Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
abled commercially oriented musicians to develop solid careers. Rock groups such as Shi-
had, The Feelers and Op-shop have thrived in this environment, as have a set of soulful
female solo artists (who all happen to have Maori heritage): Bic Runga, Anika Moa, and
Brooke Fraser (daughter of All Black Bernie Fraser). NZ also produced two internation-
ally acclaimed garage rock acts over this time: the Datsuns and the D4.
Current Kiwis garnering international recognition include the incredibly gifted song-
stress Kimbra (who sang on Gotye's global smash 'Somebody That I Used To Know'); in-
die anthem atl-rockers The Naked & Famous; multitalented singer-songwriter Lady-
hawke; the arty Lawrence Arabia; and the semi-psychedelic Unknown Mortal Orchestra.
Aaradhna is a much-touted R&B singer currently making a splash with her album
Trebel
& Reverb,
which won 'Album of the Year' at the 2013 New Zealand Music Awards.
For indie rock fans, a great source of local info is
www.cheeseontoast.co.nz
,
which lists gigs and has
band interviews and photos. For more on local hip-hop, pop and rock, check out
www.thecorner.co.nz
and the long-running
www.muzic.net.nz
.
Venues
Unfortunately the music scene in Christchurch was crippled by the earthquakes in late
2010 and early 2011. In the interim, a number of temporary spaces have opened up as gig
venues; a full list of events can be found at
www.christchurchmusic.org.nz
.
Further south, many local bands tour through Queenstown during the ski season, and
the spirit of the Flying Nun scene is kept alive at
Chicks Hotel
(2 Mount St)
in Port Chalmers
(near Dunedin).
The TV show
Popstars
originated in New Zealand, though the resulting group, True Bliss, was short-lived.
The series concept was then picked up in Australia, the UK and the US, inspiring the
Idol
series.
Festivals
A number of festivals happen over summer, including the excellent Rippon Festival
(
Click here
)
in February (bi-annual, even-numbered years) on the shores of Lake Wanaka.
February also sees the Nelson Jazz & Blues Festival (
Click here
)
, while Gore's New Zeal-
and Golden Guitar Awards gets toes-a-tapping to a country beat during Gold Guitar Week
(
Click here
)
in June.
