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Two classic Kiwi alt-country songwriters who say they are “fused together by lightning in a deal made in blood” are bringing their new album release tour to Leigh’s Sawmill Café on Sunday, May 5.
Multi-instrumentalist Delaney Davidson and The Warratahs’ lead singer Barry Saunders first met when doing the Church Tour with Tami Neilson and Marlon Williams in 2015. With Barry playing old gospel songs and Delaney chugging out his signature blues trance thump, the connection was immediate and they have been playing and writing songs together ever since.
“It felt like something that just needed to happen. It felt right,” Barry says. “I was just throwing these words and ideas at Delaney and watching them bounce off his head.”
Delaney agrees that it all happened very quickly and says the resulting partnership and album is something special.
“These songs just started appearing out of the kitchen air and we were grabbing them as fast as we could,” he says. “It has a realness and truth to it. An immediacy that is hard to find in music. Real songs about real things.”
The resulting album, Word Gets Around, is described as having the rocking strength and dark power of Delaney Davidson’s previous work naturally paired with the heartfelt, straight dealing and traditionalism of Barry Saunders’ past.
“It’s a manic and barnstorming balance,” Delaney says. “At times when we were singing we couldn’t tell whose voice was whose, it all just melded together. I’d be singing in Barry’s voice and he in mine. It must be that deal in blood we made.”
Tickets cost $40 from undertheradar.co.nz and the show starts at 5.30pm.
TICKET GIVEAWAY
Mahurangi Matters has a double pass for Delaney Davidson & Barry Saunders at the Sawmill Cafe on Sunday, May 5. To go in the draw, just email your name and contact number to reporter@localmatters.co.nz by 3pm on Tuesday, April 30.
