Like many backpackers, Kate Griffin and Ford Collier bought a well-used campervan upon arrival in NZ, a Nissan diesel with a lot of miles on the clock.

Unlike most backpackers, the critically acclaimed global folk duo have punctuated their trip around the country by performing live shows, from Kumeū in the north, to Invercargill, and this Friday they bring the show to Ōamaru.

Griffin and Collier formed Mishra at university in Sheffield in 2018 and recorded their debut album, The Loft Tapes, a collection of Indian-influenced original music, the same year. 

The recording was funded after the band won the Cambridge Folk Festival’s first ever Christian Raphael prize, given to bands who deserve a hand in taking things to the next level.

A second album, Reclaim, followed in 2021, with Mojo magazine proclaiming: "It’s impossible to question the compelling tune-making at the heart of Mishra", while respected folk music magazine Songlines referred to Mishra's music as "An airborne amalgam of cross-continental pollinations".

Mishra often record and perform as a quintet, but for the NZ tour it's the core duo of Griffin and Collier, with the former on vocals, dobro and banjo (she's described as "one of the top banjo players in the country" by fellow virtuoso Dan Walsh), and Collier on low whistle, calabash/percussion and guitar.

It all comes together in an almost mystical marriage of Celtic folk, Americana, Indian classical music, soul and jazz, a sound that's as spellbinding as it is unique.

Mishra will perform at the Grainstore Gallery on Harbour Street tomorrow (Friday, February 23). Tickets are $20 from Under The Radar, or $25 on the door. Doors open at 7.30pm, and the show begins at 8pm.

They're also selling their van. So say hello if you're interested.