‘Next level’ open mic in Whanganui at Musicians’ Club

Tane, Daniel, Caitlin and Caleb.

The Musicians’ Club has the longest-running open mic in Whanganui, and last month’s session has taken it to the proverbial “next level”. We cannot pinpoint how this happened, but anyone who was fortunate enough to participate - either as a performer or as a dancer or listener - in the July iteration witnessed an extraordinary evening of entertaining music and artistic camaraderie.

For one thing, there were no fewer than 10 acts on the stage, and the quality of performance was outstanding, as was the diversity. There were solo artists like Owen Hugh, Sophie Toyne and Jamie Henare, duos like Izzy and Alex and full-on bands like Out of Work Genius, Magic Bus, Bylaws, Foodslut, Bad Juju and BB & the Bullets.

For another, the hall was packed with dancers and listeners. This produced an atmosphere of sheer celebration that was felt throughout the evening. And the club brought its ever-evolving professionalism to the party, with enhanced lighting, sound engineering, audio recording and photography.

It is no wonder that we eagerly await the next session on Friday, August 2.

Bad Schematics will be playing.

Coming home from his current residence in Wellington and adding spice to the proceedings will be Tane Butler, playing with pop punk/rock group Bad Schematics out of Palmerston North. The band is Caleb Hickmott (vocals), Daniel Braithwaite (drums), Caitlin Sorenson (bass) and Tane (guitar).

They play original music, with gigs this winter all over the North Island from Auckland and Tauranga to Napier and Wellington. They will be tearing it up on our famous stage. Tane is looking forward to performing in his hometown, and we look forward to hearing his band.

Come along to our August Club night. What a great way to drive away those midwinter blues! You are sure to meet up with an old friend or maybe make a new friend!

■ When: Friday, August 2, 7pm. Where: Whanganui Musicians’ Club, 65 Drews Ave. Details: $15 general admission, members $10, memberships available at the door.