Keeping it Real

“On tour in Europe we drove eight hours to get to this tiny town and I thought, no one is going to come – but we turned up (at the venue) and there was a throng of people,” says musician Hollie Fullbrook.

Hollie, known on stage as Tiny Ruins, is explaining the effect of the internet on the music industry. One benefit is that when fans download songs to iTunes, you can see where they are from. Based on that data, bands can plan a tour knowing which places to add to the itinerary.

“It’s the same in New Zealand, of course. We’ve toured small towns knowing there were enough people there who were interested in what we were doing.“

I’m talking to Hollie about how being based in New Zealand affects someone like her from making inroads into the global music scene. Physical distance will always be a factor for musicians living here, but the internet has had a massive impact on how music is made, discovered and shared.

“How it’s worked out for me has involved a bit of old-fashioned meeting and online action. Although introductions might have been made online, nothing has really happened until someone’s seen me play live.

“I think people need to feel the connection with a performer before they’re convinced.”

Holly put what she describes as ‘rough demos’ of her highly original, poetic music online in 2009. Australian record label Spunk heard it, liked it and invited Tiny Ruins across the Tasman. Her live performance impressed them and the label – a small, independent, but well-connected one – took her on.

That led to introductions further afield, invitations to festivals, and gigs as a support act to some established bands – including Beach House and Fleet Foxes. She’s spent a lot of the past three years touring Australia, Europe and the US.

“People imagine it’s glamorous touring as a musician – but I travel on a really low budget without much freedom. Travelling all day, then playing a show and staying with friends or in cheap motels – it’s gruelling,” she laughs. “But I am really grateful; I feel really lucky. Singing and performing is like being in another world. It can be magical; it can be awesome. Nothing compares.”

She’s doing what she loves and is happy to be based in New Zealand. While she’s at home she works a flexible, casual job to help pay the bills, but her career continues to progress and she’s almost at the point where she can sustain herself with her music and have others join her on tour.

Although Tiny Ruins started out as a solo act, a bassist and a drummer play with her whenever possible. They feature on Tiny Ruins’ second album, Brightly Painted One, released next month, and will tour with Hollie to promote it.

Reported by Kathryn Webster for our AA Directions Spring 2024 issue