DOWNLOAD THE RETURN OF FLY MY PRETTIES ON ITUNES...
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DOWNLOAD LIVE AT BATS ON ITUNES...
Download at iTunes here.
Listen to The ReturnListen to Live At Bats
Grand Tour Photos
Photos by Patrick Shepherd
Send a carrier pigeon note to Fly My Pretties
Fly My Pretties first entered our hearts and minds in 2004, with the idea from The Black Seeds front-man Barnaby Weir and co-conspirator Mikee Tucker, to assemble a talented and exciting group of Wellington-based musicians for a one-off project. The objective: To meet, exchange ideas, and then perform and record the results in front of a live audience.Creating an atmosphere especially for the theatre, Fly My Pretties performed their first season at Wellingtons BATS Theatre over five nights. It was a hit, and Fly My Pretties became Bats most attended event of 2004. Likewise, the album Fly My Pretties: Live at Bats (LP024) became one of LOOPs most successful releases to date achieving gold-status, receiving 6 B-Net nominations (winning Best Pop Album), and being released internationally in the UK.Building on last years event, The Return of Fly My Pretties sees key members of the original cast reunite, and meet with new faces from the Wellington music scene. With the repertoire encompassing a diverse range of styles from folk-roots, to reggae, rock, new-soul, and blues; the themes repeatedly reflect the state of contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand: A nation isolated in the pacific that is searching for its identity, while remembering where we have come from.To represent this, The Return of Fly My Pretties has a nostalgic vaudevillian aesthetic, complete with 1930s working-class influenced costumes. To support the performance, a visual backdrop was lovingly crafted by some of New Zealands finest video-jockies, gathered together by the clever people at Nektar Films. Incorporating rare and restored film footage, generously supplied by The New Zealand Film Archive, and live action captured on stage, the visual backdrop was mixed live to great effect. This work can now be seen on the DVD live record, and can be seen on its own for the track Catch the Light in the Bonus Features section of the DVD.Once again, Barnaby Weir has taken the role as the creative leader of Fly Pretties, assembling the musicians and directing the show, while spreading the writing responsibilities evenly across the ensemble. One particular standout from Barnaby is Catch the Light, which was written and performed alongside legendary sound engineer Lee Prebble. The gentle, reflective song features only an acoustic guitar, and lyrical lapsteel, keeping the audience attention until the final chord dies away.Another welcome return is Age Pryor, who has contributed two new songs. The first, King of You All is performed with Tessa Rain, and sung at a whisper to a silently entranced audience. The second, Shouldnt I know is performed by a larger ensemble and finishes with an uplifting three-part harmony, making it a favorite of the collection. Tessa Rain, also has her chance to shine, and introduces the audience to her sassy-side with two sublime numbers: Smoke Me and Carrier Pigeon.The Phoenix Foundations Sam Scott also returns to the stage, making his indie presence felt throughout the show. His tune Dont Start, filled with pained political metaphors spurred by the recent general elections, is yet another welcome change of direction in the repertoire. Sam also adopts the role of the freaky conductor in the audience participation extravaganza entitled Flight of the Owl, which rounds off the CD, and DVD tracklist. Sams only explanation for the madness: Sometimes when you want a climax, you need to get a little freakyIn The Return of Fly My Pretties, plenty of new contributors also enter the fold. One such exciting addition to the ensemble, is vocal-diva/multi-instrumentalist Hollie Smith, who has collaborated previously with some of the countries top acts including Fat Freddys Drop, and recently-disbanded TrinityRoots. One of the rising stars of the show, Hollie is proving to be a world-class songwriter and singer, her emotionally charged blues-driven tunes Miracle and Clarity, are welcome additions to the already diverse palette on offer.Wellington three-piece Seven Suns lead singer, Adi Dick also showcases his talents as a songwriter and vocalist with two of his own tunes. Foresight gets the shoulders moving with its chilled R&B groove, while the happy skanking Get Out, is promising to be one of the sing-along hits of the summer (and not only in Upper Hutt!)Another new addition to Fly My Pretties is Jeramiah Ross (aka Module), whose debut double-album Remarkable Engines & Movement has recently been released on LOOP Recordings. In Fly My Pretties, Module shows his passion for classical music, opening the show with a romantically inspired piano solo entitled Oh Fair Moonlight, effortlessly performed on a gorgeous Steinway piano - the piece captivating the audience with its peaceful, yet mysterious quality.Also contributing their expertise is Charlie ASH bassist Mailee Mathews appearing on Flight of The Owl; Dan Weetman who provides percussion throughout the show, and keys and vocals for his own heart-stopping tune All That Could Be; The rocking rhythm section including ex-Paselode bassist Nato (whose track Natos Theme is sure to be the rock n roll hit of the album) and Flying Nun sweetheart Brendan Moran on Drums; and finally The Black Seeds Mike Fabulous on Bass, and Jarney Murphey on Drums, who are being touted as one of the best rhythm sections in the country listen to the solo on Alright and see why)The Return of Fly My Pretties sees a wide range of musical influences converge in writing and performance to create something altogether unique and special. The tracks on the CD and DVD represent the best takes from the sell-out season, and have been un-altered so that the listener gets the chance to relive the magic of the performances.
<font size="3"FLY MY PRETTIES: LIVE AT BATS CD
THE RETURN OF FLY MY PRETTIES CD & DVD
Listen to track samples of the latest Fly My Pretties album: The Return of Fly My Preties. Click on album cover.CLICK IMAGES TO WATCH MUSIC VIDEOS
The Return of Fly My Pretties - Nato's Theme
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themescrsht.jpg" alt="" style="border: none;" /The Return of Fly My Pretties - Catch The Light'Catch the Light', the first single off the new album The Return of Fly My Pretties, is a beautiful ballad performed acoustically by Barnaby Weir (The Black Seeds lead singer) and Lee Prebble (The Black Seeds).Fly My Pretties - Singing in My Soul
