“Henry Wagons comes across like Nick Cave singing the Johnny Cash songbook.”
- TimeOut NYC
Vector Arena and 95bFM are proud to present Henry Wagons hot on the heels of his newly released, critically acclaimed solo album, After What I Did Last Night. Australian renaissance man Henry Wagons will play a solo show at Auckland’s Great South Pacific Tuning Fork.
Henry will be landing in New Zealand fresh from a month long tour of North America, loaded with an arsenal of new stories and songs. With his unique swagger reminiscent of a day when front men gave back bucket loads of charm and were shrouded in enigmatic mystery, Henry is unanimously lauded as one of Australia’s great entertainers.
Drawing on a broad range of influences, Henry’s show is a high sensation roller coaster ride that ranges from the bluster of sweaty jumpsuit era Elvis, to the somber, drunken malaise of Lee Hazelwood. He can touch on the tenderness of a recently heart-broken Roy Orbison while simultaneously embracing the menace of Nick Cave.
As tends to be Henry’s way, he always has a huge amount on the boil. After many years fronting the floor-fracturing outlaw band Wagons, last seen here as part of the 2015 Southern Fork Americana Fest, Henry has recently recorded his first full length solo album in Nashville which was released in April this year.
After What I Did Last Night was recorded under the watchful gaze of ‘new Nashville’ lynchpin producer Skylar Wilson (Justin Townes Earle, Caitlin Rose, Andrew Combs) who has helped bring a unique musicality and depth. Prior to this, Henry released a mini album Expecting Company (including a duet with The Kills/Dead Weather’s Alison Mosshart, “Unwelcome Company”, which was a frequently played track on 95bFM and appeared on several occasions in their Top 10), as well as a live all-analogue 45rpm 12” vinyl as part of the prestigious Upstairs at United series, recorded above the famous United Records pressing plant in Tennessee.
The past few years have seen Henry share stages around the world with Lucinda Williams, Justin Townes Earle, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, Calexico, Bill Callahan, Will Oldham, Okkervil River, John Hiatt plus more along with SXSW, Bonnaroo, Canadian Music Week and Americana showcases.
On top of all of this, Henry hosts Australia's biggest national Americana/roots music radio show 'Tower of Song', already a weekly institution, on national broadcaster Double J. Henry also keeps his insanely busy schedule packed as a television presenter, having worked on Australia's culture and arts show on ABC's 'Art Nation' for three years while also hosting interview series 'Rogue Tales' for James Squire and TV series 'Keepers of the Flame’.
With all this relentless and broad-ranging activity, it’s little surprise Henry Wagons was nominated by The Age as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Melbourne.
A shrewd showman and an equally savvy songwriter and singer...Wagons makes sly
rock 'n' roll that both intellectuals and pop fans can appreciate.
- Nashville Cream
Henry Wagons: the new Prince of Country noir.
- Canadian Broadcasting Corp
Special guest for the evening is kiwi Alt-country singer/songwriter Stretch. From dark-hearted ballads to roof-raising choruses and a bootstomping backbeat, it’s a heavy-folk landscape that hints at Neil Young and Neil Finn hauling up for a good old after-hours session. With a reputation for spell binding performances, a voice that can’t help being soulful and a passion to connect with every audience, Stretch is making fans the old fashioned way, one true music lover at a time. www.stretchsongs.com
