John Halvorsen bringing new band to Whanganui Musicians Club

Vörsen consists of John Halvorsen (guitar, vocals), Steve Cochrane (drums) and Hayden Ellis (bass). Photo / Supplied

John Halvorsen has an unrivalled pedigree when it comes to Kiwi guitar music.

In the early 1980s, he made his name in noise/art rock pioneers The Gordons, who eventually morphed into seminal New Zealand outfit Bailterspace.

Halvorsen also had a six-year stint with The Skeptics.

His new three-piece, Vörsen, will play in Whanganui this month, and he said the group was drawing on material he'd written from as far back as 1990.

"There are probably around 100 songs I've recorded from then till now," he said.

"I've got an album that I'm not quite finished with as well. I need to get back to it because the last year or so has been all about a live band.

"It's been a lot of fun putting it together and to hear the songs played by a band for the first time."

Halvorsen returned to New Zealand 20 years ago after spending many years in New York.

Bailterspace first travelled to the US in 1988, before signing to Matador Records and subsequently staying there permanently.

"The other guys are still over there," Halvorsen said.

"I'm still in that band but we don't get to tour that much, especially under the current crisis."

Earlier this year, a re-release of The Gordons' 1981 debut self-titled album reached No. 3 in the New Zealand charts, something Halvorsen said was a nice surprise.

"We never expected something like that to happen, and we certainly didn't go to No. 3 when we first released it.

"If they had printed more copies to sell here, I think it would have continued to climb and stay there.

"As soon as it sold out, that was it, it fell off the charts."

Halvorsen said it was amazing that he and his Bailterspace bandmates were "all still alive" and could play together if they so chose.

"It's never without its problems, but we've managed to hang in there for the music's sake."

Despite his more-famous musical forebears, Halvorsen said Vörsen was his No. 1 priority at the moment.

"I don't think of this as a side project in any way, it's a complete thing in its own right.

"This is everything. It's a life's work in a nutshell, you could say."

The large collection of songs he had in the bank were usually written with a three-piece band in mind, Halvorsen said.

"There was a period when I was leaning more towards The Skeptics and using samples, synthesisers and beeping things but, for the most part, I wrote for guitar, bass and drums.

"The songs have loosely covered quite a few genres, but they all fit into a set seamlessly. My challenge with this band was to do that, but it turns out I didn't really have anything to worry about."

As for his history of gigging in Whanganui, Halvorsen said the last time he played in the city was quite some time ago.

"I'm trying to think if Bailterspace played there, but nothing is coming to mind.

"We definitely played there as The Gordons in the early 80s. That was somewhere in Castlecliff."

That drought will end when Vörsen plays at the Whanganui Musicians Club on November 13 with local act MeanOwls.