Wellington City Libraries

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Tunes of I

Decade(s) active:

On our catalogue:

Music we hold — on our catalogue

The majority of our Wellington CD collection is available from our Te Awe Branch in Brandon St, or able to be reserved for free from our Distribution Centre in Johnsonville.

We say:

Introducing award-winning ensemble Tunes Of I, one of Wellington’s most expansive new musical talents. A product of the Capital’s famed New Zealand School of Music, the band hasn’t wasted any time since their conception in 2011, earning themselves a head-turning reputation and various accolades, all fed from two EPs and an exploratory live show which has seen them secure some of the country’s most notable summer dates.

Trading in a collective of dub, soul, funk and psychedelia as seamlessly as many of their homegrown antecedents, the band was originally conceived as a trio in 2011. A number of lineup changes has led to the expansion of Tunes of I into a full six-piece ensemble, comprised not only of the traditional guitars, vocals, drums and bass, but with the added touch of the saxophone and trumpet to complete the lineup.

In 2012, already cemented as an essential live entity in the Wellington scene, they took out the top prize for Wellington Battle Of The Bands and finished as runners up in the National Battle Of The Bands race. The band were then asked to perform at the Waiata Maori Music Awards ceremony in Hastings, where they were bestowed with an Emerging Artist award, much to the band’s disbelief as they took to the stage for a stirring version of their song How To Say No.

With a solid lineup now adding a muscular sonic backbone and deeper lyrical rhetoric, Tunes Of I sought to encapsulate a more refurbished sound and representation of their reputable live performances. Having recorded with the likes of Warren Maxwell (Trinity Roots, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Little Bushman), Charlie Bronson and Adam Ladley (Blue Barn Studios) and Lee Prebble, the band now have two major releases under their belt: their self-titled debut EP Tunes of I from 2011 and the more recent release T.O.I. in December 2013.

And while their musical prowess – achieved while juggling university studies – is impressive in itself, their live show repertoire presents yet another tick in the right box. The boys have perfomed nationwide including at Wellington’s Summer City and Tora Tora Tora in the Waiarapa, alongside the likes of Warren Maxwell, MC Imon Starr and Spartacus R.

The band will look to spread the word around the rest of the country in the coming months and have targeted an overseas tour as a next big goal. Expect big things.

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