Posts Tagged Arts Festival
Archive
October 28, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Stubs: # 237 – Star Wars A New Hope In Concert w/ NZSO, Wellington, 2018
That’s right, it was the first Star Wars film aka Episode IV with the NZSO live in concert. You sat and watched the film on the big screen with a giant orchestra – our biggest and best-known covers band – playing the score live. There were moments. But I didn’t really like it. I was, […]Archive
May 9, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Sweetman Podcast # 167: Marnie Karmelita previews The Wellington Jazz Festival
Welcome to episode 167 of Sweetman Podcast with support from our sponsors – T Leaf T, Yeastie Boys and La Petite Chocolat. Now – as you probably know, as well as the usual platforms (this site, soundcloud, iTunes/Apple) you can now get to Sweetman Podcast on Spotify – follow it there and have it saved in your Spotify library. Here’s a conversation with Marnie Karmelita – she’s the […]Archive
May 3, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Stubs: # 225 – Madeleine Peyroux, Wellington, 2014
I’d seen Madeleine Peyroux one other time (part of a triple bill with Melody Gardot and Diana Krall; Peyroux was the star) and in the build up to this gig, a Festival show, I interviewed her, a really pleasant surpise – because I hadn’t expected Peyroux to be chatty. I have no idea why, beyond the back-story of her taking time out between her first couple of albums, disappearing […]Archive
August 8, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival 2018
This October, The Harcourts Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival takes place in Napier, Hastings and Havelock North at a variety of locations – check out the program. Also, as part of the festival there is a series of Writers & Readers talks and events. Join me on Saturday October 20, at the Cabana in Napier – I’ll be in […]Archive
March 4, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Gig Review: Grizzly Bear (March 3, Wgtn)
Grizzly Bear The Opera House Saturday, March 3 Ever since The Festival got it really right a half decade ago and welcomed along Bon Iver (a person/band whose songs are patently absurd but it worked on the night, was undeniable) there’s been an aim to recreate that sort of magic. Not a bad effort last […]Archive
March 1, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Gig Review: Thundercat (March 1, Wgtn)
Thundercat The Festival Club Thursday, March 1 Two years ago, almost to the day, Thundercat came and saw and conquered Wellington and I was profoundly unmoved. I love the guy’s playing – and credits (outside of his own work he’s helped to make Flying Lotus, Kendrick Lamar and Kamasi Washington great, and that’s just for […]Archive
February 27, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Gig Review: Arabia-Buda-Scott (February 27, Wgtn)
Arabia-Buda-Scott The Festival Club Tuesday February 27 Lawrence Arabia (James Milne) here combined with the songwriters from The Phoenix Foundation (Luke Buda and Sam Scott) for an evening of songs from across their catalogues. This included material from the Fabulous/Arabia side-project, Sam Scott’s Bunnies on Ponies band and several new, as yet unreleased, Phoenix Foundation […]Archive
February 26, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Gig Review: Nathan Haines & Jonathan Crayford ADAGIO (February 25, Wgtn)
Nathan Haines & Jonathan Crayford: ADAGIO The Festival Club Sunday February 25 Commissioned for The New Zealand Festival this pairing had Crayford (piano, arrangements) and Nathan Haines (flute, saxophones) performing a set of classical pieces in the “Adagio” or slow movement – from the opening Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte by Ravel through Albinoni’s Adagio […]Archive
February 25, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Stubs: # 218 – L’Orchestre D’Hommes Performs Tom Waits, Wellington, 2016
It’s Arts Festival time – last night I went to my first show of the 2018 festival, and I think this (click there for the full review from the time) was possibly the last thing I saw at the previous festival; maybe second-to-last… I was sitting there last night cursing the wind that was impacting […]Archive
December 15, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
Stubs: # 217 – Verlaines, Wellington, 2016
Shit this was good. I mean great. I mean really fucking good. Cos for some reason I kinda wasn’t expecting it to be. I love the Verlaines, sure. But I’d seen The Chills the night previous (this was billed as “The Dunedin Double” – though it was arbitrary, no anniversary or anything…) and I just […]Archive
December 10, 2017 by Simon Sweetman