Concert Review - Stretch - Hawke's Bay - 1st May 2026

Anthony Stretch - Photo Credit Andrew Caldwell

Review By: Rob Harbers

Artist/Band: Stretch

Venue/City: CAN (Community Arts Napier)

Date of Event: Friday 1st May 2026

For those who haven't noticed, it's NZ Music Month again. In Ahuriri Napier, local hero Stretch kicked off this period of recognition in fine form. Performing in the rarefied air of the Community Arts Napier gallery, he performed a set that encompassed songs old and new, while also tipping the hat to the songs of other Kiwi artists along the way.

In one of the first surprises of the night, at least for those familiar with his oeuvre, he's gone electric! Yes, following in the footsteps of his antecedent Mr Dylan, he's risked the wrath of the purists by taking up with an electric guitar — not completely forsaking the usual acoustic accompaniment, but certainly visibly having fun with the expanded sonic palette now open to him. Thankfully, this wasn't Newport he was playing in, so there was far less risk of being booed and called a traitor. And certainly there's also the hope that he doesn't follow the erstwhile Mr Zimmerman in other less savoury ways by becoming a massive Zionist and genocide apologist. Ah well, we'll just have to keep him grounded, I guess.

In any case, the amplification made itself felt from the first minute, with a fleshed-out and amped-up Last Call For The Road, from 2020's lockdown-haunted Our Dreams Are Changing album. Contrasting the extra bounce given to this song, the ensuing Shoal Bay Song was more reflective, almost as if the extra meat in the instrumental department gave the song room to grow in other ways — a pattern that would repeat a few times over the course of proceedings.

This gig also, as referred to earlier, gave the opportunity to showcase some new material, which is going through the working-up process toward an eventual next album. The first of these samplers came in the form of The Year I Disappeared, a speedy number that demonstrated the defiant spirit evident in much of this new material — almost a reiteration, in tone at least, of Elton John's I'm Still Standing. This spirit carried through to the next new song, This Is All I'm Going To Say, with its central declaration of ‘I'll walk unafraid’ ringing out.

Amongst this new material were interspersed some more familiar favourites, among them Lonely Star, benefiting from the same bulkier-but-lighter atmosphere as others of the older tunes. The last of the new songs, Cut Run and Hide, responded well to the electric treatment, while also giving room for audience participation, in the form of percussive enhancements — an exercise that proved successful, showing that the people of Te-Matau-a-Māui, or this small sample at least, have still got rhythm. After such an impressive display, it was obviously time for a drink, so the intermission was called.

On the return, it was back to the more familiar acoustic territory, while also acknowledging the season, with a short sequence of ‘songs I didn't write’, by fellow Kiwis. The first of these was Anchor Me, inspiring Stretch's memories of many a Muttonbirds gig at which he'd offer his drunken suggestions to the band! The tributes continued through Straitjacket Fits' If I Were You and a heartfelt rendition of Crowded House's Nails. Bringing this sub-set to an end was Marlon Williams' Who's Chasing You?, introduced as ‘finding my way back to me’ — more particularly a lilting Hold Fast, Hold True. Then followed, as familiar and comforting as a well-worn favourite coat, Not Saying Goodbye, with its questing lyrical content nicely complementing the defiant spirit displayed earlier in the evening. Closing out proceedings, the audience was asked whether they wanted something loud or soothing, so of course yours truly called out for the loud, and was rewarded with Less Rock, More Roll, a nicely noisy note on which to finish.

And so it did indeed finish, the intimate audience having been treated to a taste of an artist still seeking, still developing, still promising more — and for my money well worth seeing, should the opportunity arise!

Setlist

Last Call For The Road
Shoal Bay Song
Here Come The Starlings
The Year I Disappeared
I Know You've Been Bad
House Full Of Ghosts
This Is All I'm Going To Say
Blood In Me
Lonely Star
Cut Run and Hide
Anchor Me (Muttonbirds cover)
If I Were You (Straitjacket Fits cover)
Nails (Crowded House cover)
Who's Chasing You? (Marlon Williams cover)
Hold Fast, Hold True
Not Saying Goodbye
Less Rock, More Roll

Anthony Stretch - Captured in Sound - Napier - 1st May 2026