It may be the only sober 21st celebration in the country, but it’s just how Hamish Gee and his bandmates want it while The Feelers begin their anniversary tour – totally and utterly.
“We enjoy playing on the herbal teas, and I mean by the way herbal teas, it’s not a euphemism or anything ominous,” Gee laughed as he talked about life going on in its third decade as a rockster.
On a journey that began with him trying to play with Bon Jovi in his sleepover, after touring with some of the world’s greatest bands, Gee said he and his bandmates are a little more sensitive these days in how they spend their stops. .
With The Feelers set to embark on a nationwide tour to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the release of their seminal album Communicate, Gee said they have all decided to sign a contract declaring that they will not on tour will not drink.
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“During the day we did extreme things like quad biking, quad biking, paintball, jumping off bridges and all these extreme things, but these days we are completely on tour.
“We just do not bother to drink on tour because we have been on the road for a long time, so the last thing you want to do is wake up with a hang-over,” Gee said.
“It’s completely different than when you do have a few drink offerings, we would say, before you play, because it’s a good lubricant and it gets rid of some of those nerves.
“But what we enjoy is, there is a level of excited anxiety, and a slightly nervous anticipation of the wonderful evening we are going to have.
The Feelers exchange herbal tea drinks for their nationwide tour so they don’t wake up with a hangover.
“And it’s very good when you’re playing on adrenaline, you can do anything, it’s great,” Gee said.
However, this was not always the case, and Gee freely admits that their attempts to imitate Keith Moon did not go too well, and were rather short-lived.
“I think when we were in our early to mid-20s, I think we put pressure on ourselves to act like rock stars. So we probably drank too much and got up with mischief and good.
“We were in a hotel in Sydney one night, had a drink and watched Neighbors or something, and we had a discussion about it and Matt, our bass player, said we are not very rock ‘n’ roll , are we?
Supply
Looking back, The Feelers sold more physical copies of their albums in New Zealand than any other Kiwi artist.
“And I said, ‘Well, what do you expect? What should we do? I’m crazy about that action, I do not really want to go out, and Matt dared James to throw the furniture out the window, which he did. , followed by TV.
“We felt so awful, we got into a lot of trouble for it, it was really bad, and we just decided there and then it was an expensive endeavor anyway.
“Luckily we were on tour with Matchbox 20 which was very famous at the time, and we got on very well with them, and the police showed up, and the singer Rob took responsibility for it, there was no way he was going to be kicked. does not become. from the tour, so I saved our bacon on that one, ”Gee said.
Phil Walter / Getty Images
The Feelers will perform during the Miter 10 Cup Premiership Final match between Auckland and Canterbury at Eden Park in 2018.
Gee said as time went on, the group replaced the jumping of bridges with a more numbing time.
“Now that we are middle-aged, we are going to browse through the second-hand shops. It’s a bit of a tradition of ours to drop by at small knick knack stores, and Sallie Army stores and stuff like that, so the pickup just ends up full of knick knacks.
“I actually start the tour with a suitcase so I can fill it full of stuff, but that’s what keeps us grounded and healthy when we’re on the road,” Gee said.
After living the jet-setting life and traveling the world with The Feelers, Gee said there is something unique about jumping back in a tour bus, driving through the country and into some of the smaller towns of New -Sealand to play.
peter meecham
Gee said he and Reid have been friends since elementary school and have put the group’s long life on “knowing when to avoid each other”.
“It’s not so much fun if you just go to the main centers and hop on planes, so we really enjoy the ride. “It’s a fun part of the job, to drive all over New Zealand,” said Gee.
And it is during these tours across Aotearoa that Gee was able to share the wonders of New Zealand with some of the greatest performances in the world.
“When a lot of big bands come from overseas, I take it upon myself to be an ambassador and take them to cool places in New Zealand. I did it with the Foo Fighters and Coldplay.
“With Coldplay I knew the singer Chris likes surfing, so I took him to a bach at Piha, and Neil and Chris went surfing and actually had the best day of their lives.
Scott Roth
Gee loves nothing better than showing New Zealand to some of the world’s greatest bands, and took Coldplay’s Chris Martin for a spot of surfing and Kiwi backyard cricket when they toured together.
“We had barbecues, and cricket on the lawn right next to the beach, you know and people from other parts of the world are just amazed at how beautiful it is here,” Gee said.
While the group did not play in Blenheim for a good few years, Gee said Marlborough kept some good memories for him when he remembered spending time with friends on a remote island in the Sounds. .
“My favorite place in the world is the Marlborough Sounds.
“We stayed out there for a good two weeks, just cut off, off the roster and just played music and played football and went fishing, we ran out of food very quickly and just had to go fishing and live off the land. . , it was just brilliant.
Supply
Gee said the Marlborough Sounds was his favorite place in the world.
“So, I really fell in love with the place then, and every time I go on the ferry, I can see this place, and I can see everything, and if you’re with other people from overseas, you feel quite proud. when people see such places for the first time.
“When I’m on the ferry or any kind of vessel traveling through the Marlborough Sounds with someone from an overseas orchestra, it seems even better to you because you look at it through their eyes, and they’re like ‘oh my God “We thought we would have to go somewhere like Norway to see something like this, so there is great pride,” said Gee.
Gee said he is looking forward to playing in Blenheim again because they have always had a wonderful reception in town.
“We did the Marlborough Wine and Food Festival a few years ago, just once, we were not on tour or anything, but it was fantastic, a massive crowd there, really sunny, a wonderful day, but we have not been to Blenheim for a long time.
Gee said he insists quite a bit on the booking agent that they want to take their music to more towns off the beaten path.
Supply
The Feelers might stop at a store near you.
“Many smaller places are stopped when you use different booking agents. Maybe it’s because they’m worried about whether the numbers are going to be high, and stuff like that, but, but within the group, our thinking is kind of the opposite.
“These are people in places where a lot of bands don’t necessarily go, and especially now after Covid, people will be hungry for entertainment,” Gee said.
The Feelers will be supported by a local hometown orchestra at every venue they play on tour, after holding an online competition to find the best performances. The group will be supported at their Blenheim performance by classic rockers Hysteria.
“There is so much Kiwi talent out there. We held a small competition on Facebook for local groups from each town or city in which we play to apply to be our support group, and we had so many goodies submitted, my phone was clinging -bong constantly.
Supply / Hysteria
Blenheim group Hysteria has been selected to support The Feelers at The Clubs of Marlborough on Friday, July 15th.
“There is so much talent out there now compared to when we were younger. “Even in the small towns we go to, we have 10 or 12 bands doing auditions,” said Gee.
So, almost three decades since the group started, what has Gee laid down the long life of The Feelers?
“Maybe it’s how good friends we are, or how close we are, and that’s true. James (Reid, lead singer) and I were in elementary school when we were 7 years old.
“But the right answer these days is to know when to avoid each other, to give each other space. To avoid each other when needed, and to get together when absolutely necessary, so when we do, it will be really exciting and fresh, ”said Gee.
And if anyone has any doubt that The Feelers created history and left their indelible mark on New Zealand’s music scene, the records say it all.
“Our record is that we sold most of the physical records in New Zealand by a New Zealand artist. We are very lucky to have that claim to fame now, even if Six60 comes along, I’m sure they had 10 times more hits on Spotify than we have, but in terms of physical sales, we can stick to that record which is nice is, ”Gee said with devotion.
The Feelers play The Clubs of Marlborough on Friday, July 15th. Tickets and more information are available at https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/tour/2022/the-feelers-communicate-21st-anniversary-tour.