Katikati Advertiser: Small-town tour a hit

Benny Tipene on stage at the Katikati Memorial Hall on Saturday night.

It's not often that top New Zealand musicians bother to perform in small towns, but Kiwi singer Anika Moa and X-Factor NZ finalist Benny Tipene will now be well-aware that residents appreciate it when they do.

On the final stage of a tour that has taken them to eight small towns in the North Island, the two performed at the Katikati Memorial Hall on Saturday night and a big crowd certainly appreciated their efforts.

Tipene opened the show with a selection of his own songs, throwing in a classic Elvis number and demonstrating his vast vocal range and excellent guitar work.

Towards the end of his opening number, he had to cope with a microphone that slowly began sliding towards the floor, cracking a joke and pausing to adjust it before resuming.

His unassuming and easy-going style quickly endeared him to the audience - particularly some of the teenage girls in the crowd.

It was his first tour as a solo artist, but he showed plenty of confidence and, with his songwriting skills, is clearly a talent who is destined to go places. After his final song he promised Anika Moa would provide plenty of laughs, and from the moment she took the stage after the interval, that proved to be the case.

If she ever decides to quit singing, she could probably carve a career as a comedian.
Keeping up an endless barrage of humorous banter, she demonstrated why she has become a musical icon in New Zealand, with her strong stage presence equalled by a powerful voice and excellent musicianship.

Like Tipene, her songwriting skills are well honed and a poignant song dedicated to her mother had some in the audience a little weepy.

There was also a song for her late father and a side-splitting preamble about her chaotic relationship with him.

The show's promoters said the It's So Good They Named It Twice tour had gone down well in every small town it had played, and the two musicians had thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Hopefully they'll be back for a repeat visit to Katikati sometime in the not too distant future. If the reaction of the crowd on Saturday night is any indication, they'll be welcome.

Throughout Saturday night's concert featuring Anika Moa and Benny Tipene, the audience were kept involved, from the children sitting on the floor in front of the stage to the grandparents sprinkled among the audience.

Before long, Moa even had some of the audience on stage with her - first a group of children who were invited up to dance, then two local teenagers who took up an invitation for anyone in the crowd to come up and play.

First to take the spotlight was Louie Campbell, 13, who performed a creditable version of the Beatles classic, Blackbird.

He was followed by fellow Katikati College student Tenneille Davies, 13, who, despite apologising for her lack of experience on guitar, did a great job.

There was a bonus for the happy crowd following the last of Moa's songs when she was joined on stage by Tipene.

The pair gave a powerful performance, their voices blending perfectly on Elvis Presley's Can't Stop Falling in Love, which Tipene had earlier sung alone during his set.