Hailing from Portland, Liz Harris (Grouper) isn’t really a stranger to these shores. She played here last year, in fact, and got sterling receptions from her audiences. This year she returns to play at Happy on Tuesday 28 September. With all the right nods from all the right places (including a spot on Skins with the incredible track ‘Heavy Water / I’d Rather Be Sleeping’), her haunting, pretty songs, with their reverby melodies evoke an ever-so-slight sense of dread. She got described as “arty, sexy and druggy” once. But I think that was by Pitchfork. When they said her album Dragging Dead Deer Up A Hill was one of the best of the year. Don’t miss your chance to see a bona fide enchantress this Tuesday—performing with guitar, pedals, video and a whole lotta echo, her performance promises to be madly engaging and spellbinding.
She is joined by longtime friend and collaborator, Pumice (a.k.a. Stefan Neville) who has been performing and releasing since pretty much forever. He’s also the current drummer for Auckland punks The Coolies, who said of Pumice: “He’s released 20+ albums. He is the underground”.
Also playing are Wellington darlings Glass Vaults—if you read Salient, you’ve probably seen the praise lauded upon them. ‘Nuff said.
Tickets are available from undertheradar.co.nz for only $15, or there may be doorsales left. Doors from 9pm.