Kiwi legends to play Holy Trinity

They are four legends of the New Zealand music scene, their songs form part of the national lexicon and they're coming to Tauranga this month.

The 2016 Church Tour is heading our way and sees Sharon O'Neill, Shona Laing, Debbie Harwood and Hammond Gamble together on stage for a unique concert collaboration at Holy Trinity Church on September 24.


Legendary Kiwi musicians Debbie Harwood, Hammond Gamble, Sharon O'Neill and Shona Laing are heading to Tauranga as part of the 2016 Church Tour. Supplied Photos.

Promoters Brent Eccles and Campbell Smith are delighted with the line-up for the Tour in 2016, with Brent adding that concertgoers should prepare themselves for an exceptional night out.

'The Church Tour has a tradition of bringing out spine tingling collaborative and individual performances and I can already feel that this year is going to be exceptional in that way,” he says.

One of the most prolific and respected writers of her generation, Sharon first caught the attention of CBS Records in 1979 and quickly became the darling of early 1980s pop in New Zealand, penning some of the country's biggest hits like ‘Words', ‘Asian Paradise', ‘Let Love Go', and ‘Maxine'.

Signed to Phonogram at just 17, Shona was a phenomena Kiwis hadn't seen before. She was named ‘Best New Artist' and ‘Recording Artist of the Year' in 1973, wrote a stash of hits singles including ‘(Glad I'm) Not a Kennedy' which placed 24th in the Top 100 NZ Songs of All Time in 2001.

A member of some of our favourite Kiwi bands like When the Cat's Away, Debbie has won numerous awards including 'Most Promising Female Vocalist' in 1985. She'll be drawing on an extensive back catalogue plus debuting new material currently being recorded at Neil Finn's Roundhead Studios.

A long-time fixture on the live music scene, Hammond Gamble's distinctive vocals and guitar prowess have fired a career spanning more than four decades. Renowned for soulful performances, the charismatic singer-songwriter will showcase new tunes along with the songs fans know and love.

While all four artists have worked with each other previously in various capacities, this year's Church Tour will be the first time that all four have shared the stage together.

'And as always with the Church Tour, the spectacular venues and their stunning acoustics will bring an extra dimension of magic,” says Brent.

SunLive has one double pass to giveaway to one lucky reader who can name one of the four performers taking part in the 2016 Church Tour?

Enter online at www.sunlive.co.nz under the competition section. All entries must be received by Wednesday, September 14.

The 2016 Church Tour featuring Sharon O'Neill, Shona Laing, Debbie Harwood and Hammond Gamble takes place at Tauranga's Holy Trinity Church on Saturday, September 24.

Tickets cost $67.50 + BF and are available online via Ticketmaster or for more information visit: www.churchtour.co.nz

1 comment

Sharon O'neill

Posted on 11-09-2016 09:17 | By TheCameltoeKid

Did I have a Huuuuge crush on this lady when I was a lad. Good to see these people are still doing it. You guys rock.


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