Trinity Roots

By Dan Robinson

Artist:  Trinity Roots

Date / Venue:  Thursday October 3rd, Bodega, Wellington

On Thursday night I had the opportunity to catch up with Warren Maxwell, Rio Hemopo and Ben Woodwho together, make up Trinity Roots, at their Bar Bodega gig which is part of their very busy Sketches tour.

Chatting to them in the green room before the show it surprised me to find out that for such seasoned musicians they still get nervous about getting on stage in front of people. After a few visits from friends they got down to the business of sorting out their set list for the show. Making a tweak here and there to account for the crowd and the longtime fans who had shown to witness the return of one of Wellington's finest bands. It really was the busiest I had seen it out there, surely at full capacity. You could feel the anticipation in the air, the atmosphere was electric. The guys aim was to take the fans on a bit of a roller coaster ride during the gig,lots of ups and downs and twists and turns.

After warming up their vocal cords with an acapella rendition of ‘Just Like You' it was time to hit the stage. The gig was excellent and they didn't miss a beat, nor were there any signs of the break from performing together as a band. The set worked perfectly, their classic tracks like ‘Home, Land And Sea' which delivered shivers down my spine, were intertwined with new material. This new material is just as captivating as their old. Ben Wood did an amazing job on the drums. He shows no signs of the pressure that comes from filling someone elses boots. Their sound really was very polished. No surprise really, this is a band that sells out venues wherever they go. Emotions were running high in the gig goers, you could see the love and admiration on all of their faces. The night had a feeling of an old friend returning from their travel, everything felt right, picking up where we left off, with new stories to tell from journeys gone.

Hanging out with Warren, Rio and Ben for the night was a truly humbling experience. They welcomed me in like I was a part of the band, maybe even a member of the family. These guys are amazing musicians and still very much at the top of their game but they are also pretty cool people. The night I got to chill with Trinity Roots will always be a very fond memory.