This Way North Tour NZ
“Those rumbling drums, that sneaky little slide guitar line… the way it all comes together to become a lush, powerful piece of music that’s so easy to get caught up in.” – Double J
Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, guitar/drums two-piece This Way North are Leisha Jungalwalla (Jungal) and Cat Leahy (Sal Kimber & the Rollin’ Wheel). They first met in Canada in fact; at the renowned British Columbian ArtsWells Festival back in 2013. While hanging at the festival, they discovered that their permanent homes were both north-side… Melbourne, Australia that is…half a world away but only 500m apart. A few post-tour jams lead to something good…really good. This Way North began as a means of finding a way back… to find direction again, and it damn well worked.
They return to New Zealand for the second time this year with their inaugural tour taking place in April. They instantly fell in love with the NZ music scene and people, leaving them no choice but to come back as soon as possible. This time with a two week run of shows on both islands including the esteemed venues of The Wine Cellar in Auckland and Meow in Wellington.
Punchy, left of centre, with a universally appealing groove and melody. Cat brings solid groove based, dynamic power drumming, while Leisha sways with swampy slide guitar, slimmed down soul vocals, live looping and compelling alt-pop melodies. Sometimes likened to The Black Keys, Tame Impala and Ainslie Wills, their unique musical connection creates an explosive sound that’s rarely realised by just two artists on stage.
In July 2016, the duo’s ongoing love affair with Canada took them back to Toronto where they recorded with producer Derek Downham (Broken Social Scene, Holy F*ck). He pushed the pair in a direction they couldn’t have predicted. They have again returned and recorded with Derek in July and will be releasing an EP of these Toronto sessions. They come to New Zealand on the back of a 2 month Canadian tour.
The new tracks, released early 2017, have seen This Way North make serious waves in the industry, gaining excellent reviews and national radio play. Head Above Water is a driving track that has superb, and thick reverb slide guitar, guiding the dreamy melody over pulsating drums. Pressure is reminiscent of an 80’s teenage anthem, an alt-pop gem, dripping with lush guitar tracks and tight synth-like drumming.
This Way North has been touring almost non-stop since the start of 2017. Covering many miles across Australia, NZ and Canada and cannot wait to get back across to New Zealand. This Way North’s live show leaves audiences with something powerful and different. Make up your own mind.
