Listen to Farewell Spit's New Double Album 'Port Noise'

Recorded live at Ōhinehou Lyttelton's Port Noise festival in March last year, Farewell Spit's new double LP of the same name captures for posterity an on-the-spot encounter between Jeff Henderson, Daniel Beban, Shayne P. Carter, Tom Callwood, Anthony Donaldson and Riki Gooch, who converged as an "expanded sextet" for the occasion. Also featuring a bonus track laid down by the all-star Aotearoa improvisational collective at Pōneke's Meow, Port Noise seems to respond psychically to that site itself, coalescing to engulf listeners in the eerie dockyard ambiance of Whakaraupō Lyttelton Harbour — indeed, "eschewing instrumental tropes of flamboyant technical bravado or noodling twaddle."

For those who were there, missed the event completely, or were scheduled to play a secret side-gig down the road at the same time [*coughs*], treat your ears to the infinitely enriching textures and tones of Port Noise, and cop the double LP vinyl edition on the merch table at Farewell Spit's release tour — starting this evening at Snails in Te Papaioea. Here's Ōhinehou resident Bruce Russell's definitive words on Port Noise...

"The expanded sextet Spit is almost that most preposterous of creatures, the Super Group. But it would be fairer to describe them simply as a dream team. What happens when the top shelf of Aotearoa jazz improvisers (Donaldson, Henderson) meets the supplest of rhythm sections (Gooch, Callwood)? Again, 'rhythm section' is almost an insult, these guys play all across the map; and over the edge. Then you throw in two wild card guitar-players, one from the ethno-musicological improv side of the street (Beban), the other a grown-up punk who can play free and choreographically (Carter) - and stand well clear. Listening to these four sides will answer all questions. Everyone does the unexpected: (Henderson's uncanny Abdullah Ibrahim pianisms are drawn from below the bottom of the probability deck) and we all go home barefoot... The highest compliment I can pay them is that I repeatedly fell asleep and half-awakened throughout the Port Noise set that comprises most of this double album - and I've slept in the front row of a solo Cecil Taylor gig. So for me, Farewell Spit are right-fucking-on."

Farewell Spit - Port Noise Album Release

Friday 7th August – Snails, Palmerston North*
Saturday 8th August – Meow, Wellington with Ritual Heaps, Class War On The Dance Floor
Friday 28th August – Audio Foundation, Auckland with Half Sister*
Saturday 29th August – Audio Foundation, Auckland with Rachel Shearer*

*Tickets on sale HERE via UTR

'Port Noise' is out today via iiii Records.