John Halvorsen (that's Steve Cochrane on drums in the background) brings Vorsen to the Musicians Club stage this Saturday. Photo / Supplied
Temperatures are rising and the Musicians Club is the place to be to hear some entertaining bands as we move into summer.
On Saturday, November 13, John Halvorsen brings his latest project, Vorsen, to the stage with Hayden Ellis on bass and Steve Cochrane on drums. Singer/guitarist Halvorsen has been
composing and performing since he founded the Gordons in 1980. His discography over a 42-year period includes more than 20 records. The first album in 1981 from the Gordons received the Taite Music Prize in 2014 for Best Classic Album, and on its re-release in 2021, went to No. 3 in the NZ charts.
Vorsen is a three-piece band who base their repertoire around the songs written and recorded by John over a 30-year period through the 90s to the present day. He describes the music as "covering a wide range of genres and periods that are hard to pigeonhole. A general description might use the words, heavy, melodic, discord, grungy, punk, avant-garde, dystopian, industrial, space-pop, shoe-gaze, hard rock".
On Friday, November 19, Bob Dylan comes to town in the guise of the Zimmermans, a sizzling none-piece band who play songs from his vast repertoire. The band have enjoyed rave reviews for their recent Wellington and Paekakariki gigs, and will play their two-hour set.
The Zimmermans are seasoned musicians who've played with well-known outfits including Sneaky Feelings, Let's Planet, The Mockers, Wooden Box Band, Dunstan Rangers, and Shaky Ground. They featured on RNZ's Afternoons with Jesse Mulligan show on May 18 to celebrate Dylan's 80th birthday.
"We've chosen 23 songs from across Bob's almost-60-year career," says singer and guitarist Paddy Burgin. "They are all wonderful songs to play, and sound even better playing them to an enthusiastic crowd. Even on the more obscure ones, we can still see people singing along with every word!"
