Locals Only: Ebony Lamb on bringing art and music together

You may know Ebony Lamb from her band Eb & Sparrow or her self-titled debut solo album, released in 2023, which made her a finalist for the coveted Taite Music Prize.

But according to the Wellington-based singer-songwriter; “Music is a really central part of my life, but it’s not the only thing”.

Lamb is an accomplished portrait photographer as well as a musician, whose goal is to “bring the visual and the audio world together”.

“They both really suit my personality for different reasons,” Lamb says of the two art forms, from her home in Paekākāriki.

“A lot of music that we consume these days, it does have a really strong visual component, so how do I do that in a new and original way?”

Following last year’s album, Lamb is preparing to release more music from her new home studio and preparing for several upcoming shows.

She’s set to join Canadian artist Andy Shauf to perform at upcoming Auckland festival The Others Way, as well as stops in Wellington and Lyttelton.

Shauf and Lamb will play Meow in Wellington on Friday November 29, concluding the tour in Lyttelton at The Loons on Sunday, December 1.

Lamb is “so excited” to be performing at The Others Way, taking place across Karangahape Rd on Saturday, November 30 and featuring artists from Ladyhawke to Princess Chelsea and Erny Belle.

“It’s a really important festival for Auckland, I think, because it’s all around the K Rd area, but bringing an international artist too on the same night as lots of really incredible New Zealand artists,” she notes.

“There’s a wide range [of genres], everything from soul, hip-hop, indie, punk ... I feel like The Others Way is for the people.”

Following the tour with Shauf, she’s planning “some intimate, special, bespoke shows at different places that are not your normal venues”.

Through these performances, Lamb hopes to “bring in the joy as we’re getting into the season of Christmas, in the summer”, and support the local community.

“Part of it is also to take my music and collaborate with the venue that I’ll be playing at. Sometimes when I say venue, it’s not a normal venue - like smaller hospitality venues. Especially in Wellington, they’ve had one of the hardest years ever,” she reflects.

Those shows, which will include stops in Auckland and the South Island, are yet to be announced.

Does she prefer performing to a more intimate crowd?

“I like big shows too - I mean, I’ve just come back from touring with Jimmy Barnes around New Zealand, with him and his massively cool group of musicians and family members,” she recalls.

“We played just completely sold-out theatres - some of the best theatres in the country, in my opinion - like the Regent in Dunedin, the Civic, and we did Michael Fowler here in Wellington, and New Plymouth and Christchurch. So it was incredible.”

But playing for a more intimate audience “makes you stronger” as an artist, she reflects.

“It makes you a better performer. You can never assume who your audience is going to be, you never know who’s going to come to a show.

“I put on a show years and years ago at this tiny little venue in Auckland and John Campbell was the first person to buy tickets for his family, front row. Thank God other people bought tickets!” she laughs.

As she prepares to release more music, those going along to her December shows can expect to hear some of them live for the first time, she says.

For Lamb, touring new music is the best way to get feedback from listeners in real time.

“It’s actually brilliant to perform your songs that you haven’t released yet, because when you play them live to people face to face, you can feel the strength and the weakness in them - what works, what doesn’t work.

“You can feel it in yourself, and you’re like, oh, that’s a terrible one, or maybe it’s too long - maybe it just needs to get to the point and stay at the point,” she laughs.

“I’m still shaping those songs, but they will be ready by December to perform.”