Shapeshifter Soulstice 20th anniversary tour includes Royal Whanganui Opera House show

Shapeshifter return to Whanganui this year on their Soulstice 20th anniversary tour.

In a change from sweaty clubs and bustling festival arenas, Shapeshifter will bring their live drum and bass to the Royal Whanganui Opera House.

The band are hitting the road for the 20th anniversary tour of their two-time platinum album Soulstice, with a Whanganui show on July 24.

Frontman Paora “P Digsss” Apera said the band had not played in Whanganui since 2001-02.

“Yeah, Whanganui. We can’t wait to come out there. I hope you bring your dancing boots. It’s been a long time, so let’s just get it on,” Apera said.

“A true Kiwi roadie – exploring our beautiful country and performing for our fans, new and old.”

Soulstice was the band’s third album, released in 2006.

It won Best Electronic Release at the Aotearoa Music Awards (AMA).

Apera said they hoped to dig deeper into the songs during the tour.

“We’ve had time to marinate on this album, and I think there’s only three or four songs on the album that we haven’t actually played live,” he said.

Shapeshifter frontman Paora "P Digsss" Apera says he's excited to return to Whanganui.

Fan favourites from the album include Summer Haze, New Day Come and Electric Dream.

Maggie Hunt or “Pearly”, a rising DJ from Dunedin, also joins the tour.

She will open with soulful, liquid drum and bass and vocals.

DJ Pearly will open for Shapeshifter.

Apera said Pearly’s music selection impressed the band and their management.

“She played a lot of deeper tunes ... You want someone who’s got skill and knows how to coax the crowd into it,” he said.

Pearly lived in Whanganui for three years during high school and previously played at the Royal Whanganui Opera House during Smokefreerockquest.

She said joining Shapeshifter on tour “doesn’t even feel real”.

“It’s honestly such an honour ... I care a lot about the history of the genre, drum and bass, and where it came from and what it was built on.

“Curation is a very important part of my sets; the ability to tell a story through a set.”

The tour will visit some of the country’s most historic and largest venues, including Invercargill’s The Civic, Dunedin Town Hall and Meow Nui in Wellington.

Shapeshifter will return to Whanganui after more than 15 years, playing at the Opera House.

The Whanganui event would be fully seated, Apera said.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be fully policed. We’ve played in a few seated places, and people will probably stand up.”

Shapeshifter emerged from the Christchurch jazz scene with their debut, critically acclaimed LP Realtime in 2001.

This prompted their move to Melbourne and extensive tours before Apera joined as vocalist.

“It was New Year’s and I was in my other group, Sunshine Sound System. We played prior to [Shapeshifter] and then they asked me to get on and have a little sing.”

Seven LPs, four EPs and 25 years in, the band returns for another tour.

Current members are Paora Apera, Sam Trevethick, Nick Robinson, Dan McGruer and Darren Mathiassen.

Tickets start at $72.50 and are available from ticketek.co.nz.

Noam Mānuka Lazarus is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle.