Avalanche City ready to roll in

Dave Baxter and his band Avalanche City will perform in Napier on June 11.

Avalanche City will stop off in Napier on June 11 for one concert only, as part oftheir Little Fire tour throughout New Zealand.

Dave Baxter and his band will play at MTG Century Theatre, celebrating their latest single, which gave title to the tour, as well as playing a range from their most recent album We are for the Wild Places.

It is his largest national run yet, stopping off at 10 different destinations throughout May and June.

Baxter said he had done a few extensive tours in New Zealand in the past and "just loved them".

"One of the great things about being an artist here is you get to drive around our beautiful country playing shows, so I tend to take every opportunity I can."

Hawke's Bay is not unknown territory for Baxter, whose wife is from the region.

Already having played at Black Barn a couple of times and at Carpenters Gallery before it closed, he had visited the region often.

"The Hastings farmers market is our little tradition."

Their album was released last year and debuted at No3 on the official top 40 albums chart, as well as peaking at number one on the iTunes album chart.

The songs Inside Out and Keep Finding a Way are popular hits from the album, which he played at sold-out theatre shows during a previous New Zealand tour.

Supporting act Ciaran McMeeken, is drawing attention with his strong lyricism and unique blend of emotive acoustic pop.

Many bands have their own rituals or quirks while on the road and Avalanche City is no different.

"We don't really have set rituals, but there are a few things that regularly happen," he said.

They take advantage of bath robes and slippers in the hotel rooms, "we'll usually have robe parties and drink tea, wild, I know."

Another constant are the meet and greets with the audience afterwards, "I've done that for the past little while and it's good to be able to thank the audience in person, plus a great way to end a show."

He said being in a theatre punters could expect an intimate show and he was excited to come back to the region.

"Hawke's Bay is such a special place for me and I've got a good feeling about this show."