Live Appearances

Wellington Acoustic Church Concert,
Thursday 29 April, 2004

Venue:        St John’s In The City, Wellington

Address:      corner of Willis and Dixon Streets, Wellington

Dates:          Thursday, 29 April, 2004

Time:            7:30pm

Cost:             $45

Review by:    Simon Sweetman / Dominion Post

Dated:            30 April, 2004

Original article is copyright 2004 to, and can be found at Dominion Post

Concert review: Bic Runga

Bic Runga
Acoustic Church Tour
St John's In The City, Thursday, April 29
 

ALL CLASS: Bic Runga has wooed audiences around the country
with her Acoustic Church Tour. Wellington was no exception.
PHIL REID/The Dominion Post

As New Zealand's love affair with Bic Runga continues, our heroine has been based in France for eight months. So visits are precious.

For this national tour, Runga is performing stripped-down acoustic sets in churches.

She begins her set, the first of three gigs in Wellington, with Listening For The Weather from Beautiful Collision. Runga is seated at the electric piano; showered with applause at the audience's immediate recognition of the song.

She stays at the piano for the title track of her mega-selling second studio album, before moving to acoustic guitar for the wise and heartfelt Honest Goodbyes. Tonight's show is all about subversion and subtlety; the full house in attendance knows how good Bic Runga's songs are – and we all know about her pure, gentle voice; capable of soaring and yet never over-reaching, but the highlights of this evening's set are the surprise interpretations and diverse covers planted within a set of a dozen of Runga's originals.

Neil Young informs her songwriting, it's more noticeable live, in performance, watching with amazement as, like Young, she turns rudimentary strumming and simple chord structures in to majestic melodies, with choruses that are easy to hum along to and lyrics that are emotionally direct and focussed.

She introduces Be All and End All as "the first country song I ever wrote". It is such sly subversion that will no doubt see Runga moving toward alt-country with her future recordings. It is a natural progression for her to align herself with the likes of Lucinda Williams and Emmylou Harris. Her rendition of the country-folk standard Wayfaring Stranger is sublime.

She closes with Drive.

Such poise, such talent, sophisticated, calm, relaxed and humble.

Original article is copyright 2004 to, and can be found at Dominion Post