French for Rabbits Unveil Mini Documentary 'The Making Of In The End I Won't Be Coming Home'

This blustery Thursday welcomes a cavalcade of exciting news from Pōneke's French For Rabbits, including a new Palmerston North headline date with the Elliot Vaughan Strings for their ongoing In the End I Won’t Be Coming Home release tour. They've also revealed guitarist and co-founder John Fitzgerald is waving goodbye to the group, after a heroic 12 years expressed on three studio long players — 2014's breakout debut album Spirits (including their streaming smash hit 'Goat'), 2017's The Weight Of Melted Snow and 2021's The Overflow — a tenure bookended with their new In the End I Won’t Be Coming Home (2023) / Claimed by the Sea (2012) vinyl double EP release.

Finally giving fans the lowdown on leader Brooke Singer's favourite kind of tea, French For Rabbits unveiled a special new mini documentary on the making of their latest EP and its links with FFR's formative years. The behind the scenes footage captures bandmates Fitzgerald, Penelope Esplin, Hikurangi Schaverien-Kaa and Phoebe Johnson laying down musical magic at Leigh Prebble at The Surgery, and engineer Emily Wheatford-Snape with The Black Quartet at Roundhead studio. They revealed even more momentous news as to why Singer and the gang will be taking a temporary break from local stages following their May events...

"Kia ora friends!

We thought we would share some big news with you all. After 12 years in the band, our wonderful guitarist and founding member of French for Rabbits John Fitzgerald has decided to hang up his guitar to focus on his career outside of music and his first true passion (surfing!). His understated guitar playing has been the backbone of the Rabbits sound since the start, we reckon he plays like no-one else, and he is the most modest person around when it comes to his musical abilities. While we will miss hearing his wild cackles, latest schemes and surf escapades during rehearsal, we’ll all be friends for life - and undoubtedly we will tempt him back into the fold one day.

Additionally, Brooke also has some other big news with the arrival of a bébé rabbit expected with her partner Will in August.

This means that following our two shows in May and a Mansfield show at the Taranaki Arts Festival in June that the band will be going on a hiatus from live shows for the remainder of 2024.

This tour has been really wonderful so far, and we’d love our friends and fans in Palmerston North, Wellington and from around the motu to join us to celebrate and so that John gets to go out from this French for Rabbits journey with a bang!"

French for Rabbits with the Elliot Vaughan Strings
In the End I Won’t Be Coming Home - Release Tour

Friday 3rd May - Globe Theatre, Palmerston North [new show]*
Sunday 5th May - Meow, Wellington

Wellington tickets on sale via www.frenchforrabbits.com/tour
*Palmerston North tickets available HERE

' In The End I Won’t Be Coming Home' is out now digitally, on compact disc and vinyl LP (with 'Claimed By The Sea') via AAA records — order your copy HERE.