Remix the Orchestra

The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra has been running a programme called Remix in Mangere for five years, creating opportunities for urban and classical musicians to work together. This year there’s a special New Zealand Music Month concert at Auckland Town Hall featuring Hip Hop artists and the full orchestra on 31 May.

DJCXL (who’ll be DJing throughout), Frisko (aka Alphrisk), Tyree and Ermehn will all be performing along with longstanding members of the Remix crew JEM and Anonymouz.
Graffiti crew FDKNS will also be involved drawing in real time on tablet computers, and the results will be projected on screens as they work. Read more and book tickets – they start at $20!

Coldplay concert announced for Mt Smart

I used to be a huge Coldplay fan and even though my enthusiasm for them has waned (I find them a bit samey), there’s no doubt that they know how to put on a gigantic and flashy show. A concert in November has just been announced – which means Auckland will see Radiohead, The Black Keys and Coldplay all in one week. Pre-sale tickets go on sale at midday and the general on-sale is 25 May. If you always miss out on the big concerts, my advice is to subscribe to the email databases for the main ticketing agents and venues!

Shihad: Beautiful Machine

Shihad is arguably New Zealand’s greatest rock band of all time and the rise, fall and ongoing journey ‘ew I said journey’ of the band is told in a documentary that is out today. I went to a media screening a few weeks ago and thought it was a very good film – not perfect, but with lots of depth and personality. The film is surprisingly honest about the downsides of rock n roll and what actually happened when the band went to make it big in LA. The family stories are what makes the film rich. I was worried that I wouldn’t like the band members after seeing the movie, but it just made me want to go to one of their live gigs! My full review is here.

On the internet

Totally amazing group photos from all over the place.

Auckland Writers and Readers Festival

Auckland Writers and Readers Festival has started with the schools programme and gets underway for the grownups on Thursday night. There is a seriously impressive lineup this year with local stars like Rhys Darby, Emily Perkins, Witi Ihimaera and Maurice Gee making an appearance alongside a host of international guests. I’ve been poring through the programme to work out my unmissable sessions and I think one of the most interesting and challenging ones is likely to be one of the last on the programme – Country of Kings – The Beautiful Struggle with spoken word artist Lemon Andersen. The book is a memoir of his life so far – growing up with heroin addict parents who died of AIDS, he turned his life around after discovering his talent as a poet. He’s won a Tony Award and has been the subject of a film (Lemon) which has two screenings this weekend at the Documentary Edge festival. This won’t be everyone’s idea of a good time, but I’m very interested in hearing from Lemon – and if it’s not your cup of tea – there are many other sessions that should interest you and/or make you a much more interesting dinner party conversationalist. See my top ten picks for the festival.

Sir Ian McKellen’s fundraiser tour

I posted all the dates for Sir Ian’s fundraiser for Christchurch’s Isaac Theatre Royal a while back. Now the tour has started and the reviews are excellent. I’m bringing this up again because apparently Hamilton, Tauranga and the Hawkes Bay haven’t sold out like the rest of the country – so hurry up guys! Aucklanders who missed out might even want to consider the short drive to H-Town on Saturday night! 

The Avengers

I’m a few weeks off the pace with this one because I haven’t had a chance to see The Avengers yet, but I have not heard a single bad review. It is based on comic book characters but it’s not a kid’s movie. But it’s really good for adults who love comics and features all the Marvel superheroes and a very good cast.

Hey guys, you should all come and hang out with me and my friends at this! I have done some research and can confirm that the prizes are GOOD and so is the entertainment (DJ Phillipa and Sophia Nash!). As for the company... you should come along and make it even cooler.
 
Only $15 and whatever you want to spend on the auction. Generosity is such an attractive trait, don't you think?
 

For the next three weeks we get to laugh, giggle and awkwardly snort as the best of New Zealand’s comedy talent and international visitors tell funny stories, sing silly songs and generally remind us all not to take ourselves too seriously.

I’m a huge fan of comedy –  a couple of years ago I made it to 13 shows during the festival! This year the NZ International Comedy Festival turns 20 and I think everyone should celebrate by getting out of the house and seeing what's on offer.

I know some people are afraid stand up comedians might pick them out of the audience, or don’t want to see anything that might offend them, so here are my comedy tips for nervous beginners:

·         Read the brochure or spend some time on www.comedyfestival.co.nz and see what’s out there. The website even has sections for kids, teens and the brilliantly named You could take your mum to this.

·         See some local comedians. Long gone are the days when NZ comedy was considered cringeworthy and you’d only buy tickets to see an international. I go for a mix of both and some of the shows by local comedians have been my favourites.

·         If you don’t want to be mocked from the stage – don’t be late, don’t get up and down during a show, and don’t heckle. People are there to hear from the comedian, not from you. It’s also wise to not sit right up the front wearing an ugly shirt, talk through the show, etc. Surely all these things (especially the ugly shirt part) are just good manners?

·         Ask friends with similar senses of humour for recommendations.

·         If you’re not enjoying a show – relax! They’re mostly only an hour long. And book for something else immediately! Get back on the bike, etc.

·         If you don’t live in Auckland or Wellington, check out the Comedy Convoy, which is going to heaps of centres around New Zealand.

·         Television is a great way to get a taste of comedians – the biggest night of the comedy calendar is this Friday with the Comedy Gala and then the best bits will be screened on TV3 so you can check out snippets from heaps of the comedians and book tickets for the ones you laughed most at!

Shows I’m already booked in for (you’ll notice a strong musical comedy theme):

·         Steve Wrigley in Kevin: The Musical – my favourite show last year and I’m very excited that it's back

·         Brendon Green: Everything is meaningless and nothing matters, lol

·         Jason Byrne: People’s Puppeteer

Also on my must see list:

·         Idiots of Ants – these are the guys who did the Facebook in real life video

·         Rose Matafeo: Scouts Honour – the rising star of New Zealand comedy/television presenting

·         Axis of Awesome – watch this crazy awesome video

Update:

I've been reliably informed that I need to see Bombs Away: A Musical, Jamie Bowen, Greg Behrendt, Andrew O'Neill, Revolver Circus and David O'Doherty too.