BLAIR MORGAN

I went along to see Hothouse Flowers at the James Hay Theatre with a strange sense of déjà vu. The last time I’d seen them in Ōtautahi was across the foyer in the main auditorium at the Christchurch Town Hall in early 1991. More than three decades on, beards were in place, the hair a little wilder, and four of the five musicians looked like they’d stepped straight out of the set of The Hobbit .

Big Country were more than just a band with a distinct sound-they were a group of virtuosos.

In which our hero reaches the 3/4 Century mark , a couple of books shed light on the most interesting phase of his career ...

The live set from the Songwriter Collective gig in January has been released to all streaming platforms.