Christian band rock their way to a Tui nomination

A Christian indie-pop band have been nominated for a Tui award at this year’s Vodafone music awards, continuing their success over the past year.

Primalband is nominated in the best gospel/Christian album category for their CD Your Way, which was released last year.

The band is a part of Primal Youth, a Christian group that helps young people get positive about religion and God.

Keyboard and backing vocals band member Phillipa Perkins says she was “stoked” when she heard the band had been nominated for the award.

She sees it as a reward for all the hard effort they put in over the past 12 months.

“Even to receive a nomination, we were just taken aback.

“I think it means we’re level with some of the top people in New Zealand. It’s really good recognition for our band.”

Bass guitarist Iain Nealie agrees, saying he went into the band not expecting awards or nominations.

“The reasons we got into the band were not for that kind of vibe,” he says.

The six members, aged 19 to 23, have been officially together since the beginning of last year, but Primalband have been around for the past 10 years with different musicians.

An EP has been recorded in the past, but last year the band decided they wanted to release a CD.

After spending the first half of 2008 writing songs, they recorded Your Way in July and travelled to Hawaii to launch it in September at the C3 Church International Here We Go conference.

Since then, the band have had their first single, Your Way, in the top 10 countdown on LifeFm, as well as performing at Parachute, the biggest Christian music festival in the southern hemisphere, and a tour of the South Island Primal Youth groups in March.

Nealie says Primalband is creating Christian music in a way that is new and different to traditional styles, and thinks the reaction from people has been amazing.

“It’s pretty cool because it’s relevant music for a relevant message.”

Perkins says the best part about the band is meeting different people from Primals around New Zealand, as well as being around people who love music as much as she does.

“The coolest thing is being able to have the opportunity to do something I love, to do it really well and to do it on a world scale,” she says.

The winner of the award will be announced at the Vodafone Music Awards in October.