Wayne Gillespie plays two North Island shows this month with all-star band Famous Blue Raincoat

At the end of this month, acclaimed singer-songwriter Wayne Gillespie is making a rare trip back to Aotearoa from his Sydney base to celebrate his 40 year catalogue, from his 80’s albums Wayward Son and New Locations through to his recent album FRAZZ.  Gillespie is playing two North Island shows with a very special band – the New Zealand version of his Famous Blue Raincoat ensemble.

Famous Blue Raincoat NZ is: Wayne Gillespie (vocals/guitar), Nigel Gavin (ex Robert Fripp – guitar/mandolin/banjo), Tony Waine (The Narcs – bass), Paul Crowther (ex Split Enz – drums), David Lines (keyboards), Ben McNicoll (saxophone), Caitlin Smith (vocals).

“Springing from the Auckland acoustic scene of the early 1980’s, Wayne Gillespie released his a critically-acclaimed self-funded album Wayward Son (1984) in New Zealand, before crisscrossing the Tasman Sea and eventually relocating to Sydney in 1987 for the Australian release of his second album.

“New Locations brought glowing reviews from the rock press in both countries, with New Zealand Herald critic Colin Hogg writing: “Gillespie’s rich, sad voice and his 10 self-penned songs shine with a dark brilliance…An outstanding record.”

“But it would be another six years before Gillespie’s third album Living In Exile came out in New Zealand, during which time he felt increasingly as if he was stuck in the middle of the Tasman, unsure on which side he belonged.” – Glen Moffatt, from his AudioCulture profile of Wayne Gillespie.
Read the full story here.

Since his move to Australia, Gillespie has been making quality music in Australia, releasing four highly-praised albums, and sharing the stage and studio with the likes of Suzanne Vega, Sir Dave Dobbyn, Chris Whitley, Stan Ridgeway, Colin Hay (Men at Work), Ed Keupper, Shona Laing, and Margaret Ulrich.

Wayne Gillespie and Famous Blue Raincoat Band (NZ version)
North Island dates

Friday June 27 – Mt Eden Village Centre, Auckland
8pm – 10.30pm, R15
Tickets from Eventfinda

Saturday June 28th – Last Place, Hamilton 
7pm – Matthew Bannister (Sneaky Feelings) will start the evening off with a solo set
8pm – Wayne Gillespie and Famous Blue Raincoat NZ
Tickets from Under The Radar

Wayne Gilespie has dropped a brand new rack in time for the tour. Skin On Skin features the gorgeous vocals of renown jazz singer Caitlin Smith, who is also in the New Zealand version of Gillespies’s Famous Blue Raincoat band.

Listen to ‘Skin On Skin’ on Bandcamp