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NZMM: Favourite Wellington Music Moment – Brooke Singer/French For Rabbits

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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.

First up is Brooke Singer of French For Rabbits. Originally from Waikuku Beach near Christchurch, Brooke & guitarist John Fitzgerald moved to Wellington in 2011, where they formed ‘French for Rabbits’ with locals Ben (Bass) & Hikurangi (Drums). They released their debut EP in 2012 through the Wellington collective HomeAlone Music (also home to Eb & Sparrow, Timothy Blackman and City Oh Sigh) and in 2014 the acclaimed full length album Spirits was released on Lefse Records and HomeAlone Music, coinciding with an extensive tour where the opened for Danish chanteuse Agnes Obel in some of the most beautiful concert halls through Europe.

So it’s really hard to pick one moment!

A moment I loved was at The Moorings in Thorndon – it’s a grand old dame of a house a bit past her prime. We were playing a Home Alone Music christmas parties and Timothy Blackman was singing ‘When you find that love’ and I think I was playing piano (badly), and Eli from Hula Hope was singing harmonies, and we could see everyones feet dangling from the balcony, and it was all a bit chaotic, but kind of encapsulated the best bits of playing at that house.

In fact you can listen to it because somebody recorded it:

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‘French for Rabbits’ have a new track out, Feathers & Dreams, part of new collection of songs to be released in 2016. You can buy some of their music on Bandcamp here.

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Cover art courtesy of HomeAlone Music. Used with permission.


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