George and Queen

In 2001 Neil Newton moved from Auckland to Dunedin to take the Contemporary Music degree at the University Of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. There he met fellow student Immi Paterson when they were put together in the same band, Dr Zaius, for the performance paper. Over the next few years they were both involved in several other musical projects in Dunedin including Four White Kids In A Bentley and Wilson. The pair hit it off in more ways than just musically and in 2003 they married.

In 2004, with a music degree under both of their belts, the couple relocated to Auckland to be closer to the business engine room of music in New Zealand. They brought with them a collection of songs written by them both and decided to record them as a duo.

Calling themselves George And Queen (after Auckland and Dunedin CBD's main streets), they set about buying all the equipment they needed to record and set up a makeshift studio in their home in central Auckland. Waiting for quieter moments (inbetween neighbours lawn mowing and summer day insect noise) they recorded over the 2006-2007 summer and came out the other side with an album they have called City. Two singles were released from the recordings, Why Don't You? and Didn’t Mean It That Way and the album was released independantly in August 2007.

The duo have pulled a bass player and a drummer in to the mix to play the songs live and are currently on tour through New Zealand promoting City.