Diehard New Zealand ‘Swifties’ made the journey across the ditch in February for the chance to see pop icon Taylor Swift play live for the Australian leg of her Era’s Tour.

Yet not every adoring fan got to make it to one of these sold-out shows.

This is where Pāpāmoa College music teacher Kurt Somervell saw an opportunity– listening to his students playing a Taylor Swift Cover last year, and discovering the extremes fans will go to get a ticket – he thought why not create a Taylor Swift tribute band?

 “I put two and two together.

"The girls already knew a lot of the songs, and it was obvious there was high demand for live music from Taylor Swift, so we officially formed the tribute band and got practising.”

Their name is Sunkissed – made up of Cybele Chapman, Stella Riley, Videl Harrison, James Ferns   Taylah Medeiros, Tamara Dutoit and Kurt.

Together they’re bringing a musical flare of Tay Tay to the Bay this weekend.

“I’d been doing lighting for other tribute bands at Totara Street music venue in Mount Maunganui and thought: ‘Yeah, this is definitely something we would be up for’.”

It was an adjustment period for Kurt’s wife Julz, hearing her husband change from belting out heavy metal numbers on the drums to Taylor Swift’s beats instead.  

“She’s used to me listening to Rage and Tool, so she was certainly intrigued that I’d taken a sudden liking to Taylor Swift until I explained to her what I had in mind.”

Kurt says forming the Taylor Swift Tribute band is helping the students learn what it takes to put on a live performance, understanding the financial side of hosting a show, developing stage presence and putting in the mahi to learn dozens of chords and song lyrics.

The band has been putting in hundreds hours of practice during the last nine months to give some polished performances this Saturday and Sunday, March 2-3.

So get along this weekend to hear all of your favourite Taylor Swift bangers!

Sunkissed will play at No.11 Totara St on Saturday, 2 March at 8pm (R18) and Sunday, 3 March at 4pm, for all ages. For ticket and event information, visit: https://totarastreet.co.nz/events/2024/march/taylor-swift-tribute-performed-by-sunkissed