For New Zealand Month last year we asked a bunch of people what they thought made Wellington music unique as well as what their favourite albums by Wellington artists were.

This year we thought we would do something similar, but slightly different. This time we’re asking people for a favourite memory of making music in Wellington. It could involve a favourite gig, a funny story from the recording studio, a moment that led to the inspiration for a song, the fond recollection of a defunct venue, or the piece of music or lyric that they are most proud of creating.

Today we caught up with Charlotte Forrester who records under the name Womb. Charlotte was previously part of the now-defunct duo Athuzela Brown with her twin brother Haz, who records under the name A Hum of Voices. ‘Womb’ is one of the artists on local label Sonorous Circle and her 2015 debut EP was mixed & mastered by label-mate Sean Kelly (AKA Seth Frightening).

While I was travelling for a few months last year, I went to some amazing gigs, particularly in San Fransisco and Austin, Texas. But I kept coming back to the thought of how next-level the talent is here, condensed into the incredibly small landscape of Te-Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington. Most of my favourite musicians are from here (I can’t even list them here as it would take up too much space). The day I got back from overseas I went to a gig, from memory, Lilah’s album launch at San Fran. The room was full of so many of the faces that make up Wellington’s music-scene. It was a pretty blissfully overwhelming feeling, to be thrown back so suddenly into the arms of all these musicians and this community from where I largely draw my own creativity.

You can buy some of Charlotte’s music here.

All images used with permission.