Amanda Palmer will perform a new song inspired by Te Mata Peak at the show at Toitoi. Photo / Supplied
American songwriter Amanda Palmer will debut new Hawke's Bay-inspired music at her upcoming show.
Palmer, who spent lockdown in Havelock North, said she hopes to kick off the region's summer music scene with a show in September.
The 44-year-old said a new song inspired by Te Mata Peak will feature at the Toitoi: Hawke's Bay Arts & Events Centre show on September 11.
"I composed a few new songs on a piano that a local was kind enough to loan me," she said.
"One of the new songs was inspired by Te Mata Peak and the Māori legend of the giant who chomped through it and choked.
"A story and image that resonated with me as I read the children's book version of the legend to my 4-year-old, night after night."
After unexpectedly finding herself locked down in Hawke's Bay, Palmer, who rose to fame in the punk cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls, said she hopes the show can act as a thank you to the region.
"Being here during lockdown and over the past few months has been very special - what a way to get to know a place," she said.
"This place has been incredibly generous to me, and I feel that it's essential I return the karmic favour."
The New York-born singer, who recently performed at the Hawke's Bay Farmers' Market, said she is "homesick and heartsick" about her motherland and the show may reflect that.
"I don't know if this show is going to feel more like a wedding or a wake," she said. "It'll probably be a good combo of both."
She also shared a desire to involve herself in local charities.
Palmer announced she had struck a deal to perform at Toitoi: Hawke's Bay Arts & Events Centre on September 11.
"I wasn't supposed to be touring, since I just finished up a whole year on the road," she said. "But I didn't expect to be waylaid in Aotearoa for five months, either.
"The fact that I can perform on a real stage in front of real-live human beings is not something I am taking for granted, and I expect these shows will be incredibly powerful."
Toitoi: Hawke's Bay Arts & Events Centre said guests can expect material from Palmer's global tour There Will Be No Intermission, alongside old favourites from The Dresden Dolls, all with no band accompaniment.
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