Street Chant Announce Nationwide Farewell Tour

Acclaimed Auckland trio Street Chant are saying "goodbye for now" with a six-date tour of New Zealand next month. The three-piece, which formed eight years ago, is currently made up of Emily Littler, Billie Rogers and Christopher Varnham. They ecently released their long-long awaited sophomore album Hauora, from which the single 'Pedestrian Support League' was long-listed for the 2016 Silver Scroll Award.

Sadly, this tour is likely be Street Chant's last tour ever, or at least for a very long time. Here are the details...

Street Chant

Thursday 8th September, Darkroom, Christchurch w/ Wurld Series + Best Bets
Friday 9th September, The Sherwood, Queenstown
Saturday 10th September, The Attic, Dunedin w/ Kane Strang + Opposite Sex
Friday 16th September, Whammy, Auckland w/ special guests
Friday 23rd September, The Hop House, Tauranga w/ All Hail The Fun Killers
Saturday 24th September, Valhalla, Wellington w/ Womb + Unsanitary Napkin

Here's the group's latest video for 'Insides', plucked from Hauora...

FROM FLYING OUT:

There’s good news and sad news for Street Chant fans - the good news is that they are heading out on one last epic tour around New Zealand this September, but the sad news as this will likely be their last tour ever, or at least for a very long time.

Over the eight years since they formed, Street Chant have become one of New Zealand’s most important and well loved alternative/rock bands. Originally called Mean Street, in the early years the band played numerous shows around the dive bars of Auckland, quickly gaining a reputation for fearsome, powerful and wild live shows, as well as a string of b-Net radio hits.

Their 2010 debut album Means (Arch Hill) is a bonafide classic, receiving rave reviews for making “who-gives-a-fuck-garage-punk-pop like no one else” (Polaroids of Androids). The vinyl is now long out of print and a highly sought after collectable. During this time Street Chant toured Australia and the US with bands like Jack White’s The Dead Weather and The Lemonheads, as well as repeated shows at CMJ, SXSW and other international dates. At home they played The Big day Out, Laneway Festival and many other festivals and gigs. While not a mainstream group, Street Chant still won the inaugural Critics Choice Music Award and received various other nominations such as the Taite Music Prize and Alternative Album of The Year.

In 2013 Street Chant released the EP called Isthmus of One-Thousand Lovers(Self Release) and then in April 2016 they released the stonking second album Hauora (Flying Nun), which was also excellently received. North and South summed the record up nicely, writing: “The broad strokes are vivid, but the detail (in lyrics, music and production) is what makes Hauora a compelling, and repeat listenable, album of high-energy power pop”. The lead single from Hauora - Pedestrian Support League - is also currently an APRA Silver Scroll Top 20 contender.

 

Now, this September, the band have decided to call it quits while they are ahead, put things on an indefinite hiatus, and finish up on a high note. The band have a number of new songs they would like to eventually record and release, and Emily Edrosa (Emily Littler from Street Chant’s solo project) will continue - in fact she has almost finished a new record.

 

So while it is a little sad we won’t be seeing Street Chant for a while, there is plenty to look forward to, including this upcoming tour and various new recordings from the band members.

As the line goes in the final Haoura single 'Melbourne' goes - "if it's not over this time then it won't ever be".

All shows $10 on the door.