As part of New Zealand Music Month, Nelson Weekly is featuring local bands and musicians throughout May, showcasing the talent and stories behind the region’s thriving music scene. This week, Kate Russell speaks with Layna and the Leftovers.
Some bands form through auditions, while others come together through chance meetings and “fateful” moments.
For Nelson band Layna and the Leftovers, it was the latter.
Guitarist and songwriter Dave Remnant and drummer Luke Scowcroft had already been playing together in Nelson for more than a decade before an open mic night at Red16 changed things.
There, they met vocalist Layna Sparks and another musician also named Luke. When that Luke later moved away, the group turned to local music stalwart Hayden “Stampy” Stamp to fill the gap.
“And the rest is history,” Layna explains.
Four years on, the group has built a reputation for lively performances and vintage-inspired sounds that Layna says are difficult to pin to just one genre.
“There’s definitely an old-school, vintage feel running through a lot of what we do, but it comes out in different ways depending on the song. Rather than trying to fit neatly into one box, we’ve naturally blended together styles and sounds we genuinely enjoy.”
Dave says changing listening habits have also influenced the way the band creates music.
“I think that while we are nostalgic about following a band and their core work as we used to, the way people listen to music has changed,” he says.
“You no longer need to pigeonhole yourself.”
Each band member brings a different musical background to the stage, from Dave’s years in Nelson bands and teaching music locally, to Luke’s jazz-influenced drumming, Stampy’s decades supporting the local music scene, and Layna rediscovering her love of singing after moving to New Zealand in 2019.
Some of the group’s favourite gigs so far include performing at Marchfest and Ciderfest, as well as helping ring in the New Year at The Boathouse.
“Those crowds always know how to have a good time,” Layna says.
The band says one of the best parts of being musicians in Nelson is the strength of the local scene.
“For a ‘small’ town, Nelson has an incredibly diverse and talented music community,” Layna says.
“There are so many amazing musicians in the region, and one of the nicest things about the scene here is how supportive everyone is of each other.”
Original music from the group is expected to hit streaming services sometime this winter as they work through the production process.
In the meantime, Layna and the Leftovers can be seen at The Boathouse on 13 June and at the NCMA Live Lounge session on 3 July.
