A primary school might not be a conventional spot for a jet-setting band to launch an album. But as The Brunettes' Heather Mansfield sees their young audience, she says it starts to feel kind of perfect.
"Look at them," she points, as hundreds of Mt Roskill Primary School children, many dressed in traditional Indian or Pacific Island costume, file into the hall. "This is so incredible. I kind of get all tearful."
Soon the quirky five-piece are wowing the school assembly with their songs powered by guitars, drums, keyboards, a clarinet, trumpet and glockenspiel, and telling the kids what it's like to be in a touring band.
And the kids wow the band right back - the entire school performs their 2007 hit B.A.B.Y (Brunettes Against Bubblegum Youth), complete with actions, as well as performances by the school's kapa haka group, band, choirs and ukulele group.
Later, Jonathan Bree, the male half of the band's frontline duo, says the band may have been sharing their 60s-meets-80s-pop with the rest of the world for the past two years, but the Mt Roskill Primary performance was one of the best experiences yet.
"We don't really feel that we have a particular age group we appeal to. It's pop," he says.
The Brunettes have released four albums and two EPs since forming in Auckland in 1998. They continue to play fun-loving pop in Paper Dolls but have added more electro to the tracks this time round.
The lyrics tell little stories about romance and solving ordinary problems.
In Red Rollerskates, Bree and Mansfield solve the issue of Bree walking too fast for his asthmatic girlfriend by buying her a pair of skates and pulling her around by a rope, and Bedroom Disco is a stay home and sing into your hairbrush sort of party song. The Mt Roskill kids know all the words because they have been practising with their music teacher.
School principal Bas Barriball says music is a big part of the school's life and the kids love performing.
He quickly adds that maths and English are important too - it's not all about singing and dancing at Mt Roskill.
No doubt he is relieved when The Brunettes tell the school that musicians also need to write and calculate. Mansfield even says maths was her favourite subject when she was at school.
The Brunettes begin a New Zealand tour with Australian pop artist Sarah Blasko next Thursday, starting in Christchurch. They play at the Kings Arms on Saturday, November 7 and Leigh Sawmill on Sunday, November 8.
Brunettes head back to school
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