Hollie Smith
21st July 2017
Leigh Sawmill, Auckland, New Zealand.
Words by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Mike Thornton.
From the moment she burst onto the New Zealand music landscape in 2005 with her self-titled EP, Hollie Smith became the darling of the local soul scene. A year later she released her debut album entitled Long Player (although technically speaking her first album was actually in the year 1999 – entitled Light from a Distant Shore), which saw her introduced to an even wider range of fans. But it was her single ‘Bathe in the River’, written by Don McGlashan of The Muttonbirds for the movie No.2 that truly solidified her place as a respected kiwi artist. The single remained in the NZ Top 10 chart for an amazing total of 22 weeks.
Three albums later and Smith was back in 2016 with her album Water or Gold. While not ground breaking, Smith preferring to stick with what she does best; the album is like comfort food for the spirit. She channels some of the great soul singers themselves on songs such as ‘In Love Again’ while reggae is obviously rooted deep within the title track ‘Water or Gold’. The album ebbs and flows rather well, providing elements of energy and rock in healthy doses, with just the right amount of sweetness drizzled over the top with tracks such as ‘Holding On’.
The intelligent and thought provoking ‘Poor on Poor’ certainly shows a more politically motivated side to Smith, while ‘Helena’ written for her late friend Helena McAlpine tears at the heart strings, her grief and longing for her friend palpable within the notes of the song. While Smith has already toured New Zealand in support of the release of Water or Gold, no one said she couldn’t do it all again! Tonight’s sold out show at the iconic Leigh Sawmill sees Smith perform as one half of an acoustic duo, the other half being that of the rather talented Marika Hodgson a young bassist and session musician in her own right.
The night promises to be a rather exceptional display of vocal prowess with what is sure to be a wonderful selection from her ever expanding back catalogue.
Hollie Smith:
Tali:
Were you there at the Leigh Sawmill for this magnificent concert? Or have you seen Hollie Smith perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!