I was lucky enough to spend the last few weeks of March this year in Hawaii. It was a long delayed trip (due to the Covid restrictions). We'd been to Hawaii a few times previously and the last time we had been, we spent time on Maui and really loved Lahaina. Throughout the trip I was taking footage to use in videos for the upcoming 'ALIBIS, EXCUSES AND OTHER MISDEMEANOURS' album. After all, when you're in an indie, 'do-it-all-yourself-on-a-shoestring' mode, you have to take any chance you get.
So we started on Oahu and at Waikiki beach at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, right on the beach itself. The 'pink palace' was one of the original hotels on Waikiki, famous for its art deco styling, its film star and royal clientele as well as for its sublime location. We then headed over the the Big Island, climbing the 13,500 feet to the top of Mauna Kea and its observatories for a sunset I'll never forget. From the 86 degree heat of the oceanside, above the clouds to snow capped volcanoes all in one evening, is quite an experience.
And then onto Maui for our last island. We stayed in West Maui, driving the Hana highway, snorkelling with the turtles and whale watching from a catamaran out of Kannapilli Bay.
Our last stop on the way to the airport was Lahaina. It's an old whaling port, which we'd visited 7 years previously and we loved it. The harbour-front town was predominantly wooden, two storey structures, with a really laid back, funky vibe. It also boasted the oldest banyan tree in the islands and the only surfing school to have succeeded in getting me to stand up. There were number of restaurants along the front, our favourites being the Kool Kat Cafe, the best Bubba Gump ever (which had sadly closed this time) and Kimo's, which served its famous Hula Pie (a giant ice cream dessert made for sharing). From Kimo's verandah we looked out on the bay and saw a family of whales dodging in and out of the yachts, spouting away and swimming off into a glorious sunset. I used that sunset in the video. I thought this might be the last time we would get to see Lahaina, but had no idea what was heading its way.
It was therefore shocking and heartbreaking to see the footage of the devastation which was unleashed on the town by the wildfires. All of our beloved places had gone and we immediately thought of all the wonderful people we had met there and the welcome we had received in true Hawaiian 'ohana' fashion. We still have no news of those people and our prayers remain with them. We just hope that when Lahaina is rebuilt, it is for the local people and not the visiting millionaires. It is still possible that the banyan tree has survived as although the branches have been charred, the roots appear to still be strong and healthy.
I had put the video together for 'Alibi No 2 (I Only Came To Dance)' before the wildfires. I used the sunset at Lahaina, another on Waikiki, footage from downtown Waikiki (including that of a spectacular thunderstorm on our second night) and shots from the Mauna Kea stargazing evening. This hopefully brought to life the other footage recorded in the garage studio, a walk with the dogs in Dilton Marsh and footage from Brighton seafront and the view towards the Brighton 360, the night before a Sweet Machine gig at the Brighton Fringe Festival.
Lahaina will always stay in our hearts. There are any number of go fund me pages to help the locals recover and I'd gladly suggest that you take a look at these (sadly these days watching carefully for scammers).
The single will be released on 8th September 2023 and watch out for the video, which will be available on YouTube and on this website.
And if you get the chance, you should let Hawaii into your heart, as all the islands and Lahaina live on in mine.
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