I want Julia and Anika to form a band

On Friday night I saw Anika Moa play live at Wellington's Bodega. It was a great gig. Moa's band - Nick Gaffaney (drums) and Chip Matthews (bass) - was superb. The opening act was Julia Deans (you may remember her from Fur Patrol. Or, if you go further back, the Irish band Banshee Reel).

Unfortunately I only saw the last couple of Deans's songs (I had been watching Darren Watson lay out some great blues tunes at relatively new Welly venue, The Ruby Lounge).

Fortunately Deans was invited back - several times - to share the stage with Moa. She contributed guitar and vocals, fleshing the band out to quartet-size.

Anika Moa did not disappoint her fans. She played my favourite song of hers (click here); she went all the way back to the debut album, playing Falling in Love Again and Youthful. She also played a few songs from last year's In Swings the Tide. But she used the set to promote several new songs from an album that she is about to start recording.

Of the new songs the standout was Storm; her voice (as usual) was amazing. At her best, Moa has great pop-rock instincts; she has a way with a melody. What took Storm to the next level was the mood, the layering of the musical ideas. Several of her new songs hinted at new directions but Storm was the one that really delivered. That is not to say that the other tunes were not good (they were). But this was the highlight.

The other major highlight - of some of the new songs and the older ones - was hearing Julia Deans and Anika Moa together.

Two great singers working together, serving the songs; the blend of their voices was exquisite. A highlight of seeing both Deans and Moa live is hearing the effortlessness of their sweet voices. Hearing the blend, watching them harmonise, was beautiful. Deans also added extra jangle to the guitar lines; nice chugging rhythms to support the grooves.

I want to see them work together more often. I think they should form a band.

From what I can tell, Fur Patrol is on hiatus - Deans has a solo EP available (A New Dialogue) - and Anika is about to record a new album; presumably Julia will be around to add something to the album, even if to just one or two of the songs? Well, I think she should be on the whole album and I think they should make a band, with Chip Matthews and Nick Gaffaney as the rhythm section.

There are so many female singer/songwriters in New Zealand - many of them talented, almost all of them compared (at one point or another) to Bic Runga.

This would be something different. It would be a band with two Kiwi female singer/songwriters. Both could take turns at the front, alternating the lead and rhythm, providing harmonies, singing together, taking turns to highlight their own songs. And I am not talking about a summer tour co-headlining, staying on stage to play together; I think they should form a band.

It could be like the early Throwing Muses or Belly. It could be fantastic.

And beyond the voices of each singer sounding sweet, both are good with stage banter, comfortable with themselves, perhaps what you might call cheeky? Both have plenty to offer.

Here is a clip of Moa and Deans on stage together at Oamaru's Penguin Club. It is only a short clip. But, for those who didn't see them on this recent tour, it gives some idea as to the connection the two have, the vibe, the blend, the sound.

Many of you will have read Anika's guest blog here at Blog on the Tracks; she very kindly agreed to interview herself. I'm hopeful that, given Anika is a Blog on the Tracks reader, this message will go back to her, and to Julia (I don't know if she reads the blog, but someone out there reading might be able to pass it on to her perhaps?). I'd be interested to see what they think.

I am convinced this idea would not only work, it would also be a great move for them both. Importantly it would sound great.

And I am of course interested in what you think. Does the idea have merit? Would you want to hear this band I'm describing?

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