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Some weeks the pieces just won’t fit together, and this is one of them.
I have a bunch of things to share but they remain stubbornly unrelated. Unsegue-able. As a heads-up they include gigs, new releases and youth showcases. I think we’ll just hoe in...
To start, a couple of shows that are inward bound and proving very popular. They’re both on Friday, June 19, and the first, Whakatāne’s newest musical sensation Te Wehi, is so popular that it’s been relocated from Totara Street to the much bigger space of Baycourt, interestingly changing it from a standing-only gig to a seated one.
Te Wehi’s is a remarkable story, going from a Whakatāne bushman who recorded covers for TikTok to topping the charts last year while touring with the likes of L.A.B., Stan Walker and more. He won two Aotearoa Music Awards last month and just released a first album, I’m Home, to join the slew of singles since 2024.
His music is light melodic reggae with an influence of soft American R&B in the emotive often falsetto singing; lyrics are personal and heartfelt and positive. There is possibly a slight country vibe though everything gets tagged country these days to try and jump the current bandwagon. I predict big things ahead...
A humdinger
Same night, June 19, out in Katikati there a humdinger of a concert with Bill Angus and The Mighty Ways, who play an updated version of English folk music. Think the likes of Nick Drake or Bert Jansch with more modern trappings.
Angus is a displaced Englishman who has since released three albums, the most recent being 2022’s lovely collection All Night Before the World Began. His eclectic quartet includes notable Northland singer Maggie Cocco and promises viola, violin, tabla, dholak, guitar and more.
On to two new singles from Tauranga. Eccentric chart-toppers We Will Ride Fast – the musical moniker of multi-disciplinary artist Kyle Sattler – has a third 2026 single out, You Need You. Any fears of normality creeping in are unfounded as WWRF explores the emotional fallout of breaking up by turning heartbreak into drifting cosmic debris. As you do.
We Will Ride Fast. Photo / Supplied
Meanwhile, guitar virtuoso Sean Bodley’s latest is the mid-tempo instrumental Midnight Confessions where his dazzling technique serves as a vehicle for a very well-constructed piece. It’s a lesson for guitarists, who might note that Bodley also gives guitar lessons.
Those kids can play!
I did mention a few weeks’ back that Tauranga has a thriving musical youth scene. Two examples: the Upston Music School, based out of Ōtūmoetai College, host their mid-year concert at the school on June 18-19 June with dozens of performers, special guests and more. On June 21 June it’s the quarterly Rising Vibes concert at Totara St, presenting bands and performers from the main local colleges.
It’s a community-based project led by the Wright Family Foundation and the Mauao Performing Arts Centre with the aim to support and nurture upcoming talent from around the Bay region. And, damn, some of those kids can play!
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