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.
Getting blind-eaten
The very choice Mattgeeknz has written a guest review for us, because we knew we’d be unable to write a review about being blindfolded and sticking everything put in front of us in our mouths without being smutty about it.
Capitol and CBM have teamed up to host three blind-dining evenings in Wellington. The first was on Monday, and there are two more sittings on Monday and Tuesday next week. It’s a fun twist on the dining experience: you’re blindfolded for the entirety of your meal, and at the end of each course you’re told what you’ve just eaten.
Oi, have you voted yet?
Y’know, it’s not often that I’d ever consider running a Wellington City Council press release in full, but I’m going to do it right now, cos BLOODY HELL, Wellington, get your act together! PS: this is how to work your STV vote, explained quite simply. Now hop to it.
Do lies come with that shake?
You may have seen a lifestyle column in this weekend’s DomPost where Hadyn Jones bemoaned the "fact" that you can’t get milkshakes at cafés in Wellington, and blamed this on the idea that Wellingtonians are too cool and stuck-up for such things. There are just a few things wrong with this:
- Just off the top of our little insect brains, we came up with Fidel’s, Midnight Espresso, Sweet Mother’s Kitchen, Espressoholic, Maranui and Offbeat Originals as noted enablers for the shake-addicted.
- Those are hardly obscure, hard-to-find underground establishments. If the DomPost’s esteemed correspondent is not aware of their menus, then one has to ask: just where has he been hanging out?
- If anything, those are the sort of places preferred by the cool kids, so it’s hardly a hipper-than-thou attitude that is keeping the oppressed milkshake down.
- And finally, if he did happen to ask for a milkshake in one of the more upmarket restaurant-style cafés, then I believe the staff would be quite justified to respond "No, we don’t serve milkshakes. Neither do we serve lollipops, Rashuns or hot dogs on sticks. We’re a café, not a dairy, burger bar or provincial tearooms circa 1983."
But there’s clearly a nostalgic hankering for gelatinous concoctions of artificial flavour and industrial-strength saturated fats, given the number of local establishments that do serve them. So, please help out the DomPost’s confused and bemused journalist by letting us know where your favourite milkshakes are: which place has the best shake, the best value and the best range?
MONSTERS! Eeek!
We don’t want to alarm you, but there are creatures living under your bed! You can see them lurking around in dark corners everywhere. They live in mutated cupboards and ancient stories. Don’t take a breath. They are here to stay…
From the artists that brought you ROBOTS in 2009, Run Amuck Collective is proud to present MONSTERS! For 3 weeks only, Wellington will have the unique opportunity to explore the wonderful world of monsters as never seen before. Artists from all over New Zealand will be transforming the basement rooms of Mygalaxi Gallery on Dixon St into an explosion of delicious beasties: from sculpted fantasies to scrap metal creatures Installations, paintings and sculptures will line the walls as each artist expresses their own creative vision. Ranging from the comical to the frightening, each fantasy is inspired by the artist’s own love affairs and fascinations with monsters, resulting in an eclectic mixture of madness. Hand holding may be required.
Run Amuck Collective is a group of New Zealand based artists that have come together for the love of art, theatrics and cheeky pop culture. Roughly 20 artists strong and growing, each comes to the collective with a unique background and eclectic style.