Christmas down under

“I spent most of my childhood in Auckland. It’s really home to me. My family were originally from New Zealand, and my parents wanted to be close to their parents, so we moved back here. It’s a great place to be a kid. We spent a lot of time in a beach shack at Piha beach on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand, where there’s some truly dramatic landscape.

My grandmother was from Ireland and I’ve spent time travelling around Ireland and the landscape there often reminds me of home. However, Auckland has a tropical dimension to it that Ireland doesn’t. The summers are probably warmer in Auckland and the winters are not as cold as in Ireland. Because we are in the southern hemisphere, our Christmas takes place in summer time and that means barbeques and swimming in the ocean – and parties. Even though it probably doesn’t have the traditional feel of Christmas – snow and snowmen and all the things you have in Europe – everybody still goes a bit crazy! We don’t see as much of the carol singers, but we do get shop windows dressed with Santa Clauses and stuff like that. Some might find it all a bit kitsch, but I love seeing the wonder and amazement on children’s faces around this time of year.
My memories of growing up in Auckland include going to school barefoot and feeling very safe. Unlike some parts of Australia, we didn’t have the prospect of any poisonous insects, spiders or snakes jumping out at us from the bush to worry about. It was a magical place really – and it still is. It has a real maritime feel to it, with a lot of very interesting islands, including the volcanic Rangitoto Island in the Hauraki Gulf little more than a 30 minute ferry ride away. Some of Auckland comes through in my music, in that I find the beach and the bush and the outdoors in general to be very inspirational. Most of the material for my album I’ll Be Lightning was written in London, but then going back to Auckland to record it brought a nice counterbalance to it. Some people think there’s a sort of rural outdoor feel to my music because of the area I grew up in, and I feel there’s probably something in that.
When I’m in Auckland for too long the sense of isolation, of being disconnected from the rest of the world, can become a negative thing. On the other hand, it’s actually a positive to come back to after I’ve been away for too long. Although the population of the city is about 1.2 million, it feels like a small and intimate scene for musicians. Everybody knows everybody else. That also can make it feel a bit claustrophobic at times, but that’s natural, I think.
Growing up I heard a lot of Irish folk music, although because it was mixed with lots of other stuff I probably wasn’t aware that it was Irish as such. It was just music to us. But there are quite a few Irish bars such as The Dog’s Bollocks, where they play lots of Irish music, both old and new.
Because of our geographic location at the north-west end of North Island, we probably only get about one in three of the top acts who play the big cities in Australia. For international touring acts it might require a flight just to play one or two concerts and it probably isn’t economical for all of them. But the music scene here is thriving anyway, and for the past eight years our government has been really supportive of the arts. The King’s Arms is a legendary place for good local rock music. I’ve played there about 20 times and it’s really special. Powerstation, which has just been reopened after being closed for a while, is another fine venue. For visitors, they're all worth checking out. There are lots of really good New Zealand artists too, such as Dave Dobbyn for instance, who are regarded as local heroes although they might not be known too much elsewhere. Dave’s a really interesting songwriter.
My father Neil, who is a member of Crowded House, is regarded as a local hero too. He has his own studio called Roundhead Studios. I recorded my first solo album, I’ll Be Lightning there. Kanye West has recorded at Roundead also.
The radio stations around here are pretty supportive of local acts, and there’s a great student radio network called the BNet that includes six student radio stations in New Zealand, including one in Auckland. Kiwi FM is also really good for local musicians. There are lots of independent record labels and with the current shift in the industry I reckon we’re going to see a lot more of them in the future. I feel very positive about that and indeed about the general prospects for New Zealand music in general.

Liam Finn’s debut solo album I’ll Be Lightning is available now on the Transgressive label.

WHERE TO EAT:
Tanuki’s Cave is a great Japanese yakatori and sake bar renowned for its service and food. It’s situated on Queen Street (close to Mayoral Drive in the centre of town). It’s popular with Aucklanders and is a good place to grab a bite before a movie or gig.

TOP TIP FOR A DRINK:
There’s a street in the Newton district called K Road (local shorthand for Karangahape) with lots of great bars, including D.O.C. at number 352.

WHERE TO STAY:
There are plenty of backpacker lodges, B&Bs and inexpensive guests houses, especially in the Parnell district. The Chalet Chevron,on Brighton Road, has rooms from $NZD 90 (about €35). It's a peaceful environment, close to the main centre city attractions. Going more upmarket, the boutique-style Amitees on Ponsonby Road was the New York Times top pick for Auckland in 2004.

GETTING THERE:
Several airlines, including Royal Brunei and Cathay Pacific, fly from Dublin to Auckland. Expect to pay around £1,000 sterling (€1,173) for return tickets.