Gig Review: Finley Passmore @ Wunderbar, Lyttelton – 20/09/2026

There is a quote on Finley Passmore’s Bandcamp page that reads “The answer to your sorrows is bluegrass, friend.”

After attending the celebration of his debut EP Solihull Fireball at Lyttelton’s Wunderbar, I wholeheartedly agree and would add that a good dose of bluegrass will do wonders for a person whatever their state of mind.

Finley collaborated with some very talented musicians to put this show together. His bandmates included Alex Glennie and Janie Shaw (AKA Just Janie) on guitar and vocals. Janie is an up-and-coming Ōtautahi based alt-folk, Americana songwriter. Two members of local Christchurch band Port Hillbillies also joined in. Stephen Stern swapped out his usual banjo to play slide guitar for the occasion and Justin Rogers brought along his mandolin.

Callum McInnes was on double bass and Finley fronted the band on banjo and vocals.

Singer-songwriter and aspiring producer Leah Kelsey opened the evening with her emotive and compelling original songs. Her indie/folk/pop flavour had the audience enthralled right from the very start.

Leah’s gorgeous voice delivered emotionally charged lyrics with a lovely contrast between highs and lows which were all elegantly pitched. Her guitar playing is as well thought out and crafted as her lyrics, alternating between arpeggiated picking and strumming. Leah has a stylish way of bringing out bass or treble to dynamize her music. She even threw in some tasty chromatic slides.

The gig listing had a disclaimer stating that involuntary foot tapping and head bobbing may be a side-effect. We were all happily afflicted with this from Fireball, the opening song of Finley’s set through to the encore when singing along also broke out.

The band was set out on stage in a delightful double-layer crescent formation. Finley, Alex and Janie were gathered around an old-timey looking microphone creating spine tingling harmonies. Wunderbar sound tech Sam Wallace did a great job delivering a perfect balance between the blistering banjo, melodic string solos and rhythmic basslines.

All songs off the EP were included in the set alongside covers such as the traditional American Folk song Man of Constant Sorrow, Ground Speed by Earl Scruggs and Faded Love by Tony Rice.

Finley is very engaging in a down-to-earth, unassuming way and has a dry, innocent humour that had us all laughing frequently. His songs leave a person feeling as light as his personality does. There was a delightful banter between audience members and the band which made me feel like ‘part of the family’ being in the room with them.

The set ended appropriately with the song Leaving from the EP and unsurprisingly there was call for an encore during which we all sang along with the chorus from The Stanley Brothers’ Long Journey Home.

I highly recommend a dose of Finley’s bluegrass even if no sorrows afflict you. I’ll certainly be going back for more.

Photo Credit: Natasha Hopping for Muzic.NZ