The Thomas Oliver Band
Baby, I'll play
“The Thomas Oliver Band hit the stage to show punters how to flip blues, roots, alt-country and psychedelic rock into a manner that is utterly
New Zealand, yet totally internationally relevant in more ways than one.”— Martyn Pepperell, Rip It Up
News — Take my word
Gigs — Let us be moving
Gig History
2012
FEAST Gisborne
Winter Music Festival, Nelson
Mardi Gras, Ohakune
The Evelyn, Melbourne, Australia
The Annandale Hotel, Sydney, Australia
‘One of these days’ release, The Kings Arms, Auckland
‘One of these days’ release, Bodega, Wellington
Concert in the Park, Palmerston North
Summerstein, Christchurch
Homegrown, Wellington
Urenui Rodeo, New Plymouth
Duke of Marlborough, Russel
Bloom Festival, Matakana
Yot Club, Raglan
Festival of Lights, New Plymouth
2011
Rhythm & Vines, Gisborne
Cold Chisel support, Vector Arena
Cold Chisel support, TSB Arena, Auckland
Toast Martinborough w Ladi 6
Spring Break, Hawkes Bay
Real NZ Festival Christchurch
Real NZ Festival Tauranga
Real NZ Festival Auckland
Real NZ Festival Timaru
Real NZ Festival Dunedin
Festival of Carnival, Wellington,
Bad Talkin’ Man Tour
The Whiskey Live
Baby, I’ll Play Album Release Shows
Telecom Derby Day
Zoo Music w/ Liam Finn and The Phoenix Foundation
Mission Bay Jazz and Blues Festival
Live at the Gardens w/ James Reyne and Mark Seymour
A Day on The Green w/Joe Cocker and George Thorogood
2010
La De Da NYE
Headlands Rock Festival
Toast Martinborough
Gin Wigmore, Grave Train National Tour – Wellington and Palmerston North
G—TARanaki (New Plymouth) w/ Slash, Uli JohnRoth, Oli Brown
Summer Hummer (Masterton)=
Organic River Festival (Levin)
AUT Orientation w/ Fat Freddy’s Drop & P—Diggs
Massey Orientation w/ Gin Wigmore
2009
NYE at Riwaka w/ Fat Freddy’s Drop
Bayside Sunfest, Hawke’s Bay
University of Christchurch Orientation
University of Auckland Orientation
University of Waikato Orientation
Lincoln University Orientation
University of Otago Orientation
Massey University, Palmerston North Orientation
Massey University, Wellington
Orientation Victoria University
Orientation
2008
The Nelson Winter Festival
The Mission Estate Concert w/ Jimmy Barnes & Tom Jones
University of Otago Orientation
2007
University of Christchurch Orientation
The Mission Estate Concert w/ Eric Clapton
2006
University of Otago Orientation
University of Christchurch Orientation
Massey University Wellington Orientation
Massey University Palmerston North Orientation
Photos
Photo credit: Shanon Moratti
Photo credit: Shanon Moratti
Photo credit: James Schollum
Photo credit: James Schollum
Photo credit: James Schollum
Photo credit: James Schollum
Photo credit: James Schollum
Photo credit: James Schollum
Videos — Blah blah blah
Bad Talkin’ Man
Goin’ Home
BABY, I’LL PLAY
Album Promo
No sign of you (Live)
About — Blah blah blah
The Band
The Thomas Oliver Band, affectionately known by fans as The T.O.B., have taken modern rock by the collar and shaken the soul back into it. The T.O.B. seamlessly fuse genres and bend
the rules.
Their debut album, Baby I'll Play, blends grinding blues beats with clean folk melodies, and slips solid rock into big-chorused country/roots ballads.
The strength of this critically acclaimed album scored them the Best New Zealand Blues and Roots album 2011 on iTunes and saw the album debut at #12 on the New Zealand Music Charts.
“When I finally saw the T.O.B. live, I got that feeling that you get when you witness something special. Chops, guts, self-belief and taste, rough and smooth, they've got it all.”
— Peter Urlich
Thomas Oliver and company came together over the course of 2005, through a shared love of Dave Matthews Band and The Roots. Originally a trio, The T.O.B. expanded to a five-piece in 2007 after Thomas met sax player, "Mowgli", at a skatepark. "We are all tight friends who share a passion for good music, skating, surfing, getting drunk and having a good ol' time," says Thomas Oliver, “but all 5 of us are also quite different, which adds to the dynamic when we come together musically."
Long a favourite in Wellington, the coolest little capital in the world, the band owes its distinct sound to a combination of strong instrumentation including lap-slide guitar, baritone sax and double bass.
Boasting a big onstage presence, The T.O.B. have spent the last few years touring the country and supporting the likes of Joe Cocker, Cold Chisel, Fat Freddy's Drop and Gin Wigmore. 2012 sees them embarking on to Australian soil.
It's not unusual for an audience to participate enthusiastically by adding their own ‘woops and hollas' in songs or by taking over Thomas Olivers' lyrics in favourites like
Bad Talkin' Man.
“This is a band which sounds thoroughly tight but rough-edged and road tested… with some of the guitar sting of Albert Collins in places, the broodiness of alt.country, some more reflective pieces and barroom pleasers, this album (Baby, I'll Play) covers a lot of distinctive territory. Must be impressive live”
— Graham Reid, Elsewhere
“From the sexy, dirty blues/rock of ‘Nothing Left' and ‘In My Bones' to the glorious, perfect-pop balladry of ‘A Letter', Every Penny is flawless. This is just the beginning. If you do not know who they are, watch this space: they are simply too good to stay underground for much longer.”
— M2 Magazine
“It was a pleasure and an honor to share the stage with you guys. Definitely the coolest original sound I have heard in... since I don't know when the hell when”
— Oli Brown, Winner Best Male Vocalist, and Young Artist of the Year at the British Blues Awards 2010
Buy the Album
The debut album, "Baby, I'll Play", is available now: