BARNABY WEIR of FLY MY PRETTIES: History Repeats
An interview by Tim Gruar with photography by Doug Peters.
In little less that a month WOMAD 2023 will kick off after a 2 year hiatus (for obvious reasons). The World of Music, Arts and Dance (WOMAD) is one of the longest-running, best culturally established festivals on the planet. Beginning in the UK back in 1982, the brainchild of World Music champion and former Genisis frontman Peter Gabriel, the festival celebrates diverse cultures and their artistic offerings from around the globe.
There have been more than 160 WOMAD festivals, held in 27 countries, everywhere from Abu Dhabi to the US, Australia to Sardinia, Canada to South Africa – and, of course, New Zealand. This year will be WOMAD New Zealand’s 20th year at the Bowl of Brooklands and Brooklands Park in New Plymouth, Taranaki (the first year was 2003).
With a kaleidoscope of local and overseas artists, the festival continues to evolve: workshops, live cooking demonstrations, inspiring talks from change makers, scientists and writers, plus a poetry slam. For families, there is Kidzone, a magical space of storytelling, imagination and crafts.
There have been hundreds of artists on the WOMAD stages over the years, including the magnificent ‘Fly My Pretties’, who are back again after nearly a decade. I recently had a chat with the group’s main pilot, Barnaby Weir about returning to WOMAD, life in New Plymouth and where the project is at now.
I can hardly believe it, Barnaby. Fly My Pretties has been going since 2004! That’s nearly 20 years! Surely there must be come kind of anniversary celebration coming up?
“Maybe,” he ponders, over the phone from his New Plymouth home, where he now lives with his partner Gemma and two tamariki. He says he’s loving parenthood, acknowledges the new responsibilities and the way it focuses your attention, in ways you never expected.
“We both love living in New Plymouth. It has a good vibe.” So much so that last year the Black Seeds, (Barnaby’s ‘day job’), made a video in the rohe for their new song ‘It’s So Real’, which even featured a cameo from his young son, Miles.
But right now, Barnaby’s focussed on getting through a series of upcoming gigs, including a return to WOMAD. The last time the collective was on the Brooklands stage was back in 2013 – although as a member of the Black Seeds he’s treaded these boards a few times over the years. There was the year Jazz legend Hugh Masekela played, along with reggae king Jimmie Cliff and bluegrass maestro Abigail Washburn (who, incidentally, is back this year, too).
We reminisce about that WOMAD. Holly Smith was in the line up – and she’s back again this year. The Black Seeds also played. It was one of the largest festival gigs they’d played in Aotearoa, nearly 20,000.
He tells me the Fly My Pretties line-up will be a mix of past and present core players, some who go right back to the very first shows at Bats Theatre in Wellington, when this ever changing collective first started. That includes Weir, himself, Nigel Patterson and Jarney Murphy – all from The Black Seeds. Another original Mikey Fabulous is doing other things now and will be replaced by the Seeds’ current bassist Matthew Benton.
Alongside them are stalwarts James Coyle, Iraia Whakamoe and Ryan Prebble (from The Nudge)! Weir calls them ‘the engine room’ and refers to them with the endearing of a man who takes extra care of his vital machinery. He talks about these guys as reliable and innovative – able to play any and everything. And they absolutely have. The kaupapa has always been the production of a collaborative musical & visual show, ideally suited for a theatre environment and always featuring fresh and established contemporary musicians and artists.
We will also welcome back with Anna Coddington, Bailey Wiley, Hollie Smith, Ria Hall, Age Pryor, Laughton Kora (who have all performed in various previous Fly My Pretties iterations) and for the first time Country/Americana artist Mel Parsons; session supremo Aaron Stewart (T-Bone, Mel Parsons’ Band) and Brian Norton from local Taranaki alt-soul outfit Fin Rah Zel.
Barnaby says he first met Norton through ‘Swell – Musical Tides’ one of the New Plymouth Spiegeltent events held last year in Taranaki, and being well impressed, asked him to join the Pretties for the current round of gigs. He talks about his music as ‘uplifting, with a feelgood energy’. Late last year Fin Rah Zel released ‘an absolute ear-worm of a song’ called ‘Relax’, a track that is all about the ‘meditative feels’, about slowing down, chilling out. Something we all need to do in these highly anxious times.
I ask him how the rehearsals are going. He says despite a couple of minor interruptions from recent floods and Cyclone Gabrielle, things are on track for Fly My Pretties to all meet up a few days before WOMAD to rehearse. This is a pretty slick machine. Most have worked together in person or online. The Black Seeds, he says often work this way, as the band members are now scattered all across the motu from Auckland to the deep South.
When you look back it’s almost impossible to recall everyone who’s been in Fly My Pretties. Perhaps it should be a pub quiz question – members of Fat Freddy’s Drop, The Phoenix Foundation, Cairo Knife Fight, Paseload, folk artists like Amiria Grenell, Flip Grater and Eva Prouse, and stars such as Anika Moa or Tiki Taane. The late great Aaron Tokona. And that’s just the ones I can remember off the top of my head.
“Yeah, it’s been a real privilege. Everyone brings something different. We really go to showcase them. That’s what drives you. You don’t really stop to think too much, just keep the momentum going.”
And that momentum has produced some incredible collaborative projects. The brainchild of Weir and Loop Recordings’ Mikee Tucker the original five night season at Wellington’s Bats Theatre (back in 2004) was something of an experiment to bring together a range of local artists and showcase local talent. But it was always intended to be a recorded event. The album of the gig went on to achieve platinum-status, an international release in UK, and a swag of nominations at the 2005 bNet New Zealand Music Awards.
Later Weir got the chance to ‘tidy up’ the sound on a series of new studio recordings of songs from those early shows. There are two collections available (on vinyl) with a third album in the pipeline.
Along the way ‘Dr’ Lee Prebble, the Black Seeds’ main man and owner of the famous Surgery Studios, has always contributed to the overall sound. Prebble has always been a vital member of the Black Seeds and of the FMP projects.
The success of the first shows drove more ambitious projects like 2006’s concert series and second album, ‘The Return of… Fly My Pretties’, which features animation and archive footage of forest and birdlife, focusing on the current state of contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand. The album won Best Aotearoa, Roots album at the 2007 New Zealand Music Awards.
Then there was a collaboration with Weir’s father, veteran broadcaster, Dick Weir, another project in 2009, called ‘Fly My Pretties – A Story’ was an audio-visual conceptual extension of the previous two musical outings, blended with a narrative, new songs, illustrations, animation and a message of conservation. “That was a special project,” he told me in a previous interview. “I had spent time dropping in on Sunday’s to Broadcasting House in Wellington, where Dad was making shows for RNZ. I loved watching him making the sounds, and tweaking knobs and stuff like that. The whole recording process.”
There was a collab with street artist Flox mixing visuals and new music, and an extensive ‘Homeland Tour’, a journey from the tip to the tail of New Zealand, encompassing to 18 towns in 23 shows. The music was a nod to their roots, a return to folk, roots reggae, soul and rock – blended with visuals and historical footage sourced from Archives New Zealand and the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand.
In later years Fly My Pretties have been more of a concert group, with an emphasis on showcasing new talent, including established artists and having fun on stage. Current line ups and set materials, Barnaby tell me is not as focussed on ‘a concept’ but they do still use visuals and projections in their shows. They still hold to the original kaupapa: to meet, exchange ideas, and then perform and record and film the results in front of a live audience.
Looking at the WOMAD line-up this year, who does he especially want to see. He’s coy, just saying he loves to wander around, take it all in. Sampling it all from music to food. Hope he’s around on Saturday afternoon when Deva Mahal is on the Taste The World stage. She’ll be cooking up a good time.
I suggest they will be more of a festival band at WOMAD this time. Barnaby agrees. He says that’s what festivals are for – to have a great time, dance, since and feel uplifted. And WOMADis the best place to do that.
Fly My Pretties are performing at 10pm at the TSB Bowl Stage on the 17th March. WOMAD is being held in New Plymouth’s Bowl of Brooklands and surrounding parklands from the 17th – 19th March 2023. Tickets are still available from the WOMAD website, but get in quick as they’re selling fast!
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