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There’s one of those weekends coming up in Tauranga, actually more of a week, that’s incredibly busy.
If you have friends with broad music taste wanting to escape the big smoke, or in a smaller smoke craving cultural kicks – Hawke’s Bay is pretty quiet this time of year I hear – invite them to Tauranga for a week’s musical feasting.
Starting on September 10, the second Wednesday of the month, it’s time for the Tauranga Blues Jam at the Sport Fishing Club at Sulphur Point Marina.
There have been some spectacular nights there recently, last month featuring among many others Craig Norman, Murray Hancox and the Horn Dogs with Paul Smith on lead guitar, The Fine Cadillacs, Kaos Blues Revue Band, and of course regular house band Chill Factor comprising sterling locals Ken Green, Mike Butler, Glenn Potier, Gary Harvey, and Simon Fenlon.
Somacaine. Photo / Supplied
On September 11, try Baycourt for the opening night of ‘Jersey Boys’ and sing along to the tunes of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, of which there are many most excellent examples.
Should opening night tickets prove elusive it runs until September 27, and you could instead enjoy some refined and uplifting sounds at Totara Street where the New Zealand String Quartet perform pieces by Haydn and Borodin as well as the world première of NZ composer Mika Cornelius’ ‘Universal Veil’.
Go classical
Skipping ahead, the Mount has more classical music thanks to Scholars Baroque Aotearoa, which presents an evening of Beethoven on September 13 at St Peter’s Anglican Church. The highly-regarded chamber choir will perform his ‘Mass in C’, and rising pianist David Jiang plays the wonderful ‘Sonata Pathetique’.
Back to Friday, September 12, when can take your pick of blues, reggae or punk. Get in early for the blues at The Matua Bar where Joanne Melbourne and Mike Garner will start 6.30pm; then at 7pm things kick off at The Jam Factory as the increasingly impressive Somacaine bring their hard bluesy rock, supported by Waihi Beach pop-punks Not Exact and young Te Puke retro-punks Punktuation.
Kingstone Rose. Photo / Supplied
Then head to The Mount Social Club at 8.30pm for a night of live R&B and reggae from RnBeast which includes Francis Kora and other luminaries. I suspect a big night is in-store.
On Saturday, September 13, there’s also a solo show from singer-songwriter Kingston Rose, coming from Wellington to the Jam Factory. He makes smooth electro-pop with grooves that pass for soul these days, and follows January’s ‘Violet Heartbreak’ album with a new single ‘Don’t Even Know Why’. Support comes from excellent Tauranga Girls’ College band Sidetracked.
Our regulars
The Barrel Room has been presenting killer jazz at 6.30pm Saturdays, often involving Liam Ryan, Trevor Braunias or La Tina, an astounding group including Carlos Pla, Curtis Edwards and Pieter Boss. Meanwhile Jack Dusty’s in Bureta offers Saturday night covers. On September 13, it’s Hamilton’s Tim Armstrong and the Kiwi Bandits. Then Sunday afternoon you can unwind there with local legend Chris Gunn and his band Gunshy.
Joanne Melbourne and Mike Garner. Photo / Supplied
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