This weekend we wanttogoto...
We don’t want to get premature about this, but ’tis the season — or at least it’s fast approaching — for choirs and lots of choral singing. But don’t expect Christmas carols from the Jubilation Choir; it’s a gospel supergroup that includes household names (R&B legend Rick Bryant, entertainer Jackie Clarke and actor Jennifer Ward-Lealand) alongside professional musicians, teachers and even a yacht-maker. They sing soul, blues and country-infused gospel from the songbooks of Nina Simone, Tom Waits, Curtis Mayfield and Blind Willie Jackson that ranges from the 1800s to the present day. Catch the choir this weekend.
Jubilation Choir, The PumpHouse, Sunday from 6pm
The local bookstore
Contrary to rumour, books have not died nor have bookshops, which have staged a fierce fightback against online platforms and e-readers. This Saturday, 60 bookstores throughout New Zealand will celebrate NZ Bookshop Day by throwing open their doors and continuing to write new stories.
National Bookstore Day, Saturday
Shihad, Auckland Town Hall
Thirty years? Has it really been 30 years since four skinny little punks from Wellington formed Shihad and started rocking? Time flies, apparently, but Shihad are still going hard, and they’ll be proving that fact at their Town Hall show tomorrow. Aside from their big anniversary, they have another reason to celebrate: the release of The General
Electric on vinyl for the first time. So expect to hear plenty of classic cuts from that, hopefully with Jon Toogood standing shirtless on top of a speaker stack.
Kora and
Villainy are playing in support for what will be a loud night out.
Shihad 30th Anniversary Tour, Saturday, Auckland
Town Hall
Sweat Shop Brew Kitchen
As far as combos go they really don’t get much better than beer and bacon. So if beer and/or bacon is your bag then get yourself down to the Sweat Shop Brew Kitchen’s second annual Beer & Bacon Festival on Saturday for all the bacon you can handle and a responsible amount of beer to wash it all down with. The bacon starts sizzling at midday and craft brewers Tuatara, Black Dog and Lagunitas will all have special bacon-infused brews to sup. The more competitive can put their stomachs to the test in the bacon-eating competition in the hopes of waddling away with a trophy and $500 voucher. Mood music for the day will be served up by Beat Council Unplugged.
Beer & Bacon Festival, Saturday,
Sweat Shop Brew Kitchen
Princess Chelsea, Hollywood Cinema
The loneliest girl is after your company this Friday night as Princess Chelsea (left) brings her album release tour to Auckland. As she hasn’t played here in three years you can expect Avondale’s magical Hollywood cinema to be buzzing with anticipation for the retro-pop futurist. Her album, The Loneliest Girl, scored an impressive 4 stars in the Herald’s entertainment magazine, TimeOut. It said “the twisted fairytale world that Princess Chelsea conjures up is a gloriously disturbing place”, which is as good a recommendation as you’ll find anywhere.
Princess Chelsea, The Loneliest Girl Tour, Friday, Hollywood Cinema