Marlon Williams returns with “Vampire Again,” his first new material since releasing his acclaimed debut album in 2015 and touring relentlessly around the world, including performances on CONAN, Later…with Jools Holland, opening for Bruce Springsteen and picking up both an ARIA Award nomination and two New Zealand Music Awards.
Following Williams’ recent performances at the Newport Folk Festival and Portland’s Pickathon, he’ll hit the road throughout the rest of the month supporting City & Colour throughout America before returning home to New Zealand to play three intimate full band shows this November. These will be Marlon William’s first headline shows in New Zealand since March 2016’s sold out Powerstation show!
Marlon Williams New Zealand Tour
Presented by Heartstop Music and Eccles Entertainment
Ticketmaster members pre-sale commences TODAY (Wed 9 Aug) at 12.00PM NZST for 24 hours or until pre-sale allocation is exhausted.
General public tickets on sale from Ticketmaster at 12.00PM NZST on Friday 11th August.
Friday 10th November | Point Chevalier RSA | Auckland
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Saturday 11th November | San Fran | Wellington
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Sunday 12th November | Blue Smoke | Christchurch
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In creating “Vampire Again,” Williams returned home to Lyttelton to re-engage in the writing process and work again with producer Ben Edwards. Below he discusses the story behind the song. Watch the accompanying video, directed by Williams in collaboration with UK cinematographer Steve Gullick. It’s a tragicomic vignette of a societal outcast – misshapen, uncomfortable, humorous and a little touching.
Marlon says of new single Vampire Again – “The germination of this song began in LA last year. It was indeed Halloween again, and I was bored, having spent a week locked away in an Airbnb by the airport trying in vain to write a song. Any song. Nothing came. So Halloween comes around and I figure, “Hey, I’m gonna go out tonight. Alone. Comfortably alone. Comfortably alone to see the LA Opera performing a new score to accompany my fave scary flick Nosferatu at the Ace Hotel. I’m gonna dress as the spindly creep himself. What’s more, I’m gonna get super blazed before I go. And be comfortably alone.
So, off I go, having spent far too much on a last minute outfit, and step out of the Uber and onto the red carpet with a nauseating air of self-confidence. “This is my night. I am strong. I am human and it is my right to express myself how I see fit.” Turns out I was running late, and when I finally enter the theatre everyone was already seated and the overture had begun. What’s more, no one else was dressed up. Well they were, but in tuxedos and lovely dresses. And there was nowhere for stoned ole spindleboots to sit. So, I hunched and crawled my way down the aisle and sat on the floor like it was the most reasonable thing to do at an opera.
I made it through the whole film and then calmly turned tail, satisfied that I’d had a good time and sure that I’d heard whispers of “bad-ass” as I left the building. I’d like to believe that this was, at least in part, the catalyst for a whole new period in my life and my art. But that’s bullshit.
Anyway, here it is, my own demented tale of New Age self-affirmation; “Vampire Again.”