London earthquake gig a sell-out success

Ngati Ranana perform at the NZ Earthquake Relief Gig in London. Photo / Phil Young

It might be below freezing outside on the Uxbridge Road but the atmosphere inside the Bush Hall is warm and toasty.

As soon as I walk in the door I'm accosted by an enthusiastic Red Cross volunteer, who encourages me to drop any small change into her donations' bucket.

Hurriedly put together in just over a week, tonight has been impressively organised by a group of ex-pat Kiwis that include erstwhile Goodshirt front-man Rodney Fisher, journalist Renee Mundy and ex-record company PR Dorothy Power.

Having previously played host to New Zealand acts like Liam Finn and Breaks Co-op down the years, the historic west London venue is full to its 350-strong capacity, raising over $11,000 for Christchurch.

Like many of tonight's acts, former Tadpole vocalist Renee Brennan regularly attends the acoustic night that Fisher runs at a north London pub.

"Rodney rang me up just after we'd heard about the earthquake and said 'I feel so bad that I want to do something' and I was like 'count me in,'" says Brennan.

"There's been such a desire to help and to feel like we're connected with what's happening back home. We're all feeling completely devastated and cut off from the whanau. So this is our way of getting in touch and saying 'hey we care about what's happening.' We want this to be sorted, we want to help and keep doing what we can."

While she lived mostly in Auckland, Brennan has relatives in Christchurch. "I just got an email from my uncle last night so I'm still feeling quite emotional about the whole thing," she admits.

"My family is all okay and alive, which is the main thing. My uncle is a scientist at the University of Canterbury in the School of Medicine and his lab has been completely destroyed. Years of his work have been completely destroyed and it's set him back. You can't put a value on that for insurance because you can't get it back. It's heartbreaking."

Avoiding her old band's repertoire, Brennan opts to sing some crowd-pleasing Kiwi favourites. "I decided not to do any Tadpole but I did some Dave Dobbyn, Crowded House, Goldenhorse and Split Enz," she says, acknowledging the impromptu support she received from members of London Maori Club Ngati Ranana.

"Those guys were singing along to You Ought to be in Love back stage while they were getting dressed, which was really funny. I was like 'come out and sing with us.'"

After a cultural performance from Ngati Ranana, next up is Brit Chris Lawson Jones, who lived in Auckland for a couple of years.

"My girlfriend's family is from Christchurch so I spent a lot of time down there," he says, pointing out that tonight is not just about raising money.

"It's given the New Zealand community in London a focal point. We all feel so far from home and this is something where we can all come together and feel like we're doing something. We've all had messages from people in New Zealand, saying 'we feel pretty helpless here and it's amazing to think that 1200 miles away you guys are getting together.' It's given everybody the chance to feel like they're doing something."

"It makes you think what if it was your town or your whanau," adds Ngati Ranana's Bruce Simpson.

"The reason why most of us are here is that a call has gone out from New Zealand. We just want to do what we can."

Lawson Jones' excellent Mumford & Sons-esque folk rock segues neatly into the Rodney Fisher Band's alt-country. DJs Tim Squier and Jason Lonsdale spins Kiwi anthems in between the bands while headlining the night are The Veils.

Before they take to the stage, lead singer Finn Andrews admits to feeling apprehensive as the Anglo/ Kiwi quartet have never previously played a charity concert.

"I wish I could actually go down there and help out, which a lot of my friends back home have done," says the one-time Takapuna Grammar student.

"It just seems so close; it's closest anything like this has come in my life even though it's a long way away geographically. It's close to people I love. Doing this seems like a small thing to do in some ways but it feels like the most I can contribute from so far away. I wish it could be more than just playing a show but hopefully the money will go somewhere good and it will make a difference."

The Veils turn out a blistering set that combines older tracks like Calliope and Advice for Young Mothers To Be with newer numbers like The Stars Came Out Once the Lights Were Out from their recent Troubles of the Brain EP.

"We want to end the night on a bang," laughs Andrews. "It's a really fun crowd to play to as everybody seems to be in a good space and are here to enjoy the music."

A separate benefit gig Ch+ch will be held at the Vibe Bar on Brick Lane on Wednesday, featuring numerous DJs such as Wellingtonian Vishal 'Vee' Vasan, Mark Rae and Davey Caine and the Sharks.

Tonight is also not the last we will hear of Fisher and friends though as plans are afoot to host a bigger event in May.

"The great thing is that it's never been planned as a one-off," says Brennan. "We're going to come back and do some more. To try and recognise the fact that this is not just a case of it happening once and then forget about it. It's an ongoing situation. Winter's coming and people are living in tents in their backyards. We need to keep providing ongoing support."

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