About Celine

Celine has lurked on the fringes of musical creativity for years, her career kicked off in the UK in the 90’s where she fronted Celine Filbee and the Fatboy Blues Band, with guitarist brother Dylan. She was also part of acoustic folk act Something Going On led by songwriter Michael O'Dempsey.

Back in NZ she teamed up with Karen Clark to form Glorybox, delivering strong songs and evocative harmonies. She then formed the duo Nana & Petal with Paul Adams pinning down the groove with his masterful piano chops. She now fronts the Peanut Butter Blues band who recently played their first gig at the Taranaki Big Banger Blues Festival. In 2025 Celine played regularly in a duo with Whanganui’s Davey Griffiths also on guitar vocals and bass, the pair have crafted a diverse set around shared love of the blues, a funky groove and beautiful ballads.

Over the years Celine’s has made sporadic solo appearances, but has recently honed an act fitting her persona and eclectic musical bent. It comprises a mix of self-penned songs, she continues to write and gig with the prolific O’Dempsey who now resides in Lyttleton, and has a penchant for songs written by friends and NZ songwriters. Her set spans blues, folk, roots and americana, she includes covers by women such as Maren Morris, Kasey Chambers, Gillian Welch, Brandy Clark, Michelle Shocked or the Uppity Blues Women, and lesser-known compositions from songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, and bluesman Lloyd Spiegel which all get a bit of a pared back treatment to suit Celine’s guitar style.

You can expect to laugh at Celine’s humorous take on some songs, cry at the beautiful ballads and be toe tapping to her groove. Celine plays rhythm guitar, occasional bass or ukelele, with a powerhouse vocal performance. She can own the biggest banger, feel the suffering of a blues standard or dial it right back to expose all the sentiment in a ballad, with the charisma and storytelling magnetism to carry even the most sparse song.