Katikati Folk Club Concert with Tatletale Saints

Formerly Her Make Believe Band, Tattletale Saints is a London-born duo band described as a ‘masterful blend of Americana fused with jazz, soul and pop’.

Her Make Believe Band was formed in 2007 and released their debut album, AM Radio in 2009, to critical acclaim both in New Zealand and in the UK, including Uncut Magazine UK which described songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Cy Winstanley as ‘a potent songwriter with a voice gently reminiscent of Paul Simon’ while vocalist/bassist Vanessa McGowan ‘adds beguiling harmonies’.

Graham Reid, New Zealand’s foremost music journalist, described AM Radio as ‘delightful album ... hooks you in with melodies and keeps you there by virtue of the words...very sharp stuff’.

The album was an exploration of the alt-country and pop possibilities of Cy’s songs and has become a timepiece of Cy and Vanessa’s work with London-based keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist Sebastian Weiss and drummer Tom Greenhalgh.

Performing as a duo, Cy and Vanessa present Cy’s songs in their rawest form, with just acoustic guitar, double bass and two voices.

With vocals described as ‘love letters between Amy Mann and a slip-sliding Paul Simon’ they evoke the work of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings in their musical connection and the full sound belying the duo’s size.

Her Make Believe Band introduced the duo’s unique blend of country/folk/pop to New Zealand in a 2010 tour that included Katikati Folk Club. Tattletale Saints arrived on the scene at the 2012 Auckland Folk Festival, where Cy and Vanessa appeared as guest artists.

CY and Vanessa gave us a memorable performance two years ago… August 3rd will be a great night… See you there!