Stellar* have reformed to play a run of shows together next year.
Stellar* have reformed to play a run of shows together next year.
A Kiwi rock band that reformed to play one song at last week's music awards say they're going to keep the reunion going.
Stellar*, the band fronted by Bic Runga's sister Boh, released three albums and won eight NZ Music Awards together before disbanding in 2010.
But they surprised fans by re-emerging at last week's New Zealand Music Awards ceremony to end the show with a cover of Maxine, a tribute to the night's Legacy Award-winner and Hall of Fame inductee Sharon O'Neill.
Boh Runga said she and drummer Andrew Maclaren, guitarist Chris van de Geer and bassist Kurt Shanks enjoyed performing together again so much they decided to agree to some of the regular offers they received to play shows.
"We had a ball putting together our version of Maxine for the awards, and we've been blown away by everyone's feedback," said Runga.
"We're going to keep the fun rolling this summer with a short burst of dates. Cat wait to play to everyone again."
Stellar* reunited to perform at last week's New Zealand Music Awards. Photo/Hannah Rolfe
They'll perform their own headlining shows at Auckland's Tuning Fork on March 9, and Wellington's San Fran on March 10.
If you're keen to see them before that, they'll also play several festival shows over summer including Nelson's Out of the Blue on January 6, Northland's Waipu Rocks on January 13 and Selwayn Sounds on March 3.
The shows will be 20 years since the release of Stellar*'s first single, What You Do (Bastard), in 1998.
Shanks told the Herald they hadn't yet talked about making new music together, but would include their cover of Maxine during the reunion shows.
Stellar* released two No. 1 albums in 1999's Mix and the follow-up, 2001's Magic Line. Their delayed follow-up, 2009's Something Like Strangers, reached No. 9.
They also had several top 10 singles, including Part of Me, Every Girl, All It Takes and Taken.
But their most widely known song is Violent, Mix's opening track that features Runga aggressively singing: "Your nihilistic tendencies are making me violent."
Shanks said Stellar* took a break in 2010 because "things were starting to happen on repeat" but there was no bad blood and band members regularly saw each other socially.
It's the second Kiwi rock act from the 2000s to reform this week after OpShop announced they would play next year's all-local Wellington festival Homegrown.
