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Top 5 Finalists Revealed For 2023 APRA Silver Scroll Awards

APRA are pleased to announce the Top 5 songs chosen as finalists for the 2023 APRA Silver Scroll Award Kaitito Kaiaka. The esteemed peer voted award has been a mark of songwriting excellence in Aotearoa for 58 years, and this year’s finalists are all worthy recipients. 

The winner will be announced at the APRA Silver Scroll Awards on Wednesday 4 October.

Don't Go Back written by Marlon Williams and Mark Perkins, performed by Marlon Williams (Concord Music Publishing)

Expert In A Dying Field written by Elizabeth Stokes, Jonathan Pearce, Benjamin Sinclair, and Tristan Deck performed by The Beths (Carpark Music Publishing via Gaga Music PTY LTD)

Friday Night @ The Liquor Store written by Tom Scott and Christopher James performed by Avantdale Bowling Club

Layla written by Ruban Nielson and Kody Nielson performed by Unknown Mortal Orchestra (Mushroom Music PTY LTD)

The Crab / Waterbaby written by Hollie Fullbrook performed by Tiny Ruins (Kobalt Music Publishing)

Also announced, are Steph Brown and Fen Ikner aka LIPS as Music Directors for the event. The Music Directors are responsible for all the cover performances throughout the ceremony, with their musical vision giving the night a distinctive spirit. LIPS won the APRA Silver Scroll Award for their song Everything To Me in 2012, and were Top 20 finalists in 2022 for Not Today, in 2021 for Your Deodorant Doesn’t Work, and in 2020 for Guilty Talk.

Alongside the APRA Silver Scroll Award, four other awards will be presented at the private event held at Spark Arena in Tāmaki Makaurau on Wednesday 4 October. The other awards presented on the night are:

• APRA Maioha Award | Tohu Maioha
• SOUNZ Contemporary Award | Te Tohu Auaha
• APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award | Tohu Pūmanawa
• APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award | Tohu Paerangi

APRA will also honour 2023 NZ Music Hall of Fame inductee Don McGlashan. Don was announced as the 2023 recipient on Thursday 24 August, and he will be honoured at the awards with a special tribute and performances.

Don't Fight It, Marsha. Don MGlashan Is To Be Inducted Into The NZ Rock'n'Roll Hall Of Fame

APRA AMCOS NZ are thrilled to announce that the inimitable music legend Don McGlashan will be inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame at the 2023 APRA Silver Scroll Awards on Wednesday 4 October at Spark Arena, Auckland.

Don needs little introduction in Aotearoa, and this honour will celebrate not only his iconic songwriting, and acclaimed work as a composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, but also recognise his pivotal role as an advocate and leader in the music community. His career has wound its way through so many avenues and collaborations, his impact is clearly seen in a broad spectrum of genres and musical spheres.

McGlashan started out playing French Horn and percussion in the Auckland Symphonia (now known as the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra). He then joined experimental ensemble From Scratch, and became the singing drummer in art-pop band Blam Blam Blam, before heading overseas where he ended up composing for dance ensembles in New York.

On his return he collaborated with several different people, including joining forces with Frank Stark, Geoff Chapple, Chris Knox, and Rick Bryant for ‘Don’t Go’ – a protest song against the proposed All Blacks tour of South Africa in 1985.  Don then formed multi-media theatrical duo The Front Lawn with Harry Sinclair, combining narrative, music, and comedy in a truly memorable fashion. They toured extensively, and made several short films and two albums, and can be credited as an early forerunner to Flight of the Conchords.

Deciding he wanted to concentrate on music, in 1991 McGlashan went on to co-found The Mutton Birds contributing many classic hits as their singer and main songwriter, including Auckland anthem ‘Dominion Road’. The group released 4 NZ top ten albums and achieved multiple awards, including Album of the Year at the NZ Music Awards, and an APRA Silver Scroll Award in 1994 for ‘Anchor Me’.

At the same time Don began doing further work on film composing – namely An Angel At My Table, Dean Spanley, and No.2. They’ve become some of our most recognisable soundtracks, and No.2 spawned the remarkable hit song Bathe in the River – written specifically for the film and the scene, sung by Hollie Smith, and forever cemented as one of Aotearoa’s great gospel-style anthems. It won Don a second Silver Scroll Award in 2006, and has become one of our biggest singles of all time. Fourteen years later, in 2020, the song was translated into te reo Māori as part of the Waiata Anthems TV series.

He has continued to punctuate our cultural landscape with wonderful work. From his solo albums, and collaborations, through his writing residencies (at the University of Auckland, and in Antarctica), his creative approach to touring, and his work on hit children’s animation show Kiri & Lou (written and directed by his old Front Lawn partner, Harry Sinclair).  Don has also been a founding trustee and champion of New Zealand music industry charity MusicHelps, since 2011, and with his work as the writer director on the APRA board from 2010 to 2016, he has embodied the phrase ‘renaissance man’ (check out his amazing speeches at the awards in 2012, 2014, and 2015).

Don has released four solo albums – Warm Hand (2006), Marvellous Year (2009), Lucky Stars (2019), and Bright November Morning (2022). The latest record features his band The Others – Shayne P Carter, Chris O’Connor, and James Duncan along with guest appearances from Hollie Smith, Emily Fairlight, Anita Clark and The Beths.  The album went straight into the top position on the NZ charts, giving McGlashan his first No. 1 album.

This month, Don will be embarking on a 22-date tour of his homeland across August, September, and October. The Take It To The Bridge Tour will showcase McGlashan’s extensive songbook in hand-picked intimate venues throughout the country. Conveniently his wonderful career is also being documented by filmmaker Shirley Horrocks, for a feature documentary due out next year.

APRA AMCOS will be delighted to honour and celebrate Don McGlashan when he is inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame | Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa at the 2023 APRA Silver Scroll Awards | Kaitito Kaiaka on Wednesday 4 October at Spark Arena, Auckland.

The New Zealand Music Hall of Fame was created by APRA AMCOS and Recorded Music NZ in 2007, and has paid tribute to many iconic and groundbreaking New Zealand artists and acts, including The Topp Twins, Herbs, Dave Dobbyn, Moana Maniapoto, Toy Love, Bic Runga, Supergroove, The Clean, and 2022 inductees Ngoi Pēwhairangi and Tuini Ngāwai.

 The other awards presented on the night are:

• APRA Silver Scroll Award | Kaitito Kaiaka
• APRA Maioha Award | Tohu Maioha, celebrating exceptional waiata featuring te reo Māori
• SOUNZ Contemporary Award | Te Tohu Auaha, celebrating excellence in contemporary composition
• APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award | Tohu Pūmanawa
• APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award | Tohu Paerangi

Te Whare Taonga Puoro o Aotearoa | New Zealand Music Hall of Fame was created in 2007 by APRA AMCOS NZ | Te Tautāwhinga & Recorded Music NZ | Puoro Rekoata ki Aotearoa, to celebrate the many writers, artists and musicians who have made a significant contribution, through music, to life and culture in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Don McGlashan – The Official Website

www.musichall.co.nz/ 

RIP: Astrid Gilberto, The Girl From Ipanema throws in the towel.

Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto, the undeniable voice of Bossa Nova, whose trademark soft and dreamy rendition of "The Girl from Ipanema" became an international success hit during the 1960s, has died, aged 83 year old.  According to a statement on Social Media poster by members of her whanau, Gilberto died on Monday 6 June at her home in Philadelphia.

"Life is beautiful, as the song says, but I bring the sad news that my grandmother became a star today and is next to my grandfather Joao Gilberto," Sofia Gilberto, her Granddaughter wrote. 

Born on March 29 1940 Astrud Weinert was born in Salvador, in the northeastern state of Bahia, to a musical family that moved to Rio de Janeiro when she was a child.

Astrud's former husband, guitarist Joao Gilberto, passed in 2019.  He was a pioneer composer and songwriter of Bossa Nova, which mixed Brazilian samba music with "cool jazz" in the late 1950s.   He collaborated with the American saxophonist Stan Getz in 1963 on their album "Getz/Gilberto".  That went on popularise the new Brazilian sound worldwide.  Astrud performed the vocals in English, including the song "The Girl from Ipanema", a duet, which was the album's major hit. "Getz/Gilberto" won three Grammys (incl. Album of the Year, the first time a jazz album received the accolade).

"The Girl from Ipanema" was the first song Astrud (22yrs old at the time) recorded.  It launched her career - almost by accident. 

In later interviews, she said she was hanging about in the New York studio where Getz and her then-husband were recording.  Joao Getz suggested she do the song as he did not sing in English.

She later moved to the US, toured with Getz, singing Bossa Nova and American Songbook jazz standards.  

Her first solo album was called "The Astrud Gilberto Album," released in 1965 and featuring Antonio Carlos Jobim, the Brazilian musician who had written "The Girl from Ipanema" with poet Vinicius de Moraes and played the piano on the Getz/Gilberto original.

She recorded her own compositions in the 1970s in Portuguese, English, Spanish, Italian, French, German and Japanese.

US guitarist Steve Van Zandt tweeted in tribute that Gilberto's "beautiful, natural, untrained vocal genius and unplanned career" influenced other singers from Sade to Lana Del Rey.

Brazilian performer and songwriter Ivan Lins said that "she was one of the main voices of Bossa Nova, the one that was most heard abroad. It had a unique, mellow timbre."

"The Girl from Ipanema" is one of the most recorded songs in history and has been interpreted by many singers, from Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole to Madonna and Amy Winehouse.

Fans of Aotearoa New Zealand music reveal their True Colours

Audioculture (The Noisy Library Of Aotearoa) has just revealed that Split Enz’s 1980 album True Colours has taken the top spot in the publicly voted AudioCulture Classic NZ Album Readers Poll for 2023.

The poll launched on AudioCulture Iwi Waiata on Monday 1 May to celebrate the site’s 10th birthday, which is today, 31 May 2013, the last day of Te Marama Puoro o Aotearoa NZ Music Month.

True Colours – the band’s fifth album – was a popular choice from the start. The 1980 release includes the trans-Tasman No.1 hit ‘I Got You’, plus Top 40 hits ‘Shark Attack’ and ‘I Hope I Never’. As voter Darryn Harkness eloquently put it, "I think Split Enz could quite possibly be the crown jewel of NZ rock 'n' roll...and this album has it all, the songs, energy and drama!" 

In 1980 True Colours was a shot in the arm that re-energised Split Enz. The album launched the band into widespread popularity and the top of the New Zealand album charts, remaining in the Top 40 for 79 weeks. The Split Enz line-up on True Colours was Tim Finn, Eddie Rayner, Neil Finn, Noel Crombie, Nigel Griggs and Malcolm Green.

In a 2020 piece on the album for AudioCulture, Gary Steel writes “... 40 years later it remains what it always was: a poptastic selection of great tunes that remains fresh ...”

Fiona McQuarrie voted all the way from Canada, and says, "It's a classic that sounds like New Zealand, and sounds like the world at the same time."

Split Enz also claimed the number three spot in the AudioCulture Classic NZ Album Readers Poll, with their 1975 release, Mental Notes.

As they say on their website "AudioCulture concentrates on New Zealand popular music history, rather than topical music events and contemporary releases. So it is true that acts that have been around the longest will have an advantage. But the output of New Zealand popular music, its profile and fanbase, have increased exponentially in the 2000s – as reflected in the number of different albums that received votes. Up until the 90s, it was rare for a New Zealand album to have a broad impact, outside an act’s fanbase. Airplay and awareness have increased remarkably in the past couple of decades, but the field is now so crowded it’s harder for an album to be noticed."

The top 10 albums are:

1.   Split Enz – True Colours (1980)

2.   Fat Freddy’s Drop – Based on A True Story (2005)

3.   Split Enz – Mental Notes (1975)

4.   Various – AK79 (1979)

5.   Hello Sailor – Hello Sailor (1977)

6=  Shihad – The General Electric (1999) 

6=  Toy Love – Toy Love (1980) 

6=  Supergroove – Traction (1994)

9.   Bic Runga – Drive (1997)

10. The Chills – Submarine Bells (1990)

The time something like this was undertaken was the 2001 search for the “top New Zealand song”, undertaken by APRA, accross its songwriting membership and some non-writing musicians, commentators, and producers.  Back then, the Finn brothers were prominent in the Top 30, with three songs by Tim, two by Neil, and one they co-wrote. Dave Dobbyn had four, plus one collaboration with Ian Morris.

Read the full story on the Audio Culture Website

AudioCulture Classic NZ Album Readers Poll for 2023

They've reached double digits! AudioCulture Iwi Waiata, the noisy library of New Zealand music, turns 10 years old this month, with the site being launched on May 31st 2013, to coincide with the last day of NZ Music Month.

To mark 10 years of celebrating Aotearoa New Zealand music, and in a first for the website, AudioCulture has launched the AudioCulture Classic NZ Album Readers Poll for 2023. It’s time for you, the public, to tell them which locally recorded and produced album you consider to be the very best of all time.

 Aotearoa is teeming with award-winning, chart-topping, and critically acclaimed albums worthy of consideration. Or perhaps your idea of classic is something a little more seminal? Everyone who casts their vote goes into the draw to win a Thorens TC201 turntable* and $500 credit to spend, thanks to Real Groovy. There will also be spot prizes of exclusive AudioCulture merch to be won over the month.  *Terms and conditions apply

Go to the AudioCulture website to select your favourite New Zealand album from the provided list of possible contenders, or feel free to enter another of your own choosing.

Voting is open now, running throughout NZ Music Month and closing on Sunday May 28th. The number one voted album, and winner of the Real Groovy prize pack, will be announced on Wednesday 31 May.

Over the last decade, we’ve published nearly 2000 pages which document the diverse musical history of Aotearoa. Of these pages, we have just ticked over 1000 individual artist profiles, which tell the stories of solo artists, groups, and key individuals who have been change makers within the local music industry.

The other 1000-odd pages take in other crucial elements which have helped build our vibrant musical history. These include Aotearoa-based record labels – the foundations of our recorded music history – and scenes which have brought like-minded music lovers together, with our first example being jazz fan clubs of the 1920s.  

Nikita 雅涵 Tu-Bryant of KITA helps put on EAST COAST RELIEF show in Te Whanganui-a-Tara this Sunday, 2nd APRIL

 

Nikita 雅涵 Tu-Bryant of KITA helps put on EAST COAST RELIEF show in Te Whanganui-a-Tara this Sunday, 2nd APRIL:

"For those of you that have enjoyed my poetry, my music, and other forms of storytelling: a lot of it has been the influence and experience from my visits to the East Coast of our motu. The East Coast is very close to my heart - the whenua, the people and the spirit. After the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle, it took me a while to be able to transmute the upset I felt for the region into some positive action. This is why I have teamed up with an amazing collective of humans, to pour our hearts into a relief fundraiser this Sunday 2nd of April, 4pm-11pm at San Fran."

 

TICKETS: MOSHTIX, 

https://www.moshtix.co.nz/v2/event/east-coast-relief-show-kita-mara-tk-wallace-arahi-casual-healing/150697 

*cash doorsales on the night subject to availability

Everyone on this Sunday's bill including the crew, are giving their time and talents to fundraise as much as they can to awhi the ongoing relief needed on the East Coast. Pōneke-based KITA don't play very often in town, and they have just released their EP LOVE LIVES HERE, and returned from their Summer Festival circuit.

Nikita from KITA has a wee kōrero Monday on RNZ Music to shed light on where and how we are directing the funds raised.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018883468/wellington-musicians-gathering-to-raise-more-funds-for-cyclone-hit-east-coast

They have set up a tiered ticketing system should you wish to donate more at Moshtix, if you're out of town and still wish to donate, please label the ticket DONATE A TICKET under 'name'. 

The collective would prefer if you bought your ticket prior to the show, however there will be tiered ticketing system on the door too, subject to availability.

Tickets and details here:

https://linktr.ee/kitasoundz

FB Event:

https://www.facebook.com/events/3304889176442978

*Honest footage in promo video in the above link taken by one of the organizers of this event, when he went up a couple of weeks ago to volunteer.

WOMAD kicks off this weekend

Kicking off this Friday, WOMAD NZ 2023 celebrates its 20th anniversary at the award-winning Bowl of Brooklands and Brooklands Park in New Plymouth, March 17-19. Final tickets are on sale now from www.womad.co.nz

We would LOVE any mentions/features/highlights/coverage/love you could give the festival in the final lead-up.

Media assets are here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rSjqdrXls36p4xeH1XUDCFAIEy2wcBQ2 - and of course, we are here to help with any questions or facilitate any last-minute requests.

***

The World of Music, Arts and Dance festival boasts eight stages, each featuring an eclectic and cross-cultural line-up with talented musicians, artists, and inspiring speakers for three days and nights of extraordinary music and culture like nothing else in Aotearoa.

From; Afghanistan to Zambia, psychedelic rock to incredible vocalists, classical to hip hop, Grammy award-winning to up-and-coming, traditional to contemporary, The 2023 festival features incredible artists such as; Avantdale Bowling Club, Deva Mahal, Mdou Moctar, MEUTE, Sampa The Great, Youssou N'Dour and his backing band Super Étoile de Dakar many more musical acts.

And from memoirs to mathematics, outside of the live music programme, the WOMAD festival also showcases people at the top of their fields pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo. Inspirational speakers such as beloved painter Dick Frizzell and metrologist Lisa Murray will speak at World of Words and OMV STEAM Lab. Te Paepae proudly hosts Māori Culture workshops and activities, and music, food, and conversation are at the heart of Taranaki Offshore Partnership Taste the World.

Www.womad.co.nz

Review - The Culture (Powersuit Productions) Gryphon Theatre 28 feb - 4 March (Part of the Wellington Fringe Festival)

The 'Culture' tackles the very real and difficult modern landscape of relationships that have been tainted by the ever-present micro and macro aggressions that ooze from every pore of a tolerated, and often celebrated, toxic male culture.  

One that is present in nearly every nook of Western Society.  And they are over it.  They are over dating traps and pitfalls and clichés.  They're over swiping right!  They co-host a podcast called ‘Don’t Even Get Me Started’, the perfect platform to bitch about life, the universe and the poisoned hell that is hooking up in the modern world.   

Katie aspires to be Prime Minister one day, her role models being Julia Gillard and Jacinda Adern.  She quotes them ad nauseum, along with other female leaders.  The show even starts with sound bites and short clips of men in Office and on TV behaving badly.  Julia gives them 'what oh!' for being dicks in the house!  Too right!  

The couple have a number of 'routines' and in-jokes, developed over many years of BFF co-dependency.  Familiarity like brother and sister, lovers, mates.     At home, they are brave, fearless.  Safe, happy, cocooned bliss.  No one can hurt them. Everything they need. Almost.  But in the real-world things are more complicated.   Their sheltered sub-culture is tested when Katie falls for her co-worker, Kale.  Stupid name.  Stupid bloke.  but none the less.  A muscle-bound fitness freak.  A name like a salad vege.   

Will also pursues a romantic relationship, Kale's friend, who is still in the closet.  That sets up the dynamics.  The friendship is tested, in many ways - jealousy, abandonment, and later, when things go sour for Katie, a return to emotional support and a re-union.  Yes a spoiler.  But what did you expect? 

They’re safe, happy.  No one can hurt them. They have everything they need. Almost. Set in the Sydney club and dating world 'The Culture' is a look at a deep and enduring friendship, and the follies and, yes, sometimes dangers of looking for love in today's digital world.  

We are welcomed into their living room to watch this all unfold and, as a consequence are dragged into a more important, wider conversation. Although it's set in Australia, the cast, playwrite and actor Laura Jackson (Katie Monroe) and Mina Asfour (Will Archer) first performed the show in New York.  They told me after tonight's performance that following the Wellington run they were taking it to Adelaide and Sydney.  The Kiwi/Aussie crossover and references, were definitely stronger for the Capital's audience.  

Nods to Cherry Ripe (candy bars) and Jacinda's recent step down as PM, were topical and, fun but loaded with meaning, too.  References that we'd get more than an American audience, perhaps.   

Production Director Bethany Cuputo, who is an acting coach and director in NYC has extensive experience, working with Alec Baldwin, Laurie Metcalf, TV shows like 'FBI', 'Law and Order' and Marvel's Jessica Jone's' and her influence on the production shines through in the quick witted banter, delivered with perfect timing and energy.   The set is simple, created for touring and quick pack outs.  The furniture probably came from K-Mart or Ikea, all flat packs.  A couch, coffee table and two free standing wardrobes.  

The players will use these to change outfits, at pace, lounge on, roll about, sit and scroll.  Costumes are mainly street clothes.  Katie prefers geeky outfits that show off her lanky, awkward frame.  Exceptions are a hugely loud pink two suit and a contrasting black demure dress (which Will refers to, insultingly as 'Armish').  The dress is a metaphor for the containment of Katie's personality, which comes when her new boyfriend starts to control everything in her life, from her movements to her phone and dress.  Will is always in understated t-shirt and jeans.  His personality is loud, but his conservative dress reveals his, shy, insecurities.  He needs Katie to really shine out and this is clear through out the show.   

 Jackson's acting feels very natural.  Having briefly met her afterwards, she seems on stage pretty close to her character on stage.  Her experiences writing the show, she told me, came, in part from experiences from friends.  She didn't specifically say there was an incident that inspired the domestic violence that crops up towards the end, but a collective experience by just being a woman is clearly the pivot point for everyhing that feeds into this narrative. Will will sum it up, at a point where he states the hypocrisy of media reportage of victims of domestic violence as the women and children harmed but never mentioning the man who caused it.  That and the chilling fact that one out three women will come into contact with some kind of abuse in their lifetime.  "Not her.  Not Her. Her!" Katie singles out audience members like a police line-up in reverse.   Jackson plays Katie with an explosive energy that matches Asfour's, particularly in the early stages of the show.  

Asfour plays Will as camp and loud.  Both characters are clearly holding their optimism masks up high, to protect themselves.  Will hides his hesitancy, learned from trying to connect with men at school who aren't ready to come out, with bitter consequences.  Jackson carries the shame of teenage body same T- perfect on the outside but always vulnerable to the reminders of earlier days when she 'carried a little fat."   They both reveal these very real experiences. 

Why can't we go through our teen age years without being outed, judged, body-shamed?  That's the micro-aggressions that haunt us and force us to judge ourselves and others constantly.  And everything feeds into that - from advertising to politicians to newsreaders.  That's the culture we navigate everyday.   

 Credits should also go to sound designer Charlotte Leamon and graphic designer Brandon Wong who were instrumental in putting together the media sound bites and film footage that provides the context for the show and wider conversations as well.  There is the additional use of text messages, portrayed on the screen, which pop up, in certain places.  

My only bug bear was that these were a little small and hard to read from the back row.  But overall, that had no effect on the plot or my enjoyment of the show.  I should have taken my glasses.   

The show is immensely funny at times, witty and very clever.  It makes you think, it angers you, challenges you.  It pushes you, not too hard, in the right direction.  It will make you cry, at the end at least. This is an important work.  It traverses a huge range.  I wonder if it would be suitable for schools.  Many senior students would recognise themselves in these characters and their future selves as well. 

When Powersuit Productions return for the next Fringe Festival, and I hope they do, I'll definitely be going.  I can't wait to see what they do next! 

A final point.  Powersuit Productions, in conjunction with the Robson Jackson Foundation, supports the work of Wellington Womans Refuge and Te Whare Rokiroki (The Maori Women's Refuge), matching donations from patrons of this season of 'The Culture' dollar for dollar up to $2000 per show.   

Groove encourages readers to generously support the important work of those at the forefront of domestic violence.           

 SHOW CREDITS: The Culture Cast: Laura Jackson & Mina Asfour Director: Bethany Caputo Creative Producer: Carly Fisher Dramaturg: Catherine Fargher Lighting Designer: Capri Harris Sound Designer: Charlotte Leamon Stage Manager: Natalie Low Graphic Designer: Brandon Wong 

www.powersuitproductions.com

TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT!: WGTN FRINGE FESTIVAL KICKS OFF!

The Fringe Launch - Dec 2022 (Photos Tim Gruar)

It's finally happening! The New Zealand Fringe Festival has returned to the capital with more than 160 arts events due to be held over more than 40 venues.

It will run from tomorrow night, February 17 until March 11, hosting several award-winning international acts.  International shows that will be performed include The Pandemusical Diaries (San Francisco), Concept for a Film + Invisible Mending (United Kingdom), I Am King/Queen (Sydney), and Pillow Fight (Melbourne).

Local shows will include ARAWHATA by Wellington Ballroom and Suitcase Show by Trick of the Light.

The 23-day season is “set to wow and inspire Pōneke, offering an incredible lineup of local talents as well as welcoming back an array of exciting international artists, all spanning a myriad of genres and styles”, said Vanessa Stacey, director of the Fringe Festival.

New Zealand Fringe Festival welcomes first-timers, one-off attendees, and seasoned Fringe fanatics!

NZ Fringe Festival is an open-access festival, which means that artists and performers are free to register their events without any barriers. Each year's programme depends entirely on who decides to register and we're lucky to always have a stunning array of talented people join us each year. It's a real lucky dip of bold, daring and diverse works!

OK, so where is it?

The Festival isn’t held in one singular location, rather a myriad of venues all across Wellington to the outskirts of town partake in facilitating the Fringe. For example, we have shows happening from seasoned arts venues such as Te Auaha, Hannah Playhouse, The Gryphon, to out-of-the-box spaces like the Wellington Zoo, Botanic Gardens and even a board games cafe... anything is possible! Refer to our venue map here to see where NZ Fringe is happening in 2023.

Get Fringeeeeee! 

Step out of your comfort zone. Go to shows you wouldn’t normally go to. You never know, you just might discover something new about yourself. The most important part of Fringe is getting out there and having fun.

Take me to the Tix! 

Nau mai haere mai to the Fringe Box Office! Located at 17 Allen Street, Te Aro, Wellington. You can pick up your physical tickets here at the following times:

10am to 6pm, Tuesday - Saturday.

11am to 4pm, Sunday - Monday.

From 15 February 2023 onwards.

Get online and get to the shows! 

We say goodbye to Burt Bacharach -

Burt Bacharach, the songwriter and performer extraordinaire was a writer beyond simple composition.  He turned easy listening into high art.  All in all he scored 73 Top 40 hits in the US and 52 in the UK.

Musicians, Singers, artists, admirers and friends all paid tribute to the late performer who died in London at 94. 

“Burt’s transition is like losing a family member. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family letting them know he is now peacefully resting and I too will miss him.”  Dionne Warwick said in a statement. 

Brian Wilson wrote on Twitter: “I’m so sad to hear about Burt Bacharach. Burt was a hero of mine and very influential on my work. He was a giant in the music business. His songs will live forever.”

In his tribute, the Kinks’ Dave Davies called Bacharach as “a great inspiration” and “one of the most influential songwriters of our time.” 

Gilbert O’Sullivan tweeted about him.  "He was a “huge influence” on his songwriting career and created “timeless melodies never to be forgotten.”

Bacharach was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1928 and raised in New York.  He'd sneak into jazz clubs underage to hear performers like Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie, immersing himself in the work of composers like Stravinsky and Ravel. 

He was classically trained at schools in Montreal, New York and California.  after a stint in in the US army he became a piano accompanist to musicians, such as Vic Damone, the Ames Brothers and his first wife, Paula Stewart. He was also arranger and conductor for Marlene Dietrich when she toured Europe in the late 50s and early 60s.

Hi songwriting breakthrough came in 1957, after meeting and working casually with lyricist Hal David at the famous New York pop powerhouse, the Brill Building. They scored back to back UK No 1s with two of their earliest songs, The Story of My Life by Marty Robbins (Michael Holliday in the UK hit version) and Magic Moments by Perry Como.

Topped by David’s variously whimsical, wounded and earnestly romantic lyrics, Bacharach created expert arrangements featuring close vocal harmonising, string sections, jazz piano and distinctive details, such as twinkling percussion and whistled melodies. 

With David he created a string of all-time classics: I Say a Little Prayer, sung by Aretha Franklin, What’s New Pussycat? by Tom Jones, The Look of Love by Dusty Springfield, Make It Easy on Yourself by the Walker Brothers, and many others.

Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head, performed by BJ Thomas and featured in the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, went on to win a Grammy and an Oscar in 1969, while Bacharach’s music for the film won the Oscar for best original score.

Dionne Warwick became one of Bacharach’s most enduring and fruitful collaborators. Their hits together include Walk on By, Do You Know the Way to San Jose?, Anyone Who Had a Heart, A House is Not a Home (later a hit for Luther Vandross) and her own original version of I Say a Little Prayer. Warwick later successfully sued Bacharach after he and David stopped working together, stranding her without material. It was a “very costly and unfortunate” dispute, Bacharach told the Guardian in 2019: “I stupidly handled it wrong.” He and Warwick reconciled for the 1985 Aids charity single That’s What Friends Are For.

After he and Stewart got divorced in 1958, he married three more times, first to Angie Dickinson in 1965, then to Carole Bayer Sager in 1982, and last to Jane Hansen in 1993. 

Bacharach and Hansen, who remained married until his death, had two children, Oliver and Raleigh. Nikki Bacharach, his daughter with Dickinson, killed herself in 2007, aged 40, after a history of mental health issues.

His hit rate tailed off after the mid-80s, but he continued to pursue eye-catching collaborations, with, among others, Ronald Isley, Dr Dre and Sheryl Crow. He made a pair of albums with Elvis Costello, plus a version of I’ll Never Fall in Love Again with him for the 1997 movie, Austin Powers.

The Womad 2023 Stage Schedule if finally here!

The stage schedule for WOMAD New Zealand 2023 has just been announced.  Get your friends together and start planning who'll you'll see and what you'll be doing over the full three days of the festival.  Don't forget to leave room for lunch and comfort stops! 

For all the info go to www.womad.co.nz

WOMAD NZ 2023, March 17-19  Celebrating 20 years, 17 Festivals And Over 1500 Performers / Be Part Of Global History. 

WOMAD 2023 tickets on sale now from www.womad.co.nz