TWENTY-two year old Phoebe Hurst was selected from 27 Wellington hopefuls keen to open for singer-songwriter Greg Johnson on his Small Towns & Ball Gowns tour. Described by Johnson as being “right in the vein of classic Wellington left field”, Hurst’s comedic ukulele songs are self-deprecating and laugh-out-loud funny.
Hurst, who grew up in Kaiapoi, has been writing songs since she was eleven.
“I wrote a bad song about being really depressed over soup, so I gave up for a bit. and then went back to it after I broke up with my first boyfriend at 13. I guess I’ve come a long way since writing about food. Though I won’t rule it out. I may eat an amazing sandwich one day that could change my life,” she says.
Hurst writes songs about, “Ordinary everyday stuff that happens to other ordinary everyday people, like break-ups, first time girl crushes and one night stands with that random you met.”
The comedy is similar to Flight of the Conchords, but as if character Mel was doing the singing. The lyrics in the song I really really really really like you are, “I hope that one day you’ll see that all those messages were from me I know I come on a little strong but it would be wrong if I said I didn’t mean all 683 ... You may stay that I’m unstable but I refuse to be labelled.... I just follow you round, some days I gotta hunt you down... Because I really really really really like you.”
Hurst won the female musicianship award at Smokefree Rockquest in 2005, and best vocalist at Kaiapoi High School in 2006. She’s in her third year at Toi Whakaari, majoring in acting.
”Theatre and music pretty much rule my life at the moment,” she says.
Considering this gig is in a theatre, Hurst should be right in her element.  
Greg Johnson: Small Towns & Ball Gowns, with Phoebe Hurst, Downstage Theatre, June 12.