Lindon Puffin brings hope to the holidays
The Christchurch earthquake rocked Lindon Puffin’s new album.
Not for singer-songwriter Lindon Puffin. He uses sick bags to write down his songs. Puffin, who will be performing in Wellington this week, says when you’re inspired by something there is an instant urge to write it down, prompting the aid of a sick bag.
“I always find something to write about at very weird times. I’m touring so much that I’m always on the aeroplane, so I find myself writing lyrics on the back of sick bags. They’re easy to write on as well.”
His latest album, Hope Holiday, which is likely to have been created on a sick bag, was released in October. Puffin’s original style was folk acoustic, but for this latest album, produced by Wayne Bell, he describes his music as “confident, beautifully-crafted pop songs.”
The first single on the album, Outta Reach, was the first video Puffin had made.
The video was initially set in a pub in Lyttleton, where Puffin grew up. In the first week of February the Auckland based singer and a crew of extras, and sound and film technicians made their way to Lyttleton.
“It was great, like nothing I had done before. They even had someone playing a younger version of me,” he says.
However, soon after filming began, the earthquake struck, demolishing the pub.
“The video had to be put on hold because of the earthquake, but the first thing that came to mind was getting out there and helping. My grandparents lost their homes. I was there and I was safe, so all I could do was help,” he says.
After a few months spent sticking around the area to provide help where it was needed, Puffin teamed up with other musicians to form The Harbour Union, a musical group for fundraising for the earthquake. The band toured New Zealand, and raised “close to 20K”.
The tour ended in September, and Puffin immediately got back to work on the release of Hope Holiday.
“After the tour ended I realised I didn’t have a lot of time to release my album, especially because I wanted it done before Christmas.”
He immediately got back into making the video for Outta Reach, which was very different to the original version. With no funding this time around, and the considerable changes to the surroundings of Lyttleton, the video features Puffin wandering around the familiar streets of his childhood.
“Yes, you can see some of the destruction, but you can also see how beautiful the area is, and I think that’s something important to remember. It will always be a beautiful area.”
He says he doesn’t care who the audience is, only that they enjoy the performance. One of his favourite gigs was playing at a preschool in Wellington.
“They brought in ukuleles, sat in a semicircle and sang one of my songs, and it was pretty emotional really. It’s just great having receptions like that.”
Lindon Puffin, Happy, December 16.
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