2013 Southland Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame Sat 5 Oct

Left to right, Paul Rosel, Tony Ross' son. Tony Ross Murray Burns, Maaki Goodwilie, Neil Blue

I  arrived at the Working Men's Club a few minutes past 7.00pm expecting to be early. To my surprise the place was already mostly full with the first part of the programme already started. Apparently the doors opened at 6.00pm and the locals were not slow getting in early to claim their tables.

First up was the formal induction ceremony for those Southland musicians recognised for their contribution to the music industry over the decades. The inductees were:

Keith Walker (Drummer/Vocalist)
Bands: Three Company, Pickwick, Southern Dixie

Peter Miller (Drummer)
Bands: Six Farthings, Midnight Cruise, Transition

Peter Chilton (Drummer)
Bands: Tarbet, Airstrike, Kasmsha, Eighties Band

Murray Burns (Keyboardist, Bass-Guitarist, Songwriter, Producer)
Bands: Edge, Storm, Watchdog (ChCh), Red Rose, Mi-Sex

After the formal part of the programme was over the evening was set aside for live performances by those bands associated with each of the inductees. These are often one-off and rare performances.

Highlights included the great harmony vocals of Edge, the excellent guitar work from Dave Baker and Tony Ross' son, and experiencing for the first time the exceptional stage personality of Neil Chilton. This guy is an accomplished and polished entertainer.

The bands playing were:

Southern Dixie
Transition (with a tribute to Elvis the Pelvis)
Edge
Baker Boys/Thunderbirds

The last set of the night was a jam session involving such notables as Garry McNatty, Murray Burns, Dave Gillies, and Roger McLachlan. A rare combination indeed.

The best part of the night was being reacquainted with the characters from the past, including:

Tim Snow (Strobe Lightshow Luminary)
David Clarke (Southern Intellectual)
Allan Timmins (Watchdog Road Manager)
Ken Jones (Co-Creator of the outrageous Flog Balls)
Jackie Cooper

I took a bunch of photos throughout the evening using my Canon 1D Mark IV. I prefer the Mark II but because of its low light capability it seemed better to include this in my kit. I also had a Canon 40-70mm L/2.8, a Canon 85mm f/1.8, Sigma 16mm f/2.8 and a Canon 24mm Lf/1.4. As it turned out lighting was not an issue in fact some of my early shots were over-exposed.

The lighting for the show was provided by Tony Ross of Remarkable Audio and included some FOH Strand Pattern 23's which at 500 watt each are useful at close range.

The sound and mixing system was provided by Taff Sound which is the Invercargill sound production company owned by well known local musician Taffy Hewton.