Reid & Ruins

To say that the Reid and Ruins Tour with Nadia Reid and  Holly Fulbrooke (from band Tiny Ruins) is a tour of friends playing music together is definitely true - but more about that later...

The evening started at the Tuning Fork with a few songs together, and then a quick game of Paper Scissors Rock to decide who followed with their solo performance. Nadia Reid started the evening (she told us she kept winning Paper Scissors Rock and so kept starting each night with a solo set) with the sweetly melancholy song “Reach my destination” - which was written while living in her mother’s house in Dunedin after a break-up. And while sleeping in a single bed. 

The entire set was as beautiful as you could have hoped for, made visually all the more beautiful by the arrangement of foraged flowers at the front of the stage. It was impossible to see them and not see this amazing collection of flowers. 

Each song was preceded by a little story or thought. My favourite was a wee piece of info that Iggy Pop had played Nadias track I don’t wanna take anything from you on his BBC6 show. The man has epic taste obviously...

 The audience were quiet throughout - I think we were just all so grateful to be out and listening to such beautiful music that we just enjoyed the moment. 

Holly Fulbrooke followed on with her set starting with the Nadia Reid written “I come home to you” A lot of the songs are from the album she released last year. All the songs were also released as solo pieces...

My most favourite song of hers is the divine “Me at the Museum and You in the Wintergarden” - as I married my Husband in the winter gardens it feels so wonderfully nostalgic as also used to go on dates to the museum - I love the line ‘nobody feels old at the museum nobody feels cold’ - It’s such a beautifully sort of Auckland song...

My now new favourite song is the eloquent “Diving and Soaring” which is a Tiny Ruins song. She was told not to play any of the Tiny Ruins songs by her band but luckily for us - she ignored them (she maintains the song was written after they asked her not to...) 

The two women came back together for final set. Both of the Women eluded to how grateful they were, how lucky we were to be able to come together and listen to live music again. And everyone in the room really did feel that. You also completely understand that this tour is fundamentally two exceptionally close, loving friends who deeply respect each other - and who just love playing together. You get the distinct impression that the audience are a lovely extra for the two of them. That they just adore making music together and playing as Reid and Ruins. But of course the privilege is entirely as we get to listen and be part of that friendship. Five star melancholy perfection.

Words Anya Brighouse-Mayo

Photos Madeleine Brighouse-Mayo