THE GROOVE BOOK REPORT

Absolute masters of vocal harmonisation, double-GRAMMY winners The King’s Singers returned to Pōneke last night as one of many highlights at this year’s Aotearoa Festival of the Arts.  They were festival favourites in 2018 and again tonight for this ‘almost’ sellout crowd of mainly family and ‘elder’ music lovers. .  For more than 50 years this irresistibly charismatic choral ensemble has been the platinum standard in a cappella.  The British a cappella vocal ensemble was founded in 1968, named after King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars.   In the UK, their popularity peaked in the ‘ 70s and early ‘80s, and also in the USA, appearing frequently on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson’. In 1987, they featured on special Julie Andrews’ Emmy winning TV show ‘The Sound of Christmas’. In 2009, their CD, ‘Simple Gifts’, won a Grammy for ‘Best Classical Crossover Album’.  In 2012, they won again for ‘Best Chora...

The finalists for the Taite Music Prize 2024 have been announced by Independent Music NZ (IMNZ) and Recorded Music NZ. The award recognises outstanding New Zealand albums released in the past year. The awards will be presented on Tuesday, 23 April at the same time as the NZ On Air Outstanding Music Journalism Award, IMNZ Classic Record and the Independent Spirit Award. The winner will receive a cash prize of $12,500. The 10 albums in contention for the 2024 Taite Music Prize span genres from hip hop to indie folk to metal. The 2024 Taite Music Prize finalists in alphabetical order are: Dick Move - Wet (1:12 Records) Ebony Lamb - Ebony Lamb (Slow Time Records) Erny Belle - Not Your Cupid (Flying Nun Records) Home Brew - Run It Back (Years Gone By) Mermaidens - Mermaidens (Independent) Shepherd's Reign - Ala Mai (Golden Robot Records) Tiny Ruins - Ceremony (Ursa Minor) Tom Lark - Brave Star (Winegum Records) Unknown Mortal Orchestra - V (Jagjaguwar Records) Vera Ellen - Ideal Home No...

I came out of this show yesterday utterly stunned.   Turiata Avia’s writing cuts like the sharpest machete.   No trope stands afterwards.   The blade of her poetry destroys every toxic plant in the weed garden of colonialism.   In this show, wounds will be slashed open, truths will ooze out.   Make no mistake.   This is a bloodletting.   Combining poetry, dance, action theatre and fa’asamoa director Anapela Polata’ivao has once again delivered a triumphant performance.   Everyone was on their feet by the end.  Everyone.  Even the old 'white people' cowering behind their covid masks.  Including me. I’d read several accounts of this show all celebrating the diefiance of the writer.  It's based on Tusiata Avia’s Okham award winning book of poetry ‘The Savage Coloniser Book’ .    The show is directed by Anapela Polata’ivao who has directed and acted in Avia’s previous ensemble stage play ‘Wild Dogs Under My Skirt’,...