Successful ex-pat Kiwi musician in Sydney features on East FM, Saturday arvo
Wayne Gillespie, an ex-pat Kiwi in Sydney, is a true-blue New Zealand and Australian music performer and collaborator and he’s our featured artist on tomorrow’s She’ll Be Right on Saturdays Show with PJ Taylor, 3-7pm (NZ time), July 2, on East FM.
We’re talking live with Wayne at 5pm, then playing in entirety his first new album in a few years, his sixth – FRAZZ – Wayne Gillespie and band Famous Blue Raincoat, with Rob Grosser.
FRAZZ is described as the concoction of Folk-Rock-Jazz, with traces of rock-edge, cheeky surrealism, jazz juices, folk reverence, African flavours, hypnotic grooves and dark tales.
Singer-songwriter Gillespie has delivered high-quality music in Australia since CBS released his second album New Locations in 1987, while he was already well-known in NZ. Drummer and percussionist Grosser has worked with some of Aussie’s best musicians including the late Pete Wells of Rose Tattoo, Jimmy Barnes, Tim Gaze, and Bob Daisley (Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore), as well as overseas artists such as Bob Margolin (ex-Muddy Waters), and Deep Purple’s Jon Lord, Ian Gillian and Steve Morse.
Famous Blue Raincoat started with the end of another band. In 1995, Wayne and Rob were in three-piece Passionfish, releasing an EP, Love Comes Down, and promoting Gillespie’s third album, Living in Exile. When the bass player moved on, the musical chemistry suggested Wayne and Rob stay in touch. They kept jamming, recording what came up and seeing where it would lead. It was a new way of writing for Wayne, accustomed to being the solo acoustic singer-songwriter with folk-rock roots, yet strapping on an electric guitar and playing to grooves Rob laid down made perfect sense.
Life inevitably got in the way, relationships blossomed and children arrived, as did a new career for Gillespie as an entertainment psychologist. The jam tracks, though, were still there, honed into real songs by Wayne and enhanced with the help of friends: Sax player Ric Robertson (Baecastuff), with whom Gillespie had played with in NZ, as he had American-Kiwi Nigel Gavin, who’d played in Robert Fripp’s League Of Crafty Guitarists; bass player Goby Catt, now living in Canada, was a pal from the Slide McBride Band; and another Kiwi, Brendan Power, on harmonica, whose credits include Van Morrison, Sting and Ray Charles.
Gillespie cut his teeth playing London folk clubs and busking in Paris Metros in the 1980s, returning to NZ to release three albums and making the finals of the NZ Music Awards in 1984 and 1988.
He’s also performed and played with the likes of Suzanne Vega, Neil Finn, Lorina Harding, the late Chris Whitley, Stan Ridgeway, Ed Keupper, Shona Laing, The Narcs, and Amanda Brown (Go-Betweens), to name a few.
The She’ll Be Right Show with PJ beams out of East FM, East Auckland’s community-powered public service radio station, on local frequencies 88.1FM and 107.1FM, nationally and globally at www.eastfm.nz... and on app iHeart Radio.
Poll: 🗑️ Would you be keen to switch to a fortnightly rubbish collection, or do you prefer things as they are?
Aucklanders, our weekly rubbish collections are staying after councillors voted to scrap a proposed trial of fortnightly pick-ups.
We want to hear from you: would you be keen to switch to a fortnightly rubbish collection, or do you prefer things as they are?
Keen for the details? Read up about the scrapped collection trial here.
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82.1% Same!
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17.9% Would have liked to try something different
Some Choice News!
Many New Zealand gardens aren’t seeing as many monarch butterflies fluttering around their swan plants and flower beds these days — the hungry Asian paper wasp has been taking its toll.
Thanks to people like Alan Baldick, who’s made it his mission to protect the monarch, his neighbours still get to enjoy these beautiful butterflies in their own backyards.
Thinking about planting something to invite more butterflies, bees, and birds into your garden?
Thanks for your mahi, Alan! We hope this brings a smile!
East Auckland Christmas light displays 2025
Please help me find other light shows and updating this list!
Times when the lights turn on/off is helpful.
Last updated: 19 December 2025 18:47.
Google map with all of these houses pin pointed: maps.app.goo.gl...
Add a display: [Google forms] forms.gle... , or comment: [Location], [Lights on/off times], [Other features].
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CONFIRMED CHRISTMAS LIGHT DISPLAYS 2025:
7 Northpark Ave, Northpark. 8pm to 10pm Mon-Thu, 8pm to 11pm Fri-Sun. Synchronized to music. Website with status/information: northparklights.remotefalcon.com... (my own light show).
6 Kookaburra Place, Botany Downs. 8:30pm to 10:30pm every night. Donations for Bellyful.
5 Ben Lomond Cres, East Gate Church Christmas Light show. 7Pm[?] to 11pm. Christmas walk-through running 18 – 23 December 7pm – 10pm.
18 Redcastle Drive, East Tāmaki. 9:15pm to 11pm. Synchronised to music. FB page: www.facebook.com...
13 Tui Vale Road Shelly Park. 6:30pm to Midnight. Santa visiting 23rd & 24th December.
9 Drysdale Place, Somerville 8.30 to 11pm.
10 Saidia Place, Huntington Park. 8:30pm to 10:00pm.
1 Woodview Rise, Botany. 8:30pm to 11pm.
57 Palmcrest Grove, Highland Park, 7pm & overnight.
1 Palmcrest Grove, Highland Park, 7pm & overnight.
51a Paparoa Road, Cockle Bay, 8pm to 10pm, 8th Dec to 24th Dec.
111 Bradbury Road, Botany Downs. 8:00pm to 10:30pm [Assuming last year's times].
9 Cyclades Place, Shelly Park. 8:00pm to 11:00pm [Assuming last year's times].
98 Angelo Ave, Howick. On all the time.
** John Brooke Crescent, East Tamaki Heights. Unknown number of houses & times.
** Trust Place, Sunnyhills. 8:30pm to midnight. Multiple houses.
** Fern Place Beachlands. 8:00pm to midnight. Multiple houses.
** Paerata Rise, Paerata. Unknown times. Multiple houses.
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NO LIGHTS THIS YEAR (Moved or other reasons):
44 Archmillen Ave, Pakuranga Heights.
9 Harford Place, Pakaranga Heights.
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FEEDBACK REQUIRED FOR 2025.
These were confirmed in 2024:
2 Edingale Court, Flat Bush. 8:30pm to 10:30pm.
56 Sorrel Cresent, Bucklands Beach. 7:30pm to 9:00pm. Trains/miniature displays in the garage Wednesday to Sunday.
6 Rothwell Place, Sunnyhills. 8:00pm to 10:00pm.
4 Greenbrooke Drive, Flatbush. 830pm to 11:00pm.
75 Hutchinsons Road, Bucklands Beach. 9:00pm and overnight.
6A Kentville Place, Somerville. 8:00pm to 12:00am.
27 Amberwood Drive, Northpark. 7:00pm to 12:00am.
136 Kilkenny Drive, East Tamaki Heights. 8:00pm to 12:00am.
86 Sandspit Road, Shelly Park. Unknown times.
81 Tiraumea Drive, Unknown times.
29 Meadowlands Drive, Sommerville. Unknown times.
** Headcorn Place, Botany. 7:30pm to 11:00pm. Multiple houses.
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SPECIAL CHRISTMAS EVENTS 2025:
<none added so far>
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Please help find more houses and update this list!
Comment on this post.
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