Swamp Thing/OdESSA Double Bill

Presented by Capital Blues Inc.

Te Whanganui-a-Tara based musicians, Nikita Tu-Bryant and Michael Barker, came together for an improvised festival performance at Corofest in February 2024. Realising their special musical simpatico, Michael invited Nikita to play with Swamp Thing. These two dynamic multi-instrumentalists play their first show together as Swamp Thing.

Michael Barker formed Blues & Roots band SWAMP THING in 2010. Over the next decade three SWAMP THING studio albums were released and 100s of unforgettable, high-octane performances were experienced by audiences at festivals and venues in NZ, Australia and the USA.

Barker’s prolific career as a drummer/percussionist/composer in some 20+ bands (including The John Butler Trio, Split Enz, The Black Sorrows, Neil and Tim Finn, NZSO) combined with his orchestral percussion training and passion for world beat and alternative music, are the foundation of SWAMP THING’s eclectic, captivating sound. This slick, high-energy frontman drummer serves up musical mastery, weaving his multi instrumental talents into his gift of songwriting then venturing into improvisation and wild percussive soundscapes.

But SWAMP THING is not a solo act. Musician’s musician Barker collaborates with a diverse array of mind-blowing guitarists (and often other musicians) bent on producing bespoke, heady, potent performances. After many years overseas Barker is determined to celebrate local talent and they more than deliver. Every act is unique, dynamic and unforgettable. SWAMP THING’S live performances are famous for inspiring audiences onto their feet and then keeping them there all night long.