SoundBites: Herriot Row, Cairo Knife Fight, Reb Fountain, Kendall Elise

Simon Comber, aka Herriot Row. Photo/Supplied

Herriot Row, aka Auckland singer songwriter Simon Comber, has released his debut album Lesser Stars.

Comber, who has released two albums and an EP under his own name, recorded Lesser Stars in San Francisco with producer John Vanderslice, who has worked with Mountain Goats and Spoon.

The album is a showcase of beautiful songwriting, and it's easy to see why comparisons have been drawn with artists including Bill Callahan and Don McGlashan.

Herriot Row will take the album on the road this month, performing in Wellington on September 8, followed by gigs in Whanganui (September 9), Christchurch (September 15), Dunedin (September 16) and Auckland (September 29). See Under the Radar for venue and ticket information.

Kiwi rock duo Cairo Knife Fight's last single was A-Six. Their upcoming album is Seven. Their new song is A-Eight. Spot a pattern?

The latest track and its accompanying video are dark, moody and powerful.

The clip features Hannah Tasker-Poland and was directed by Karl Lear who worked on Gladiator.

Reb Fountain has released a video for the song Slave from her new album Little Arrows.

Fountain says Slave is one of her favourite songs on the album. It was also the last song she performed live with the late Sam Prebble.

The video was directed by her daughter Lola Fountain-Best and its release comes ahead of her national tour.

Little Arrows was released last week. According to its publicity, the holds the key to a moment in time that can never be recaptured. "A beautiful, creative collaboration between three gifted songwriters - Sam Prebble, Dylan Storey and Reb Fountain - bound in deep friendship."

Sept 7th Dunedin, Plato with support from The Broken Heartbreakers
Sept 8th Christchurch, Blue Smoke with support from Hopetoun Brown
Sept 9th Paekakariki, St Peter's Hall with support from Rosy Tin Teacaddy
Sept 15th Auckland, The Tuning Fork with support from Hopetoun Brown

Kendall Elise this week released I Didn't Stand a Chance, the title track from her debut EP.

The video was shot at Karangahake Gorge in an old railway tunnel.

"I started whistling the melody from I Didn't Stand A Chance and it filled the whole tunnel. It felt perfect for the mood of the song," Elise said.

The I Didn't Stand A Chance Tour will continue from October 6, with venues including Paeroa, Tauranga, Hastings, Raglan, Auckland and South Island venues.

Visit Under The Radar for gig and ticket information.

Thurs 7th Sept, video / single release - The Golden Dawn Tavern of Power
Fri 6th Oct, The Refinery - Paeroa
Sat 7th Oct, The Incubator - Tauranga
Thurs 12th Oct, The Common Room - Hastings
Fri 13th Oct, Raglan Old School Arts Centre - Raglan
Sat 21st Oct, Freida Margolis - Auckland
Thurs 26th Oct, Purple Rain - Dunedin
Fri 27th Oct, Sherwood - Queenstown
Sat 28th Oct, Space Academy - Christchurch

- SoundBites is a weekly compilation of music bits and bobs, and also appears in NZME's regional newspapers.