The Lyon’s share
Words Emily Pattullo
Photo credit: Kathy Elliston
Seventies band Hello Sailor is back touring, in support of 10cc, but not before they’ve warmed their pipes at Leigh Sawmill. Last remaining co-founder and new Matakana resident, Harry Lyon, talks about the band’s journey and why he still loves the hometown shows.
You’re one of three founding members of Seventies band
Hello Sailor, how did you start out in music and how did you meet the other two – Dave McArtney and Graham Brazier?
I was entranced by Elvis Presley and rock 'n' roll music in the 1950s. By the time I was nine I’d saved up and bought my first guitar. My family lived in England from 1961-1963 and when we returned to Auckland I had an electric guitar and amplifier, the sheet music to Please Tease Me, a couple of pairs of winklepickers and thought I was ready to go. The McArtney family moved to Milford, and Dave and I had a little band along with another classmate. We played at parties, school dances, for aunties… anywhere. In 1971 Dave and I both went to Auckland uni. We found a house together, bought some acoustic guitars and started writing songs. In 1972, Dave met Graham Brazier and they moved into the infamous Mandrax Mansion. That was when I met Graham and the idea of a band called Hello Sailor emerged.
You released your first album in 1977 and another in 1978.
What was that like?
Rob Aitken approached us about producing an album at Stebbing Recording Studios with him and Ian Morris. We jumped at the opportunity. Radio Hauraki put the first single, Gutter Black, on high rotation; other stations around the country followed suit and we had a hit record. We won Album of the Year at the music awards, recorded a second album and moved to Hollywood.
The band then officially disbanded in 1980 but continued to play periodically together until Dave and Graham passed away 10 years ago. How did that change things for you and the rest of the band?
Losing Dave in 2013 then Graham in 2015 left the rest of the band adrift. They were our principal songwriters and Graham was our lead singer. We played a few shows as The Remnants but were uncertain about any future for Hello Sailor. In 2020 we had requests for a Hello Sailor line-up to play some festivals and decided to see how the public would receive us. It felt great playing.
You have been pursuing a solo career, releasing an album in 2018. How different has that been compared to playing in a band?
I’d been sitting on some songs, and Delaney Davidson agreed to produce them. The album, To The Sea was released in 2018. It was well received critically and it got to Number one on the NZ Album charts.
Do you have your finger on the current music pulse? What other bands/musicians inspire you?
I spent over 17 years at The Music and Audio Institute of NZ (MAINZ). That exposed me to aspiring young musicians, songwriters, audio engineers and DJs. I have been gratified to see some of them, like Kings, Gin Wigmore, Troy Kingi, Mel Parsons and Joel Little achieve at the highest level.
What inspired the move to Matakana? What do you like about the area so far?
We love the Matakana area so when a house came up we bought it and couldn’t be happier, with glorious beaches, local produce and cafés on our doorstep.
You and the remaining band are regrouping to support 10cc during their tour of New Zealand starting 1 June, how did that come about?
The NZ promoter for the 10cc tour approached me about a stripped-down ‘unplugged’ Hello Sailor line-up opening the shows. We agreed to have just four of us play; Rick Ball (drums) Paul Woolright (bass), Jimmy Taylor (guitar), and me.
But before that you are playing at Leigh Sawmill in May? Not your first time either! When did you last play there?
The last time I played at The Sawmill was in the 1990s and thought it would be good as a warm-up for the 10cc tour, but with the sixpiece band. At these ‘hometown’ shows we play for longer than we do at festivals, digging into the repertoire and stretching out musically.
Hello Sailor will be playing at Leigh Sawmill on Saturday 27 May.