Our guide of where to go, what to see and what to do this weekend.
Sharon Van Etten plays four NZ shows this week. Photo: Photo by Dusdin Condren
Sharon Van Etten: Brooklyn-based musician Sharon Van Etten, who hit her stride with last year’s album Are We There, begins her four-date tour of the country tonight at the Kings Arms, before heading through to play shows in Wellington, Lyttleton and Dunedin over the next few days. The Clean’s Robert Scott will be opening each show and remaining tickets are available via Ticketmaster.
A Movement: Described by A Low Hum's Blink as “the thoroughly pretentious name I've given to my work over the period 2000-2015”, A Movement sees him releasing a 10 new books, both available on their own or as a box set, focusing on different scenes/themes of the music he’s been involved in. To celebrate, Blink’s also screening a new film and throwing a bunch of shows across the country, beginning with the opening exhibition tonight in Wellington. Lontalius will be playing and there're heaps of other bands to catch in the following days too. Find out more via the A Low Hum Facebook page.
Fresh Off The Boat: Based on Eddie Huang’s 2013 memoir of the same name, Fresh Off The Boat is a network sitcom set around the culture clash of an Asian-American family and their move from Washington DC to Orlando in the mid-90s. It’s currently playing on FOUR at 8pm on Wednesdays and you can also see episodes on demand via their website. Catch up if you’re not familiar.
White Night: Running again this Saturday from 6pm-midnight, White Night takes place at various Auckland locations and showcases art projects and performances in public spaces around the city. One such event is the screening of Margaret Gordon’s documentary Into The Void, based on the Christchurch band of the same name that are well-known for their work in fine arts as well as their music. It’s on at the Auckland Art Gallery and you can find the full list of White Night events here.
Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks: Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus has been touring the country this week and plays two more shows with his band The Jicks at Auckland’s Studio tonight and Wellington’s James Cabaret tomorrow. Tickets, $60, are still available to both shows from Under The Radar.
Cool Runnings: If trying to catch every international act is maxing out your credit card, Auckland band Cool Runnings are playing the sports bar side of the Kings Arms this Saturday, celebrating the release of their split cassette release with P.H.F. Entry is five bucks and other acts on the bill are Hang Loose and Shacklock Meth Party.
@Peace: After releasing their latest album @Peace and the Plutonian Noise Symphony this time last year (listen/buy on bandcamp if you haven’t already), @Peace are playing their first Auckland show in awhile tomorrow night at Neck of the Woods. They’ll be joined by Chelsea Jade, Lo Key and Leonard Charles, the newish project from She’s So Rad’s Jeremy Toy. Tickets are $20 and available from Under The Radar.
Did we miss something? Leave your suggestions in the comments or email us with your events here.