Bands promise music and dance fest

SUMMER: Two bands will take the stage at the inaugural Here Comes Summer event at the Carterton Club on Friday, November 7, including veteran Wairarapa act The Verandah Band. PHOTO/FILE

The Carterton Club is going dance crazy.

Wairarapa musician Steve Trotman said a "large contingent of music and dance fans" will descend on the club, formerly the Carterton RSA, for four hours of wall-to-wall dance floor action at the inaugural Here Comes Summer event on November 7.

He said club management was excited to be hosting the event, which will feature two Wairarapa bands - The Verandah Band and Lennie T. & the Cuzzie Bros.

The Verandah Band, which features Trotman on vocals and guitar, was a regular act at The Lounge in Carterton and Cafe Strada in Masterton and the band "is a veteran" of four Toast Martinborough festivals, Trotman said.

The band had played at numerous Wairarapa venues over the past few years, he said, including Summer Stunner, the Harvest Festival, and King Street Live, and had also clocked up performances in Wellington and Wanganui.

Trotman said Lennie T & the Cuzzie Bros were "essentially a family affair", featuring a brother-in-law of band leader Lennie Te Whare on drums, and a friend on bass guitar. The band had played at the Services and Cosmopolitan clubs in Masterton, and at private functions throughout the lower North Island.

"Both bands will be providing a non-stop smorgasbord of rock n' roll, disco, funk, and country and folk-rock standards at the Here Comes Summer event. We are very lucky to have The Carterton Club, as there is unfortunately a diminishing number of venues for bands to play in," Trotman said. "That the venue also has two stages and a big dance floor is a great bonus. We are very much looking forward to playing there again."

Trotman said music will play continuously from 7:30pm to 11:30pm on November 7. Bookings have been "heavy", Trotman said, although tickets were still available from the club or from band members. Door sales will depend on ticket availability and cost $10 each. Drinks and snacks will be available.