Lady Killers still going strong

LL-R: Tina Cross, Jackie Clarke and Suzanne Lynch.

Celebrating a decade singing up a storm together, Tina Cross, Jackie Clarke and Suzanne Lynch are The Lady Killers. They spoke to Steve Scott over lunch at Scott's Epicurean last week.

It's the music and the immense joy they get from singing together that keeps The Lady Killers going.

"It's crazy good, the best fun you can have," Tina said, speaking to Hamilton News last week.

"We are all music fans as much as our audience are and we love the songs we sing and want to do them justice."

Waikato punters will get a chance to hear an assortment of The Lady Killers' songs when they perform in Hamilton next month.

Hamilton is the first date on their five-city Live and Kicking tour.

The Lady Killers will be instilling their own special blend of crisp harmonies, sophistication and fun into songs by artists including Queen, Neil Finn, Dolly Parton and Neil Young.

Choosing the material, Suzanne says they often argued among themselves over many coffees.

Interrupting, Jackie shouts, "It was a very long and democratic process, definitely over many cups of coffee. But every time we get together we try and find at least one or two new things. It keeps us fresh and on our toes."

Between them, Tina, Jackie and Suzanne have contributed their voices and talent to New Zealand music and beyond for many years.

Fans of Yusaf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) will recall how Suzanne was Stevens' chief back-up vocalist in his golden years via her work on his albums including Foreigner (1973) and Buddah and The Chocolate Box (1974) which included the hit single Oh very young in which Suzanne's voice featured prominently.

Tina enjoyed success in New Zealand when she won The Pacific Song Contest in 1979 with her song Nothing but dreams. She has gone on to work alongside such luminaries as Tom Jones and Meatloaf, and also star in musical theatre roles including Chicago and Miss Saigon.

Jackie enjoyed a decade of touring and recording with When The Cat's Been Spayed and sung with Dave Dobbyn and The Netherworld Dancing Toys.

Morphing into the theatre world, she has enjoyed starring roles in shows including Mamma Mia and Porgy and Bess.

Jackie says even if they could not make a living from contributing to New Zealand music, they would still sing.

"Once you have music in your bones, blood and heart it is who you are, it is for the love of it. There is a lot of love in what we do," Jackie said.

Basically self-managed, The Lady Killers travel light to their gigs in their own cars.

"We are very much a little cottage industry," Suzanne said.

"But you won't see us out the front selling tickets and we won't be cleaning the loos before we leave," Tina laughed.

The Lady Killers believe music is an amazing connector.

"When you sing and open up people's hearts we feel we are so lucky our audience comes with us," Jackie said.

"We have been singing for years and we are still lucky enough to be doing it now. Music is such a portable thing, no matter where you are it breaks down barriers and people respond."

The Lady Killers star at Clarence Street Theatre on Thursday, June 9. Tickets from Ticketek.co.nz.