewritten with a "lemony dance twist". However, we do have a bigger plan that includes the release of an original EP next month called Yellow is Good," Mills said.

The band is set to incorporate tunes from the recording in to their live performance after the EP is released, he said.

"Bands that play exclusively originally material often find it hard to gain a large following, while exclusively cover bands often get written off as being musically uncreative. We're using our own take on covers to pay the bills and to develop our live performance and reputation while working on the original material as the next phase."

Mills said the band sound "is pretty unique" with all members "strong vocalists in their own right that allows full harmonies and a very big sound for a four piece".

Yellow is Good may be bought online from the band website at www.deaflemon.co.nz or from Masterton Music Works, Mill said. Tickets for the Hurricanes game and Small Town Big Sounds concert may be purchased from www.tui.co.nz or at Tranzit Coachlines.