Lanu unveils 'The Double Sunrise Documentary' feature
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Founding member of The Bamboos, Lance Ferguson follows on from this year’s 'The Double Sunrise' album, under his guise of Lanu with a revealing accompanying featurette.
“The Double Sunrise” documentary follows on from Lanu's critically acclaimed album of the same name. Released in February this year, it received 5 star reviews in the NZ Herald, NZ Listener and Rolling Stone Magazine described it as “tight, snappy and doused in retro airs.”
The 10 minute featurette sees Ferguson re-trace the original inspirations of The Double Sunrise: 1950's Exotica music and the evocative sounds of The South Seas, The Golden Age of aviation and the influence of his Grandfather Bill Wolfgramm, who was one of the regions most important musical pioneers. (Wolfgramm released 'South Sea Rhythm', NZ's first ever LP record, in 1957).
Filmed jointly in Australia and New Zealand The Double Sunrise featurette was a real labour of love for Lanu. “There's an intensely personal story here that is part of my own family history,” he says. “But much larger than that, I wanted to shine a light on these things to have some kind of record for everyone to share. Having the opportunity to speak to Bill Sevesi at his retirement home bedside was a revelation.”
'The Double Sunrise' includes poignant footage of Ferguson with the late New Zealand music legend, Bill Sevesi, in his last ever interview, filmed before he passed away at age 92 in April.
Ferguson also travels to The Museum of Transport & Technology in Auckland to visit the last-surviving Short Solent IV flying Boat. This is the aircraft that flew the romantic South Pacific 'Coral Route' in the 50's/60's, and has been a huge inspiration for Lanu’s music. The featurette is interspersed with rarely-seen B&W film of the magnificent plane in flight through the islands.
“MOTAT opened their doors after-hours to allow us to film”, Ferguson recounts. “And we also contacted Air New Zealand and were able to get some exclusive archival footage of The Coral Route out of their vaults. It's a real treat and a big deal that they allowed us to use it. ”
The doco is a moving story of how family and memory can profoundly shape someone and the music they make, and illuminates the deeper context of what is without a doubt the most personal album from Lance Ferguson’s multi faceted fifteen year recording career.