Finn Andrews to play five nights in small halls across the Bay

Finn Andrews will play five niths in small halls across Hawke's Bay. Photo / Supplied

Finn Andrews is the latest star to take to the stage for The Small Halls sessions.

Andrews will be playing in the Bay for five nights between April 27 and 1 May, lighting up spaces across the region.

Andrews is the wordsmith and haunting voice of The Veils, a band who demand devotion on both sides of the Atlantic as well as on our antipodean shores.

Small Hall sessions organiser Jamie Macphail says he has been the only constant in The Veils' line-up since he was a fugitive teenager with the demo tape that would become the band's debut, The Runaway Found, stashed in his backpack.

"Two decades of intense production, extensive touring, emotional gymnastics and more than his fair share of zeal and fervour later, Andrews stands solid as an independent entity from behind his piano," Macphail said.

"His eerie vocals, lyrics and rich atmospheric composure caught the ears of acclaimed directors Tim Burton and David Lynch, who sought out his songs for their scores.

"It's been almost a year since Andrews has toured and audiences are as hungry for the live experience as musicians are to perform. Lucky locals will remember with relish his 2019 gig at Haumoana Hall, together with the inimitable Reb Fountain, to launch his debut solo album, One Piece at a Time, the distillation of years of work too personal to be claimed by the band.

"That night, sparks flew and the piano stool skittered across the stage in an expulsion of enthusiastic key battery. Then, at the end of 2020, he graced St Andrew's Hall with his presence. Alone on stage with the piano, he requisitioned every soul, holding space and tension with virtuosic aplomb, even as the audience held their breath. This time he returns with a pared-back solo show for voice, guitar and piano.

"There is something unparalleled about the experience of an act of this calibre.

"With this depth and range of emotion, in a setting as intimate as the Small Halls, it's bound to be theatrical, almost ceremonial, certainly unmissable.

"Such moving music in these cloistered venues creates a unique communion between artist and audience, events that will leave hooks through the very fabric of your soul."

Dates and venues

Wednesday, April 27 Matapiro Hall

Thursday, April 28 Ashley Clinton/Maketu/Sherwood Community Hall

Friday, April 29 Meeanee Memorial Hall

Saturday, April 30 St Mary's Church Hall, Waipukurau

Sunday, May 1 Te Awanga Community Hall

Doors for all shows open at 6pm with meals and bar available. Concerts start at 7pm.

Tickets: smallhallsessions.co.nz