6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Summit offers chance for global break
A Dunedin band feels it is on the verge of breaking out globally after being selected among the best independent acts from New Zealand.
Early '90s-inspired alternative rock band IVY has been selected to perform at the Going Global Music Summit in Auckland later this month.
The event is an opportunity for the band to perform at the Summit's Showcase Festival and network at its conference with international booking agents.
IVY lead guitarist James Axton said it felt surreal to have been given the opportunity.
"I found out while I was at work actually and sort of lost my mind a little there."
The band had only performed outside of the South Island once.
The biggest show they had played at was at Errick's music venue in Dunedin to 300 people with the Dunedin Youth Orchestra backing them.
Mr Axton said that felt like a "monumental day" considering it had only been a short while since they were playing in front of about five people at Brighton Rugby Club.
The band is made up of four former Bayfield High School students — Mr Axton, Jesse Hanan, Ocean Wilson and Connor Cooper — and former Otago Boys' High School student Louis Stevenson, a violinist who was a late addition to the band.
Mr Axton said the band had experienced a mix of struggle and really fast progress as independent artists.
"I don't think we've really experienced any sort of tall poppy syndrome as of yet.
"Everybody's been super encouraging and supportive of us, which has been fantastic.
"But it has been a lot of hard work and it's been quite intense recently, quite a lot of pressure and stress."
He said the band always dreamt of going on world tours and were really excited about the opportunity to perform at Going Global.
They were planning on releasing their debut album in September and were going to promote it at an R18 gig on October 3 and an all-ages gig on October 5 at Pearl Diver.
