Live Music

In an era in which Fat Freddy’s Drop and Red Hot Chili Peppers are considered heritage artists and humans are no longer boxed by sexuality, one might describe Strangely Arousing as “trans genre” And comfortably so. Their reggae-based, jazz-influenced sound has led them to play for a wide range of audiences. From Raggamuffin to Rhythm and Vines, from sell out tours around New Zealand to international adventures in the Middle East and Asia.

Having already lasted longer than most modern marriages, Strangely Arousing’s odyssey from Rotorua, to Raglan, to the big smoke of Auckland has been vast. After 6 years of blood, sweat, Jim Beam and tears – July 2017 saw the release of ‘Strangely Arousing’, a self-titled, 11 song exploration into the minds, hearts and souls of 5 musical gypsies from Rotorua, New Zealand.

Highlights from last summer include playing to 15,000 people in their hometown of Rotorua at the annual Lakeside concert, headlining the Whangarei Fritter Festival with Elemeno P and N.Z dub heroes Salmonella Dub, and smashing a set at the iconic Rhythm & Vines festival. More recently, the band enjoyed its first international tour in South Korea and China. Amongst a slot at the Pentaport Rock Festival (headlined by industrial pioneers Nine Inch Nails and Mike Shinoda), multiple headline shows in China, and a few frugal nights off spent at the clubs, Strangely has grown, as individuals and as a group, to an international standard, propelling their already compelling and uplifting live show to another level.

Wherever they go, whoever they play for, the dance floor is sure to be full of people grooving. They implant their art deep in the hearts of lovers of good music and this has given them a loyal following that continues to grow.

Kia ora Koutou katoa!

Of course you know who Anika Moa is.

Yass Queen, same-sex symbol, Māori princess (literally), mum-of-three with one in the oven, humble and reluctant TV STAR, children’s entertainer, and a wondrous bloody New Zealander.

But let’s not forget that before all the above, Anika Moa was a musician, and a singer. And a beautiful, heartfelt songwriter.

In a career spanning 20 years she has released six studio albums, two wildly successful Songs For Bubbas albums and toured her music and stories to every corner of the country.

And some corners of the world too.

Modern soulful singer songwriter Louis Baker is inarguably one of the most compelling voices to emerge in recent years from New Zealand’s fertile musical landscape. Crafting his work with a deep artistic integrity, Louis has gathered a loyal following that spans the world over. Everyone from India Arie (“Louis Baker, you sing my soul,”) to the international music community (BBC 6 Music, Clash Magazine, The Line of Best Fit, Earmilk) have shown love for what he is, and has become.

In 2013 he was selected to attend the prestigious annual Red Bull Music Academy in New York. He then recorded and released his self-titled EP, and was a top five finalist for the 2014 APRA Silver Scroll Award for Back On My Feet .

Baker’s also performed at festivals across the world, including Field Days, Sziget Festival, Sonar Festival, The Great Escape, and Splendor in the Grass, building an appetite for bigger crowds as well as more intimate spaces.

Niko Ne Zna is a world class world music extravaganza.

A staple of the New Zealand festival circuit and frequently selling out shows at home and more recently in Australia.

A hot and spicy taste of the old countries right here in the capital of New Zealand.

Playing captivating original music as well as classic songs from the gypsy-soaked Balkan States, Niko Ne Zna’s hypnotic melodies and wild infectious rhythms will set even the most rhythmically challenged moving and grooving!

Born out of the famed New Zealand School of Music, Wellington dub rockers Tunes of I are fast developing into one of the nations most exciting live roots acts.

Featuring a solid backbone of drums, bass, vocals and guitars, complemented by two of the capitals finest horn players, the jazz trained six piece collective are renowned nationwide for their original, tight and dynamic live performances.

Raw talent matched with classical training that is best witnessed up close and personal!