It’s funny how things come about. Like how Panther and the Zoo got together - banter at parties, overheard conversations (in a sports shop no less) about needing a drummer, various collaborations and voila - Panther and the Zoo were formed.
Two years on and the trio have been on the road in the Northern Hemisphere, released an EP and are now part of Localist’s TV campaign. And that just kind of happened too.
Localist Marketing Manager, Lorraine Breheny, explains, “We were keen to have a song that had a true Auckland sound. It's what Localist is all about, so something international wasn't going to cut it. As soon as the producer played us this song we were totally sold on it. It was absolutely perfect. The fact that they were Aucklanders made it even better!”
The song featured in Localist’s campaign is called Everything, Everyone - it’s the first single from their debut album More Fun, which will be released in September this year.
So what do the boys think about being part of an intrinsically Auckland TV campaign? “It’s nice to see Auckland being celebrated. We’re here for a reason, you know. After being around the world, we love the place and we’re here to stay.”
Panther and the Zoo are made up of Graham Panther (yep, that’s his real name), Hayden Eastmond-Mein, John Parker and Anthonie Tonnon.
“Who does what”, I ask. Graham explains that, apart from Hayden on drums, they spend a lot of time instrument-swapping. And after 10 months on the road, they’ve learnt some new tricks, which you’ll hear on their new album due out in September this year. They’re on tour later this year too - so it’s a busy year ahead for these CBD Localists. Make sure you follow their profile on Localist to stay up to date with what's happening.
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