Blerta
| Company type | Collective |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music, Theatre |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Founder | Bruno Lawrence |
| Defunct | 1975 |
| Headquarters | New Zealand |
Area served | New Zealand, Australia |
Key people | Bruno Lawrence, Geoff Murphy, Fane Flaws, Beaver, Tony Barry, Patrick Bleakley, Ian Watkin, Mick Lieber |
| Products | Music performances, theatre productions |
Blerta (an acronym for Bruno Lawrence's Electric Revelation and Travelling Apparition) was a New Zealand-based collective combining music and theatre, active between 1971 and 1975.
Initiated by Bruno Lawrence, Blerta brought together a diverse group of musicians, performers, and associates to embark on tours across New Zealand, deliberately distancing themselves from the conventional demands of the music and film sectors. Their journey began in October 1971 aboard a distinctive red bus, culminating in a performance at the first-ever outdoor The Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival held in January 1973. Following this, they extended their tour to Australia's eastern coast, including an appearance at the 1973 Aquarius Festival in Nimbin, New South Wales.
Functioning as a communal group that included families such as those of Lawrence and Geoff Murphy, Blerta secured engagements with TVNZ despite being stereotyped as hippies and encountering skepticism within the industry. Their commercial achievements featured the popular single "Dance All Around The World," which attained the #13 position on New Zealand’s music charts in June 1972.
Over time, the ensemble's membership changed, incorporating figures like Lawrence, Fane Flaws, Beaver, Murphy, Tony Barry, Patrick Bleakley, Ian Watkin, and Mick Lieber. The founding lineup comprised Lawrence, Corben Simpson, Kemp Turirangi, Murphy, Alan Moon, Tony Littlejohn, Beaver, Eric Foley, and Chris Seresin. Blerta concluded their activities with a final tour in 1975.
Although Bruno Lawrence and Geoff Murphy shared a long-standing friendship, they experienced a rift approximately five years prior to Lawrence’s passing and never reconciled; notably, Murphy was absent from Lawrence’s funeral.
Discography
| Release Year | Album Title | Record Label | Chart Performance | Country | Catalog Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Joy Joy | – | – | – | – |
| 1974 | This Is The Life | EMI | – | – | – |
| 1976 | Wild Man | – | – | – | – |
| 2001 | The Return Trip.. | EMI | – | – | 535096.2 |
External links
- AudioCulture profile
- Bruce Sergent's Blerta page
- Blerta Revisited, an 80-minute documentary compiling Blerta footage from 2001 (available free in six parts on NZ On Screen)
- The Blerta Years, a Radio New Zealand documentary presented in four 20-minute segments]
- Entry at muzic.net.nz