The Vivas

If you’ve already seen them playing Christchurch venues, you’ll know what great entertainment The Vivas provide! Whether they’re playing corporate functions, sports clubs, private parties, Christchurch weddings, or pubs, they’ll always choose songs, tempo and volume to suit the occasion. With top quality musicianship and equipment, they’ll create the right atmosphere and a memorable occasion for you. Dave reckons he was lucky being born in Liverpool at the right time to find himself playing guitar in schoolboy bands as a teenager in the 60s.  Helped also by his training in classical  piano and violin, he’s continued this passion ever since, playing lead guitar in bands in the UK and NZ.  A scientist in his ‘other’ life, Dave enjoys the creative freedom that playing live gives, especially improvising solos.  For the last two years he’s been playing a Line 6 Variax as his main guitar.  It’s a digital ‘simulation’ guitar that does an amazing job – from gentle Jack Johnson acoustic sounds to the Dire Straits clean sound, the rockabilly of Stray Cats, or the full-on grunt of Slash’s Les Paul. Nancy – the good looking one in The Vivas (sorry fellas!) – showed a musical talent from a young age playing classical piano, singing, playing guitar and writing songs.   Initially working as a DJ, she learned how to read a crowd and keep them happy. This busy lady somehow manages to balance being a mum with a teaching career and a passion for live musical performance. She’s been with the Vivas for two years now and also performs regularly at Twiggers Cabaret.  Nancy will keep you entertained whether she’s singing gentle songs by the Pretenders or Stevie Nicks, or giving it heaps as Pat Benetar, Blondie or even Axl Rose.  Dennis would keep you entertained by himself all night.  At home with any crowd of any size – you’ll have a great atmosphere right from the start! Chief raconteur, singer, and bass player-supremo, he has a long musical pedigree in the local musical scene lending his skills to shows as diverse as The Viscounts and The Gene Pitney Tribute show. He thrives on live performance, much preferring to work with other musicians rather than mp3s, sequencers, drum-machines or any of the other cheat-technology that gets passed off as live music these days. The Vivas play it real! Dennis’s skilled playing adds a lot of rhythm and sound colouration to their wide repertoire – he’s Flea, Sting, Paul McCartney, and John Paul Jones all in one! Terry’s orange 70s BMW, which he uses to transport his drum kit in, is a sure sign the man’s got style!    If you like Creedance, Stray Cats, Gary Moore and Pink Floyd, no worries,   Terry’s got the voice to nail ‘em all.   He’s been performing since he was a young lad, and has featured in some of Christchurch’s top bands including Tight Squeeze and Friar Tuck. No less impressive is his drumming which ranges across all styles from reggae to pop to heavy rock, as demanded by The Vivas repertoire. Terry does it all with flair and adds a lot of laughs to the evening’s entertainment.