Supergroove and Elemeno P have the right idea - hitch up the caravan and hit the road for summer. Over the following pages TIMEOUT talks to some of the other big acts playing around New Zealand for what's shaping up to be the biggest ever summer of music
KEY POINTS:
Squashed into a small, classic caravan on Auckland's North Shore, Supergroove and Elemeno P are preparing for a summer on the road.
But this isn't the wagon they'll be cruising the coast in when they set off on their Rock 'n' Roll Caravan tour later this month. Rather, this is like the "before" shot on a reality makeover show, which will soon give way to a pimped-out, deluxe Crusaders, thanks to Elemeno P's resident master builder, Scotty Pearson.
As Pearson and Che Fu put the finishing touches on the beast, the other band members took some time to share their thoughts and memories from summers past and present.
Have you ever been on a caravan holiday before?
KARL STEVEN (Supergroove): No, I haven't but my grandparents had a caravan so they must have gone on some holidays. It's in the family.
LANI PURKIS (Elemeno P): Yes, I have. As a child, we had one for a few summers. I'm looking forward to having to change a tyre on a caravan again. I did that lots - it's easy. I was an army cadet so I learned how to change a tyre on a Unimog. You've got to have the right tools but they all come with the caravan.
NICK ATKINSON (Supergroove): Yes. Well, a campervan. It was one vehicle, we weren't being towed. We went round the Coromandel to the Bay of Plenty. I got conjunctivitis, I remember. I must have been about six. It was just an awesome experience not being able to open my eyes.
DAVE GIBSON (Elemeno P): Strangely, I did go on one, when I was really young. So young, my parents can't believe that I remembered it. I must have been like two or three. I remember it vividly. We were in a caravan with a kind of tent thing attached to it.
What's the first summer beach gig you remember going to?KARL: None! I don't go to the beach, or do summer gig things. We were playing in bands from early teenage years so we were always playing at them. One of the early ones was the Anglo-American Bikers Festival. That was something. It was in the Coromandel, it might have been 1989? It was the first time we were on the road.
LANI: It wasn't a beach, it was a lake, but I went to Lake Tomarata and it was called the Sun Festival. It was a long time ago, like '95? I think Shihad were there. All I remember were Kitsch and Mary.
NICK: I have really fond memories of the Leigh Sawmill and seeing bands like Loungehead or Trinity Roots up there.
DAVE: As a punter? Don't think I've ever been to one. We played with Stellar*, our very first tour, a bunch of beach dates on that. In my mind, my memory is of Mangawhai Tavern, which is an awesome little venue. That is my first memory, it must have been seven years ago, I guess.
And your favourite place to play a summer gig?
KARL: They're all really nice but Butler's Reef was a highlight last year. And Lake Hawea is pretty amazing, just the location, it's incredible. With the mountains and the lake, you don't get to see that every day.
LANI: On the grassy area at Piha - that was awesome. Lake Hawea is really cool, the view is amazing.
NICK: Mangawhai is fantastic and I think Riwaka on New Year's Eve will be a hell of a gig. But to be honest, [Lake] Hawea, with Mt Aspiring National Park just over the other side of the lake.
DAVE: Coroglen, because it feels so rough and ready and it's almost become the HQ of summer touring. They've even got their own money, which I find a bit weird actually. Last year, we played at Lake Hawea, which is fast becoming one of my favourite places. It's just amazing. And Waihi as well. There's a great old publican who used to own the place down there and we've had some great times there.
What songs make you think of summer, your personal summer anthem?
KARL: Well last year we were touring with Disaster Radio and that album Vision is really good. That's a soundtrack to summer. Eddie Cochran, Summertime Blues, is another good anthem for summer.
LANI: Ooh, there's a lot. There was a compilation that came out one summer, Busted 2. That is summer.
NICK: Home, Land and Sea, the title track from the TrinityRoots album. That really paints a picture for me.
DAVE: Something Beginning With C by The Exponents. That reminds me of being 7th form, having recently got my licence and going down to Mt Maunganui with my mates. Supergroove, to be honest, is good time summer music. And Dave Dobbyn as well, Overnight Success.
Finally, what's your pick for the album of the year - aside from your own.
KARL: King Khan and the Shrines - The Supreme Genius of. It's a retrospective/best of album and it's really good.
LANI: I really like the Kings of Leon album.
NICK: I don't know if I have a favourite album but I really like the M.I.A track Paper Planes, because I've never heard the same mix of it twice. I've heard about 12 different versions of it.
DAVE: It's probably going to have to be Kings of Leon, Only by the Night. It's something quite amazing that record. It would be cool to choose something ambiguous you've never heard of but I reckon that album deserves the hype. I also really like Cut Off Your Hands' album too.
LOWDOWN
Who: Supergroove and Elemeno P
What: The Rock 'n' Roll Caravan Tour
Where & When: Powerstation, Dec 19; Brownzy , Browns Bay, Dec 23; Waihi Beach Hotel, Dec 26; Mangawhai Tavern, Dec 28; Butlers Reef Tavern, Dec 29; Riwaka Hotel, Nelson, Dec 31; Lake Hawea (with Shihad), Jan 2; Coroglen Tavern, Jan 3; Kings Arms, Jan 4
Tickets: $47.50 from Ticketmaster
