Songwriters of Aotearoa Inc Showcase
Mata Brewery, November 22

Review by Dave Stewart

Last Saturday night at Mata Brewery saw the inaugural Songwriters of Aotearoa Inc Showcase, where 13 artists were given the opportunity to present one example of their original songwriting talents.

The standard, as witnessed by the good crowd who turned up, was exceptional and shows that the talent pool in this part of the country is as strong as ever and the future keeps getting brighter.

The showcase was driven by locals Tammy Viitakanga, Mack Apaapa and Lee Doublé, who all put in an immense effort to provide an upscaled event from the regular Open Mics that are so popular at Mata.

With a full stage blackout and Rawiri Duley taking care of the sound mix, the performers were provided with as good a platform as possible to lift their game, and everyone did.

The diversity of style and content was what impressed the most.

Rohan Evans at age 13 proved that he has grown so much in stature with the experience and mentoring he’s had and is turning into a polished stage entertainer before he even hits high school.

Ōpōtiki’s Chris Waters keeps the blues lights shining while William Main and his soulful hip hop remind us of where we live.

Kristy Robinson is this year’s most improved artist, with her ukelele now playing second fiddle to her keyboards and synths.

Other performers were Michael John Davies and Ngaroma Wignall, Izzy McGuinness and Yeain Hur, Katrina McGuinness who also performs comedy as The Singing Hobbit, Jazmin Doublé, Adam Warner and daughter Belle Warner, Mack Apaapa, Lee Doublé, and yours truly, Dave Stewart.

There will be another Songwriters of Aotearoa Showcase next March 28, where you’ll get another chance to see the future.