Evermore on a mission of goodwill

Feilding's homegrown band Evermore are well versed at playing during times of crisis, having written their first album during the 2004 Manawatu floods.

Next weekend the band will fly from their new base in Melbourne, back to their home town of Feilding to perform a concert of goodwill.

The trio of brothers – Jon, Peter and Dann Hume – are looking forward to performing at home, but just wished it was under different circumstances.

"You know all the roads and places well when you hear them on the news. It's just sad that the time you next hear about Feilding, it's something terrible like this. It's such a tragic situation for the community," bassist Peter Hume told the Manawatu Standard.

Mr Hume – the middle child of the three musical brothers – said Feilding had not been far from their minds after they heard news of seven deaths in the town.

"We put our feelers out about putting something on ourselves, but then More FM approached us and we were immediately keen," he said. "We will always have a place for Feilding in our hearts but the key is to have a celebration of the good things in the community and bring everyone together."

The brothers grew up on a farm on the outskirts of Feilding, and recorded their first album Dreams during the region's most testing-time.

"We began writing during the 2004 floods. Our front yard turned into a lake and we had no power. We wrote under candlelight and used a petrol generator to keep our recording gear going," Mr Hume said.

He said their childhood in the region had taught them about being self-sufficient and down-to-earth.

They moved away from Feilding in 2005, but found a touch of a home in Melbourne.

"Although we live in the city. We have bought a 10-acre farm on the outskirts of Melbourne which we are building a recording studio on," he said. "It's surrounded by other farms and it has an odd similarity to home. It feels as though we've come full circle."

Feilding's Small Town, Big Heart concert will be held at Manchester Square from 1pm to 5pm on Sunday, September 12.

- © Fairfax NZ News