Soaked Oats to play first show in Whanganui as part of nationwide tour

Soaked Oats are close to completing their debut album, after releasing three EPs since 2017. Photo / Supplied

Dunedin "sludge-pop" band Soaked Oats will play in Whanganui for the first time next week as part of their "Say Hey and Play Some New Ones" nationwide tour.

Lead singer and guitarist Oscar Mein told the Chronicle he had only set foot in the Whanganui once before, when he was hired to set up a photo booth for a "strange ball" in the centre of town a few years ago.

"There's some great buildings there, and the main street [Victoria Avenue] is glorious," Mein said.

"The sunset I saw that evening was pretty amazing too, but there was a bunch of motorbikes and cars screaming past so that kind of ruined the serenity."

Serenity has been hard to come by for Soaked Oats since they formed in 2017. They have released a steady stream of EPs, and a debut album (recorded in a "ginormous old hall near Haast") is close to completion. On top of that, the band have toured the UK, US and Australia.

"With Covid, it was kind of fortunate timing for us as a band, because we had already dedicated this year to making our first album," Main said.

"We had a tour booked for Australia in June, but that was about it.

"During lockdown we were all spread throughout the country working on songs and working on calming our minds down a little bit, I suppose.

"Max [Holmes], our bass player, moved to Auckland just before lockdown, I'm in Christchurch, and Conor [Feehly, drums] and Henry [Francis, guitar] are still in Dunedin."

Mein said some new songs would be played for the first time on the tour, and earlier tunes could get some "new treatments".

"I guess the motto of this tour is to be a bit loose and 'jammy'. Working on this album has made us better, and we've noticeably improved as musicians.

"Our very first release was me figuring out how to write a song and play the guitar. When I listen to it back I hear so much naivety and uncertainty and the all the good 'starting out' stuff.

"With Slip Ups [second EP], there's a mild continuation of that with more personality coming thorough, and then Sludge Pop [third EP], that's a really guitar focused album.

"This new one has fully achieved what I wanted to with this band, there are no creative limitations at all. Everyone just felt so free and capable to make what we wanted to make.

• Soaked Oats, with special guests Hot in the City, will play at Lucky Bar on Friday October 16. Doors open at 8pm. To listen to their music, go to www.soakedoats.bandcamp.com.