Bob McNeill — Live at Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery

We’re delighted to welcome one of New Zealand’s most celebrated folk songwriters, Bob McNeill, to Central Stories for a very special solo evening. Saturday 5 December 2026 at 7.30pm. Tickets $25.00

Many folk music fans in the region will know Bob as one half of the acclaimed duo Half Light, alongside flute player Rennie Pearson. This is a rare opportunity to experience him as a solo performer — and the timing couldn’t be more fitting.

Bob arrives in Alexandra fresh from the release of Twelve Dreams of the River, his brand new album and most intimate work to date. The album explores themes of life, age and transition, re-imagined as a journey down three iconic rivers — the Waikato in the North Island, the Kelvin in his native Scotland, and the Manuherikia here in the South Island. Yes, that Manuherikia — the very river that winds through our own backyard. There’s something quietly remarkable about hearing songs inspired by a river you can walk to, sung by the man who wrote them, right here in Alexandra.

A three-time New Zealand Music Award winner, Bob is celebrated for his dynamic fingerstyle guitar and his gift for vivid, deeply human storytelling. Eventfinda The Dominion Post has compared him to Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Luka Bloom and Dougie MacLean Eventfinda — high praise that his loyal audiences across New Zealand, Scotland and beyond would heartily agree with.