It's going to be month-long birthday bash for Hello Sailor this September, who'll be celebrating four decades of creating music and memories.

Tauranga is the first stop on their upcoming 40th Anniversary National Tour, and they'll be joined by Kiwi supergroup The Band of Brothers at Baycourt Community and Arts Centre on September 9.

Hello Sailor are, from left: Paul Woolright, Graham Brazier, Harry Lyon, Jimmy Taylor, Rick Ball and Stuart Pearce. Photo: Supplied

Over the course of the band's history they've recorded eight studio albums and penned a number of classic tunes, such as ‘Blue Lady', ‘Gutter Black', ‘Lyin' in the Sun' and ‘New Tattoo'.

With such an extensive body of work, guitarist Harry Lyons says it's been a fantastic exercise selecting setlists for the upcoming tour.

'We've been going back through our catalogue,” says Harry, 'and there'll be a few songs we haven't played for some time. But I won't let the cat out of the bag just yet.

'People remember a Hello Sailor song and it takes them back to a summer years ago, that sort of thing, and that's true for us too.

'Perhaps even more so, because songwriting is a bit like being a diarist in a way. Whatever was going on in your head at the time comes out in your song.”

When asked how many times Hello Sailor have travelled to Tauranga, he lets out a chuckle and says: 'I'd hate to try and count them.”

Harry's got a ton of good memories of previous Tauranga gigs, and recalls a few shows they've played here during the band's early days.

He says: 'There were these young lawyers who ran the ‘Instant Karma Society' I think it was called. They would hire halls in places like Welcome Bay and have a party which they'd get us down to play at.

'We've also played Greerton, the DB over at the Mount, and the old Sound Shell quite a few times. Tauranga's a nice part of the world isn't it? Especially in summer.”

Harry says they're honoured that Band of Brothers – featuring Jordan Luck, Peter Urlich, Eddie Rayner, Brett Adams, Peter Warren, Bryan Bell and Dave Gent – have 'thrown their lot in” to support Hello Sailor and the tour.

'I think what's compelling is they're a collection of musicians forming one band which people won't see again,” he says, 'and we'll all play together for the encore, which is intriguing everyone.”

Hello Sailor's first publicity shot. Photo: Hello Sailor/Facebook

Given the longevity of the band, you'd be forgiven for thinking their audience were of the ‘older persuasion'. But this is far from the case.

Both Harry and founding member Dave McArtney, who died in 2013 following a battle with cancer, worked in tertiary education at Auckland's Music and Audio Institute of NZ for years.

Hundreds of young musicians who've gone through the institute have been exposed to Hello Sailor and come along to gigs out of curiosity, says Harry.

'I quite often see them in the audience, and if they like it they tell their friends and drag them along,” he explains.

TV shows like Outrageous Fortunes and Westside, who used the tunes ‘Gutter Black' and ‘Watch Your Back' as the shows' theme songs, have also helped introduced the band to younger fans.

Harry says they were honoured when they were approached by the shows' producers and took it as 'a massive compliment”.

'I guess with Westside set in the 70s, it's quite a natural thing,” he adds. 'But they could have chosen other music and the fact they chose another Hello Sailor song for the theme was pretty amazing.

'I also liked the way Westside referenced ‘Gutter Black' in a scene where Dave's son Gabriel McArtney plays his dad. It was a nice reference and I thought it was smart script writing.”

Hello Sailor's Dave McArtney. Gone but never forgotten. Photo: Hello Sailor/Facebook

This will be the first national tour Hello Sailor has undertaken since they supported Dragon on their anniversary tour back in 2012 – and also the first without Dave.

It took the band a while to decide whether they wanted to keep going, but in the end Harry says they felt 'it's what Dave would want and this is, in part, a tribute to Dave as well”.

'After losing Dave a couple of years ago, when it comes to performing songs, music has the ability to transport you through time, which is one of its appeals.”

'After 40 years he would have loved this idea and he's very much in our minds and hearts as we get ready for the tour.”

SunLive has one double pass for Hello Sailor's Tauranga show to give away to one lucky reader who can tell us which instrument Harry Lyons plays?

Head to our Competition Section to enter. Entries must be received by Wednesday, July 29.

Hello Sailor with The Band of Brothers plays Baycourt on Wednesday, September 9. For more information and where to buy tickets visit Hello Sailor's website at: www.hellosailor.co.nz

Check out Hello Sailor performing ‘Gutter Black' below. Thank you to NZ On Screen!