One of the most exciting and stimulating things about living in Wellington is the fact the our cinemas are continually reinvesting in their facilities and always trying to top each other in quality of fit out and customer experience. What have we done to deserve this!? This year the burghers of Miramar got the Ming […]
I’m old enough to remember when the Arts Festival was known archly as The New Zealand International Festival of the Arts. In recent years the name has been tidied up but the goal has remained the same – bring really cool, really great, international artists to Wellington and showcase their work alongside the best of […]
[See all Notional Significance posts] Kaiwharawhara is a node, a knot, a tangle of paths and histories. It’s where the eponymous stream meets the harbour, though quakes and reclamations have long since nudged the mouth seawards from its original position at the fault line, engulfing foreshore, shipwrecks and shellfish beds in the process. It’s where […]
[See all Notional Significance posts] The path sidles away from the road. To my left, and indeed to almost everyone’s left, is Wellington’s radical headquarters, 128 Abel Smith St. It’s well over three years since the shattering dawn when police smashed down the door, seeking evidence of so-called “terror camps”, but the Urewera 18 are […]
A rather violent earthquake hit Christchurch yesterday, and it has devastated a city that, quite frankly, has had enough of feeling the earth move. People are helping where and when they can. We do know that this is one situation where throwing money at a problem can help. It might not fix everything, but right […]
Most "pop-up shops" emerge in vacant retail spaces, but The Princess’ Bedroom was different: the shop itself popped up, in the form of a brightly-painted caravan in a gravelly old Ghuznee St carpark. Now it has company, in the form of a "Sausage Sizzle" caravan in the adjacent parking space, serving an odd combination of Kiwiana sausage sarnies, tempura vegetables and hearty soups & stews.
Neither this caravan nor its girlier neighbour fit in with the emerging highbrow designer vibe across the street (Milk Crate, Quilters, Customs and Bowen Galleries), but it sure beats a puddle-ridden carpark. Perhaps we’ll see more of this caravan urbanism setting up temporary shop in vacant spaces until we crawl our way out of the recession, and it looks like a cheap and flexible way for small businesses to get up & running in the gaps and fringes of the city.
An unfortunate number of Wellingtonistas are rather fond of making rather terrible puns quite frequently, which means a lot of my time is spend making "Badoom chish!" sounds. Imagine how much cooler it would be if the jokes were better and instead of me, there was a whole damn band playing the rim shots. Wait, you don’t want to have to imagine it? You want it to be real? Well, have we got the gig for you then!
Remember TAWA-nominated Robbie Ellis and the bus lane you put through his heart? Well, he’s been working on a new show called Band Substances:
It’s musical stand-up comedy with a full band!
Join some of Wellington’s favourite musical comedians:
- Gabriel Page
- Sarah Harpur
- Carlo & Cynthia Wakefield from Young and the Witless IV
- The Fringe Bar Opera Soloists and more!
It’ll be Band to the Bone! (Jo’s note: BADOOM CHISH!)
The show has with Jerome Chandrahasen as MC and Robbie as musical director.
Remember this guy and all of those drums? (Incidentally, all of those drums will be turning Kora up loud this Friday).
Or perhaps you remember him as that crazy, sexy, cool guy playing vegetables at Fringe last year (winner Best Music and Best Solo Show at 2009 Fringe Festival).
Adam Page is back at Downstage this Sunday along with three more saxophonists, as the Adalaide Sax Pack, featuring some silky vocals from Welly’s Lisa Tomlins (Shapeshifter, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Rhombus, TrinityRoots).
Billed as:
4 world class Saxophonists, 1 HUGE quartet sound, stacks of the cheesiest music you know you love but choose to hate.
This girl is looking looking forward to the cheezy ’80s covers and being a vocal member of the raucous fun-time crowd.
Come along, it isn’t that expensive and will be downright festive (in a good way).
Details and a taster after the jump.
Voting in the Fourth Annual Wellingtonista Awards is open from December 1-15. Then come find out the results at our Awards Night at Mighty Mighty on December 17!
To vote, visit this page.
As a website, we know that we are not alone. There are many other fantastic people in Wellington doing fantastic things online, and they make our internet world a much better place with the things that they do.
The debut season of Downstage’s Sunday music programme ‘Soundstage’ has been a tearaway success. The formidable line-up of bands including The Woolshed Sessions, Little Bushman, Sam F Scott and The B.O.P and Rhian Sheehan have all thrived in the theatrical environment playing to capacity audiences.
We’re now at the last Soundstage gig for 2009 and Wellington six piece psychedelic psychonauts Spartacus R are the perfect band to close out the season. Their theatrical credentials are impeccable having built a reputation for unique and innovative performances at the NZ Fringe Festival. At the Fringe 07 they presented Spartacus R in Octophonic, and the following year at the Fringe 08 Spartacus R in 3D, combining live music with 3D visuals in the Paramount.
Based on a foundation of blues, rock and funk, Spartacus will deliver a captivating and electrifying performance that explores new musical and visual territory. For Soundstage on 15 Nov Spartacus R have crafted a completely new show combining 100% new musical material with projected visuals, actors and even live poetry.
More about Spartacus R and Soundstage after the jump.