Duo push their Luck for tonight's NZ Music Awards

Tami Neilson and Dave Dobbyn are nervous but excited about. Photo / Michael Craig

Pair performing one of Exponents’ biggest hits to close music awards.

Dave Dobbyn and Tami Neilson will be singing a familiar tune at tonight's Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards - just not one of theirs. And if anyone tells them to "break a leg" before going on, they aren't likely to appreciate the gesture.

The Kiwi rock veteran and the freshly crowned queen of local country have teamed up to pay musical tribute to The Exponents, the winners of this year's New Zealand Herald Legacy Award.

The pair will perform the band's perennial singalong hit Why Does Love Do This to Me? at the close of the event at Vector Arena.

Canadian-born and bred Neilson first heard the Exponents music later than most, on her first visit to New Zealand in 2001. Friends had made her a collection of essential Kiwi music big on songs by the Exponents and duet partner Dobbyn which was the soundtrack for her road trip.

She told the Herald she found it surreal she was going to be singing an Exponents song on stage with Dobbyn.

After a couple of days of rehearsal, the song's sounding good - she's just a little worried about performing in high heels.

"Though Dave said 'if one of us fall off the stage it will be great - just think of the hits on YouTube'."

Dobbyn was similarly nervous about the choreography. "Playing a guitar solo while walking down a ramp? There's a few logistics involved."

He's chuffed to be paying tribute to the group he was briefly part of when he joined them on a national tour in 1993.

"We did a lot of trout fishing. And I broke a couple of ribs at one show when I wandered off stage into the blackness."

"But I have nothing but fondness for the Exponents and Jordan Luck's songs are just such great songs."

Awards special

See today's TimeOut for an extended feature on the Exponents as well as the team's picks of tonight's winners. Today's paper also features the official VNZMA programme. And online, we'll have the awards covered with the best photos, videos and news straight from the red carpet at Vector Arena from late afternoon with host Laura McGoldrick interviewing all the stars as they arrive, before striking a pose in the official Spy Glam Cam 360.