August saw Fly My Pretties return to record and perform the brand new show String Theory with next level epic cast! Fly My Pretties assembled a collection of some of New Zealand’s most exciting new musical talent, along with some FMP favourites to bring String Theory to life. The same crew will take to the road this summer for the String Theory Album Release Tour. 

Frontman and musical director Barnaby Weir is joined by his The Black Seeds bandmates Jarney Murphy and Nigel Patterson, who, along with Mike Fabulous and Iraia Whakamoe, James Coyle & Ryan Prebble (The Nudge) form the backbone for Fly My Pretties. Bailey Wiley, Laughton Kora, Ria Hall and Tiki Taane all feature as four performers who are performing at the peak of their powers. The cast is rounded out by A Girl Named Mo, Ills Winter and Miloux, three artists who are back to blow more audiences away across January.

Visiting six centres throughout January, tickets for the String Theory tour will be available through Ticketek in Wellington and Christchurch, and Ticketmaster for all other shows, priced at $72.00. All shows are all ages, and children under 12 years are welcome free of charge with a paying adult – with the exception of the show at Coroglen Tavern which is R18, and Christchurch which is seated. Tickets for all shows are on sale now.

THE FLY MY PRETTIES STRING THEORY CAST

Barnaby Weir
‘Leader and co-founder of Fly My Pretties’ is one of many hats donned by the enigmatic, Barnaby Weir. Anything but idle, Barnaby has also established himself as a successful solo musician in the past few years - all the while juggling his duties as front man for The Black Seeds. 2016 has already seen Barnaby tour with The Black Seeds to Brazil and Canada, and all the while prepping, performing, and overseeing the mixing and mastering of String Theory.

Bailey Wiley
Appearing as part of FMP for several runs, String Theory will mark Bailey Wiley’s first appearance on an FMP album. Bailey Wiley filters neo-soul classicism through modern, righteous and true live musicianship, the star of the show, her golden voice – both effortless and organic. 2016 has seen her release S.O.M.M., which has further cemented her as the new face of the neo-soul genre in New Zealand.

A Girl Named Mo
A Girl Named Mo is the musical stage name of Moana Ete, a fast rising talent in the Wellington scene. Well-known not only for her musical ability but also her acting skills, Ete is also a graduate of the Toi Whakaari school and an accomplished playwright and director. The debut single ‘Who They Say You Are’ was released in late 2015, and successful across student radio. October will see A Girl Named Mo perform and record their debut album Live at Wellington’s Bats Theatre.

Ills Winter
Ills Winter is the latest project of Elizabeth de la Rey – singer, instrumentalist and prolific songwriter.  Between genres, her songs shimmer with the psychedelic, the dreamy and the divine. Alongside her long-time musical partner Emile de la Rey, she led the indie electronic project Porcelaintoy, who sold out theatres in Wellington with their extravagant album release show Contrite Elegant Rebel in 2013. Elizabeth currently performs as Ills Winter, whose cinematic art-grunge has been making waves since releasing their debut album Duchess of Whispers earlier this year.

Miloux
Whether it’s with a full band in tow or a solo intimate set, Miloux has been constantly lauded for her vocal virtuosity, layered synthesiser instrumentation, and her passion for experimentation within the live and recorded music sphere. April 2016 saw the release of EP1, Miloux’s first round of pop musings surrounded by electronic compositions.  For a country already so rich in female vocalists, Miloux is one which stands on her own away from the pack.

Ria Hall
With the release of her debut self-titled EP, Ria Hall became a blazing new female force on the NZ music scene. Winning awards and critical acclaim, her sound fused furious hip hop beats and richly layered vocals in English and Māori, creating an epic soundscape that embraced and challenged multiple genres. A key cast member since The Homeland Recordings, Ria is set to release a new single in the coming weeks which will re-announce her as an essential artist with her urban yet distinctively Māori flare.

Iraia Whakamoe
The dart master Iraia Whakamoe is best known as one third of swamp-stomping blues trio, The Nudge. Iraia has a burgeoning reputation for his savage drumming style, innate ability to keep a beat and intuitive knack at creating space and feeling within his rhythms. A key member of the engine room since album IV, Iraia will bring the spaced-out Nudge along with band mates James Coyle & Ryan Prebble.

James Coyle
James Coyle aka Reverend Black Keys is an accomplished musician who performs the Piano Bass and Organ simultaneously for psychedelic blues three piece The Nudge. James’ last appearance for FMP was as a keys player on IV. An ardent reggae fan, he established reggae orchestra Newtown Rocksteady in 2007 and continues to play the organ bubble for the group.

Jarney Murphy
The man with the rhythm sticks, Jarney Murphy has kept the beat with The Black Seeds since 2004 and been a key member of the FMP backbone since he drummed on The Return Of… tour in 2006. Keeping things fresh, the energetic drummer can also be found knocking out grooves in his side project About The Deadlines – a Wellington four-piece inspired by blues and psychedelic rock.

Laughton Kora
String Theory will mark the first appearance of longtime FMP family member Laughton Kora on an album. Laughton Kora has been playing music since the age of 6, appearing on stage as part of his father’s band until 17 years old, and then winning Smoke Free Rock Quest with the band Aunty Beatrice. Laughton has since performed with his band Kora all over the world, and 2016 has seen him re-establish himself as a live force with his new band Tui.

Mike Fabulous
Multi-tasker Mike Fabulous is a pivotal member of FMP, having played in every incarnation to date. Impressively, he is a formidable guitarist, bassist, DJ and producer. Under the space-bending alias Lord Echo, he has been flexing his dual-mastery of 60's production techniques and modern dancefloor aesthetics for over a decade. Recent months have seen Mike prepping the much anticipated release of the third Lord Echo album, following on from the successes of Melodies and Curiousities.

Nigel Patterson
Nigel Patterson is a Wellington-based pianist, organist, composer and the keyboardist for The Black Seeds. Nigel is a purveyor of vintage instruments and has a contemporary all-original composition jazz quartet under The Nigel Patterson Quartet, who just released a new album. Also a key part of the FMP engine-room, Nigel has appeared in every FMP incarnation since A Story.

Ryan Prebble
Ryan Prebble has beguiled audiences the world over with his stonking guitar rhythms and powerful gravelly voice, which is at times a gentle moan, at times a growl. A seasoned musician, Ryan has been a part of the FMP engine room since A Story, performed as a solo artist, plus is currently the singer and guitarist in two bands - Wellington blues-rock trio, The Nudge and psychedelic rockers, Spartacus R.

Tiki Taane
Renowned as much for his powerful, headlining live performances as he is for the anthems he writes and produces, Tiki’s extraordinary ability to rock the mic as both a gifted performance MC and/or a solo acoustic performer is something to be experienced first-hand. Tiki’s self-produced debut solo release ‘Past Present Future’ achieved double platinum sales and a number of NZ Music Awards. His acoustic love ballad ‘Always On My Mind’ rose to number one, sat in the charts for a record 55 weeks, and was also the first-ever digital single to achieve platinum sales.