Too Many Chiefs Bring Sharp Wit and Songcraft to Paisley Stage

By Alyssa | WhatsOn music and nightlife writer Alyssa tracks the gigs, festivals, club nights and late-late plans worth leaving the house for.

When three of New Zealand’s sharpest songwriting heavyweights pool their talents under one moniker, you do not sleep on the guest list. Too Many Chiefs Hawke's Bay tour stops are notoriously rare, and seeing Wayne Mason, Andrew London, and Rob Joass squeeze onto the intimate Paisley Stage platform is a dream booking for anyone who craves elite musicianship untainted by arena bravado. Between Mason penning the unofficial national hymn "Nature", London serving up razor-sharp satirical jazz, and Joass delivering rugged, heartfelt folk-blues narratives, this powerhouse collaboration operates less like a polite acoustic circle and more like an exhilarating musical clash of egos, storytelling masterclasses, and wry Kiwi banter.

Satirical Swing, Piano Grooves and Grit

Step through the heavy curtain of Paisley Stage and the outside bustle of Hastings Street drops away, replaced by the warm clink of glassware, low-slung amber lighting, and the distinct hum of an audience that actually cares about the craft. The sound here hits your chest with pristine clarity: no cavernous echoes or boomy soundboards, just pristine lounge acoustics engineered specifically for live players. The musical interplay swings dynamically between genres across the evening. One moment Wayne Mason is tearing into roadhouse boogie-woogie on the keys, his gravel-edged vocals carrying the kind of authority earned across decades on the frontline of Kiwi pub-rock royalty. The next, Andrew London picks apart everyday suburban absurdities with whip-smart jazz chords and tongue-in-cheek lyricism that pulls barking laughs from every corner of the room, before Rob Joass reels the room back into pin-drop hush with a haunting, beautifully fingerpicked alt-country ballad. It is a set designed for night owls who appreciate the contrast between belly-laugh comedy and gut-punch emotional hooks, backed by three-part harmonies that lock together seamlessly without ever feeling rehearsed to death.

The Listening Room Faithful

Napier’s live circuit thrives on a fiercely loyal crowd of vinyl collectors, veteran gig-goers, and curious newcomers who gravitate toward rooms where silence is observed during the verses and the applause is rowdy after the solos. Paisley Stage is the spiritual headquarters for that exact crowd. There is a palpable absence of people yelling over the monitor mix or staring down their smartphone screens; instead, you get communal table-sharing, shared pints, and mutual appreciation between the floor and the stage. The chiefs trade barbs with the front row between numbers, fielding witty retorts and turning stray audience heckles into running gags that run through both halves of the gig. That easy intimacy turns what could be a straightforward acoustic tour into an evening that feels like crashing a private, wildly entertaining jam session in a friend’s backroom.

Know Before You Go

• Secure advance entry through Eventfinda; Paisley Stage is a boutique live lounge with capped capacity, and seat-heavy shows like this routinely hit standing-room limits early.
• Aim to arrive at the venue at least 30 to 45 minutes before the performance begins to snag a good cabaret table near the stage and order a drink without enduring interval queues.
• Street parking along Hastings Street South is unmetered in the evening, but spaces fill steadily with diners on Friday nights; look to the side streets toward Marine Parade if the immediate block is full.
• The venue has step-free flat access at street level, making it welcoming and straightforward for mobility devices and wheelchair users.
• Paisley Stage operates a fully licensed bar stocking regional craft drops, wine, and non-alcoholic options, so remember to bring valid ID.

Make a Weekend of It

Make your night out count by turning a single gig into a full Napier South excursion before the band strikes their first chord. Just a block away along the downtown strip, pull up a high stool at Rogue Hop for a curated craft beer on tap; this moody hideaway serves as the natural pre-show watering hole for live-music heads looking for exceptional pale ales and local wines. If you need solid sustenance before the show kicks off, wander up the pavement to Vinci's Pizza for giant, blistered New York-style slices that will get you through two solid sets, or grab a gourmet smashed patty around the corner at Community Burgers on Tennyson Street.

If you are travelling in from around the province and staying for the entire weekend, clear your Saturday morning cobwebs with a walk along the shingle shoreline of Napier Beach to take in the vast Pacific horizon. From there, take an easy morning drive or scenic walk up through the hillside paths to Bluff Hill Lookout, soaking in the panoramic vista of the commercial port and the curve of Hawke Bay. Cap off your cultural weekend by soaking up local history and visual arts at Kahukura Hawke's Bay Museum, or venture slightly north out toward Bay View to while away a sunny afternoon over rustic cellar-door dishes at Crab Farm Winery.

Get your tickets sorted, grab a stool close to the piano, and I will catch you by the bar when the chiefs drop that iconic opening riff of "Nature". – Alyssa, WhatsOn Hawke's Bay