About a thousand years ago I worked in the glorious capital for the predecessor of Fonterra, the late, (possibly) great New Zealand Dairy Board. At one point I was seconded for a six week stint with our buddies at the massive Kiwi Dairies principal site at Hawera. This was where I got my love of the Taranaki region, with the warmest welcome and friendships shown me while I was there. I did get a taste of the surreal one day, as I was leaving the admin building, with a mate directly behind me. I walked out into the late afternoon, and immediately received what at first blush felt like a rock landing on the back of my head. What convinced me I wasn’t the target of an assassination attempt was my mate rolling on the ground laughing his tail off. I reached up and felt something wet and mushy. Looking at my hand it was covered in what I could only describe as warm, melted Viennetta. A bloody bird had shat on my head, literally as I walked out the office! It sure didn’t smell like that delicious ice cream and wafer chocolate dessert – and there was enough of it for me to look skyward for signs of a freaking EAGLE flapping gleefully away. No matter – I still slayed all comers at Ash’s Karaoke down the White Hart that night. After a good shower, naturally. Good times… 🙂

What does that have to do with Fin Rah Zel and their new single Unity? Well, I popped the vid onto my screen and the first thing that I clocked was Taranaki Maunga in the background. Am I surprised? Not a bit. This website has opened my eyes to the breathtaking number of talented musicians from one of my absolute favourite parts of the world. And such diversity of genre too. You folks from the ‘Naki should be justly proud of the factory-line conveyor belt of talent you’re sending out into the world.

Fin Rah Zel is no different in their level of talent. Comprising Brian Norton on acoustic gat,  Codes Hoskin on keys, Ben Payne on drums, Chris Buhler on bass, and Wakaia Tamehana providing electric guitar, these guys have just delivered at Womad, in time for the release of this gentle, warm, infectiously catchy number. They say they have a busy 2024 planned, so keep an eye out for more appearances.

The vid is way cool. Easy watching, as the camera circles the band in a field with Taranaki rising in the distance. A band member appears each time the camera parallaxes around a complete circuit. Simple, but giving a little mischievous feel, and it works as well as any other shot one could have gone with. Nice. It’s up on the You Tubes already, so pop on and give it a look, why dontcha. Big ups to Taranaki based camera guru Thomas Busby for the vid.

From the EPK: “Lyrically, ‘Unity’ is about caring for fellow beings by inspiring people to look out for one another, and to go that extra step in showing someone that you care. The chorus says it all really, it’s a shared consciousness – ‘Unity, we’re passing on what we know; with open arms, the more we share the more we grow’ – we feel a deep connection with the spirit of that ethos and this song is a clear expression of that. Ultimately, it’s a message of connection, love, and hope.” This from vocalist Brian.

It’s reggae in the light, welcoming sense. Think Katchafire, think the Seeds. In fact, Brian‘s timbre would fit in with either of those two iconic Kiwi bands of this genre. As would this song, actually. It’s rich and full, yet light and vibrant. Very catchy without being dramatic or inappropriately over-emotive. It’s a happy message, and the melody, and composition, orchestration and production, deliver on that message. Good ear, producer Jesse Jenkins. Huzzah for that person!

No need to ask where the guys got the band name from, of course. Any fans of Fantasy movies who know of the 90s classic movie Willow, filmed in old Aotearoa back in the day, gave us the powerful sorceress Fin Rah Zel, who aided Willow in his quest to keep baby Elora Dannen safe from evil queen Bavmorda. Nice move by the guys here. I love the name.

This is a great song. It belongs on high rotation, so I hope to see the vid on Juice and loads of regional and commercial radio stations. The erstwhile neighbours to the west would enjoy this too. Enjoy live, enjoy in your headphones. This is a quality number that will fit into your life wherever you want it to. I’ve added it to Flash-Trax‘s Spotty Fly too.

Great work.