By Kelly ANDREW22 February 2008 - Dominion Post
Dave Dobbyn and Hayley Westenra seem an unlikely double act. But it works.
Dave Dobbyn and Hayley Westenra are a perfect but surprising match. The two singers are both clean- living, successful solo performers with a strong following from middle New Zealand.
One is a balding middle-aged veteran who has written some of the best-loved ballads in Kiwi music history -- think Loyal, Be Mine Tonight, Whaling, Slice of Heaven and Devil You Know -- and the other is a fresh-faced 20-year- old who became an international star at 16 and has sold millions of her classical, Celtic and pop albums worldwide.
Westenra and Dobbyn have teamed up and they are touring New Zealand together for their In Tune with Nature winery concerts. They perform at Wairarapa vineyard Alana Estate tomorrow.
Chatting by phone from Auckland they finish each other's sentences and gush excitedly about how much they enjoy singing and performing together. There is, as Westenra points out, laughing, "Too much love."
Westenra and Dobbyn first shared a stage at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire last August. The concert -- Hayley's Kiwi Ceilidh -- was held when anticipation was building for the Rugby World Cup and London was awash with optimistic New Zealanders. Westenra invited Dobbyn, whom she describes as a Kiwi icon, to come over and perform at the gig.
"We just clicked from the first rehearsal. To many people it was a strange pairing but it worked," says Westenra. Their voices and personalities harmonised well.
"We're from completely opposite ends of the spectrum. That's why it works so well -- we don't interfere with each other's vocals," she says. "I had a ball," Dobbyn chips in. "We had a real rapport and when we sang together there was something that happened that made us both feel really good about it. There was some magic there. We thought, better do that again some time."
For In Tune with Nature they are touring with their own backing bands. Dobbyn plays first for about an hour before Westenra joins him on stage at the end of his set, then she sings for an hour and Dobbyn returns for some duets.
They are likely to include Dobbyn's Welcome Home and Oughta Be in Love, and some tunes by the Finn brothers. The programme also features New Zealand violinist Fiona Pears.
Westenra says she doesn't think she's ever been so excited about a tour. "I've never done a vineyard tour before. In fact, I've done one concert in my career that's been held in a vineyard, so I can't wait.
"I've also been away from New Zealand too long. I can't wait to see the whole country and meet all the people and just get back into that Kiwi swing of things. We know how to relax."
She has been in New Zealand since before Christmas and has been throwing herself into adventurous pursuits, including windsurfing for the first time, mountainbiking and jet skiing.
"I spent New Year's (Eve) with some friends up north and the rest of the time I've just spent in Christchurch, and Christchurch has had the best summer. I was quite keen to become a Kiwi chick again. I thought, 'Right, I've been in London for too long and I want to take advantage of what New Zealand has to offer.' "
She has avoided being mobbed by fans in her home town. "My science teacher from my high school recognised me when I was out windsurfing, but I avoid the malls if I'm feeling a bit shy, but getting outdoors is quite nice. When I was out mountainbiking we didn't really come across anyone else. It was just me and my family."
Both Westenra and Dobbyn are bound for Britain after the tour. Westenra has a gig there next Thursday and Dobbyn is working on his new album in London from March. "I dare say Hayley and I will meet up at some point over there, hopefully in a restaurant with a jolly good heating system."
They say they're learning from each other as performers. "I'm the one that's learning more. I don't think he's learning from me," says Westenra politely.
But Dobbyn has become an ardent admirer. "I've just learnt that you can sing one note and make it sound like five. There's something of purity in Hayley's voice that I think is fantastic.
"She's got such an incredible gift of an instrument. The fact that she's into writing some songs herself as well, it bodes well for the future for Hayley.
"There's always something new to learn when you're performing. I love it when performers know the connection between the performers and the audience is bigger than all of us. If you recognise that, you can come up with things that are quite amazing."
* Hayley Westenra and Dave Dobbyn, In Tune with Nature, Alana Estate Vineyard, Wairarapa, tomorrow. Dave Dobbyn has a sold-out show next Wednesday at the Pacific Blue Festival Club in Wellington and performs as a guest with Lucid 3 at the same venue on Tuesday.
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