The Waterside

In the aftermath of the devastating 2011 Christchurch earthquake, Lyttleton-based alt-country band The Eastern lifted the broken city's spirits by playing at parks, barbecues and "munted" backyards, helping earn them the label "hardest working band in the country". Gaylene Preston's 2014 miniseries Hope and Wire took its title from the band's 2012 double album. The music video recreates a backyard concert and features The Eastern (including Marlon Williams and Aldous Harding on backing vocals) in a sing-along watched by the cast, mixed with moments from the miniseries. 

Their history is tied inextricably to the port town [of Lyttleton], but also to Christchurch and the earthquakes that shook and reshaped the city. They are more than a band, they are a collective, a family, a union — but they can sometimes be as small as a duo.

– Writer James Dann on The Eastern, AudioCulture, 8 November 2018

Key Cast & Crew

Chelsie Florence

As: Monee

Rachel House

As: Joycie Waru

Bernard Hill

As: Len Russell

Miriama McDowell

As: Donna

Jarod Rawiri

As: Ryan

Gaylene Preston

Director