All hail our new Green mayor
Earlier this afternoon, final results for the Wellington mayoral election were released. Finally the reign of Prendergast comes to an end, etc, and we rejoice in the election of our new Green mayor. Official results: Celia Wade-Brown 24,881 Kerry Prendergast 24,705 Jack Yan 7,426 Bryan Robert Pepperell 5,954 Bernard O’Shaughnessy 1,174 Al Mansell 542 We’ll […]
Sun Araw (US) w, Orchestra of Spheres Thursday at Happy
Another excellent show on Thursday, you can even make it after Flying Nun at City Gallery Wellington. SUN ARAW is the sound of the late-night party deepening to cosmic levels as you turn up the bass and fog up the place. Mantras emerge from voluminous reverb. Old-school Jamaican grooves roll deep with Afro-funk guitar. Shuddering […]
Lunchtime Refuge
Lunchtime Refuge, originally uploaded by dubh. Sometimes, and especially when the weather is outstanding, you just have to get outside and away. Now it turns out there are one or two places in the inner city where refuge may be had. These may well be places we’d rather not share, but that would be rude, […]
Music vs Art = Open City
City Gallery is currently exhibiting Roundabout, a major collection of bold, bright and wicked-as works from emerging artists from around the world. It’s well worth a visit. Part of Roundabout is 48,000 Revolutions, a piece by Flying Nun founder Roger Shepherd. He’s selected 24 hours worth of songs, which randomly play. There is also – and […]
Pardon our dust
We’ve got the movers in at Wellingtonista Towers. Please bear with us while we get things straightened out.
Soundstage: Strike Percussion and Warren Maxwell
Wellington musical collaborations are so hot right now, with the pulsing funked out drama of Eru Dangerspiel cramming more than 15 musicians and a damn choir onto the stage at the Town Hall last night and Rhian Sheehan’s outstanding show at the Opera House in June it seems that being all lush and orchestral and big is, well, big. The spores of certain Welly super-groups can be found in basements all over Wellington collaborating on new projects, getting back together with each other, going solo again, it is bloody hard to keep up!
Those Twinset boys seem to be slutting it all over town and Warren Maxwell has managed mix it with NZSO (as Little Bushman) plan a couple of shows with a reformed Trinity Roots and work on new material with Strike Percussion.
Phew.
A little taster of the full length show brewing between Warren and Strike will be on offer at Downstage this Sunday as part of the Soundstage series. There will also be some fresh reinterpretations of Strike and Little Bushman classics (this girl is looking forward to seeing what they can do with Corrupt Demeanor). Looks like there may be another guest musician spot too, so once again time to have a few less $5 flat whites and book tickets.
What: Strike Percussion and Warren Maxwell
Where: Downstage theatre
When: Sunday 17 October
Cost: $35
Image by Dominika Zielinska from a set of live rehearsal shots.
Deadly decisions
The thing with theatre is you have to make up your mind to go and not prevaricate, seasons are short and good shows sell out. Downstage has been hitting the sweet spot recently with sell-out shows like Guru of Chai and the Soundstage series that looks to become an institution. If you are shy of theatre and not really sure what you would like you should consider booking tickets for Deadly now because you wont be disappointed and the season ends 23 October.
Deadly’s tagline is ‘circus with bite!’ and the performance explores the arch of a relationship using the 7 deadly sins as a device to draw us into the dark sides of a passionate coupling. It opens with a couple devouring each other, literally biting into each other, they start out sensual and become increasingly aggressive and demanding. The audience is nodding to themselves, thinking, "Ah, gluttony – ticked that one off. Now, what were the other deadly sins again?"
10/10/10
I think it is safe to say a few of us were snoozing at 10:10 on 10/10/10 (I think it is also safe to say a few of us were snoozing as the deadline to register for local body elections passed…)
However more than a few people have been spending the day taking some practical action against climate change the old fashioned way with the 350 Global Climate Working Bee. More than 30 working bees were registered by Wellingtonians with plenty of people putting their shovel where their mouth is and getting out in the garden, taking the wae wae express, fixing up old bikes, going to film fundraisers (probably heading out the door now) and insulating their homes.
It feels bloody great to do something rather than just signing an online petition dontcha think?
On a totally different kick at 8.00pm tonight for those that do like it live and virtual UpStage is back again beaming live cyberformance all night long (with a short intermission) until 4.30pm Monday 11 October NZ time. If you are wondering WTF ‘cyberformance’ is check out the teaser below.
[video:http://vimeo.com/15442973]
40 votes: now what?
So after an intensely frustrating day for local politics anoraks, as every other city got to find out who its mayor was going to be, the preliminary Wellington results have been announced, and we have…
…no winner?
With all the other candidates knocked out and their preferences redistributed (this might be a good time to brush up on how STV works if you’ve forgotten) Kerry Prendergast is ahead of Celia Wade-Brown, 24,468 votes to 24,428.
Yes, that’s a 40-vote gap. And what’s more—all the votes haven’t actually been counted yet. Say what?
Update: The preliminary results are now up on elections2010.co.nz and the City Council website. And we’ve added a roundup of the council results down the bottom.
Miss Fag Hag 2010 – Club Ivy – Saturday 9 October
The search for a gay man’s best friend in Wellington is on again with Aaron and Andy’s fourth annual Miss Fag Hag taking place at Club Ivy, 13 Dixon Street, this Saturday, 9 October.
The “pageant” isn’t too serious, and celebrates one of the most important relationships a gay man will ever have, with prizes from Salute Hair & Day Spa, The Guava Tree, Club Ivy, and Kylie Minogue’s new album Aphrodite up for grabs, it promises a fun-filled night!
Hosted by the notorious Shaaron and Shandy, entry is free, and registrations open from 11pm, with the competition starting at 1am.