One Love organisers hope to broaden the music festival’s reggae-focussed appeal by adding Kiwi singer songwriter Don McGlashan to the bill.
WHEN Don McGlashan heard he was to headline Radio Active’s One Love music festival he was sure there had been a mistake.
“I know [One Love] is based around Bob Marley’s birthday and is very much a reggae vibe,” says McGlashan. “But I’m told they are expanding it.”
One Love event director Hadden Morrison says with the Wellington Sevens and Rippon music festival (in Wanaka) falling on the same day as One Love, McGlashan might just be the ticket to fill the velodrome.  After all, his solo set at the New Zealand International Arts Festival (Don McGlashan and Friends, March 10) was one of the first shows to sell out.
McGlashan is likely to pull the “family” demographic with his warm (Hand) folky tunes, and his backing band’s – the Seven Sisters – country element.
“Words like ‘demographic’ give me a headache,” says McGlashan. “I basically keep my head down in my work, and I’m often surprised there is an audience at all, which is better than living your life feeling that you have an audience as a right.”
The Don also taps into the popular music market with his gospel hit Bathe in the River – originally performed by Holly Smith for the film No 2 – plus Kiwi classics Anchor Me and Dominion Road.
While he has yet to decide whether to perform any Blam Blam Blam numbers, McGlashan says tunes from his days with The Mutton Birds and The Front Lawn have been added to the set list, as well as songs from his albums with The Seven Sisters (Warm Hand and Marvellous Year).
Despite winning multiple music awards for his work since the 80s and building a loyal fan base, McGlashan has yet to win the hearts of those who matter the most.
“My children reckon I’m an old fogey,” he laughs. “[Daughter] Pearl says a lot of terrible things about me but I think you are supposed to do that at 15.”
Pearl has been touring extensively with Bandicoot, whose sound couldn’t be more different to The Don’s gentle storytelling.
Bandicoot is a noisy three piece featuring Pearl on vox with two guys who play drums, guitar and bass. They tend to scream during their hardcore pop songs, and were a must-see at the recent Campus A Low Hum music festival in Bulls.
“I have been to a few of their gigs,” says McGlashan. “They are ragged and confronting and terrifying.”
While McGlashan and The Seven Sisters have recently returned from a fun national tour with NZ icons The Topp Twins (whose latest album he co-produced), McGlashan says he is happiest collaborating with his kids.
“We do a lot of things together. A highlight last year was playing a song on Stroke – the Chris Knox benefit album – called Inside Story. When we performed it at The Kings Arms, Pearl and [son] Louis got up and sang with me. With any luck they will do songs with me at the solo show (Ship Songs, March 4-6, 9, at the NZ International Arts Festival).”
Meanwhile McGlashan is not worried about standing out from the predominantly dub/roots/reggae focussed bands at One Love.
“I stopped worrying about what was cool long ago. There is plenty of time to be cool when you are dead.”
And having incorporated English ska into his sets when touring with Blam Blam Blam, and being a fan of Bob Marley for years, McGlashan is certain to fit right in.
He adds that as a Quaker (known for their social activism), he sees parallels with Rastafarianism (a movement made more popular by Bob Marley).
“Rastafarianism is similar [to Quakerism] in that they see the spark of ultimate good in each person – this seems to be common to all religions – although Quakers aren’t as noisy as Rastas.”
McGlashan jokes: “My dreadlocks are coming on but they won’t be ready on the day.”
One Love 2010: Don McGlashan, Sola Rosa, The Eastern, The Midnights, Mungos Hifi, Richard Nuns, The Etymologists, February 6, Hataitai Velodrome.