OUTSIDERS Record Release Party : "Festival of Saints." with Ritchie Venus. $20. or $40 plus record.
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Ōtautahi's Outsiders are celebrating the birthday of counterculture icon Little Stevie McCabe, frontman of The Axemen (FN049 Three Virgins / FN120 Derry Legend / FN204 Peter Wang Pud) with memorial 7" Festival of Saints, featuring both Stevie's original version and Outsiders new recording of the song.
"We would see Steve from time to time when he came to visit his family or round Christmas time. We’d known Steve from Axemen days and it was always great to catch up with him! He’d been to a few Outsiders gigs and was really into what we were doing. One day he sent a link to one of his songs which he said he’d like us to play. We were rapt when we heard it. The vocal delivery and the lyrics were amazing. Pure McCabe! Steve was deep into a Bryan Ferry phase and started bombarding us with Roxy Music clips. You can hear the influence in the chords and phrasing.
Sadly, Steve never heard our version. Jo sent him a text the night we played it live but he passed away that weekend. It was a privilege and a blessing to receive such a wonderful gift as “Festival of Saints” from our dear friend Little Stevie McCabe.
Kua hinga te tōtara i Te Waonui-a-Tāne. This is our tribute to you. Let's enjoy this song in his memory. Thanks for the music, Steve."
— Outsiders, Ōtautahi 2025
"We would see Steve from time to time when he came to visit his family or round Christmas time. We’d known Steve from Axemen days and it was always great to catch up with him! He’d been to a few Outsiders gigs and was really into what we were doing. One day he sent a link to one of his songs which he said he’d like us to play. We were rapt when we heard it. The vocal delivery and the lyrics were amazing. Pure McCabe! Steve was deep into a Bryan Ferry phase and started bombarding us with Roxy Music clips. You can hear the influence in the chords and phrasing.
Sadly, Steve never heard our version. Jo sent him a text the night we played it live but he passed away that weekend. It was a privilege and a blessing to receive such a wonderful gift as “Festival of Saints” from our dear friend Little Stevie McCabe.
Kua hinga te tōtara i Te Waonui-a-Tāne. This is our tribute to you. Let's enjoy this song in his memory. Thanks for the music, Steve."
— Outsiders, Ōtautahi 2025
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