I saw The Cult perform in Wellington in 1993. I was four months pregnant at the time and spent the whole concert trying not to breathe in order to avoid brain damage to my unborn baby from the *ahem* herbal cigarette smoke that wreathed the venue; and the very drunk guy standing next to us took exception to the way my (now ex) husband looked at him and threatened violence.

I didn’t enjoy the concert much at all. Not because of herbal smoke or dickhead drunks, but because it was, quite frankly, lacklustre. Some musicians make their audience feel a part of something. Even if lines like “wow, this is the best audience we’ve played to” are hackneyed and trite, with the right delivery and some genuine emotion behind it the audience will believe. Other bands give off an “if it’s Wednesday then this must be New Zealand” vibe that leaves the audience with the impression that the band would rather be anywhere doing anything else than playing this particular song for the 157th time, and The Cult was one of those.

But hey, I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. I still love their music and wouldn’t mind seeing them again, so I’m quite tempted to book myself tickets for their concert at Trusts Stadium on Monday 3 May. The Love World Tour follows a different format from your standard concert, with The Cult performing in its entirety their seminal 1985 album “Love”, followed by a “best of” finale showcasing their biggest hits.

So, what do you think? Should I give them another chance? Tickets are available from Ticket Direct.

Luckily for 14 Year Old Daughter Ivy Lies are supporting Dane Rumble (whose debut album The Experiment is doing quite well by all accounts) in an all ages gig at Pukekohe Town Hall on May 15 from 5pm. Specifically focussed on the under-18’s there will be no alcohol at the gig and apparently parents are welcome too so I’m hoping she invites me because I’m quite partial to Ivy Lies too!

Tickets to the Dane Rumble / Ivy Lies all ages gig are available from iTicket.

Ask any Kiwi to list New Zealand music acts who have made it big internationally and Crowded House is bound to be near the top of the list. Formed in 1985, Crowded House had a string of national and international hits before disbanding in 1996.

Of course it seems that no band ever breaks up permanently, and in 2007 Crowded House reformed, added new drummer Mark Sherrod and released the album Time On Earth. Another new album is due out shortly, and prior to its release they will be performing in the Great Hall of the Auckland Town Hall on April 8th, giving their fans a sample of the new material, as well as a smattering of old favourites.

Further information and tickets from The Edge.

If you’re interested in checking out up and coming local bands, head to Global Cafe in Henderson at 7pm on Thursday 25 for the Young Guns Concert. Organised and hosted by Green Bay High School students, top young talent from West Auckland schools cover every genre from blues to punk, hip-hop and rock. Top performers will get to play a spot on the ‘Local Sounds’ stage at the Village Music Night on Friday.

Popular local eatery Hardware Cafe will be hosting some of Auckland’s hottest jazz talent in the Toolroom Bar on the Thursday and Friday nights. Situated beneath Hardware Cafe, Toolroom Bar is only open during the Festival.

Friday night is Village Night, and with several events happening around Titirangi at once the $15.00 Village Night Pass is well worth purchasing if you want to check them all out. I’m particularly keen to head to Titirangi Memorial Hall for Local Sounds, where ex-The Mockers frontman Andrew Fagan will be performing with his band The People.

On Saturday night the Titirangi RSA will be ringing with the sweet sound of Celtic melodies and pulsating modal fusion for Pagan Moon Dance, while over at Titirangi Theatre you are challenged to leave pre-conceptions at home and open your mind to the avant garde, strange, spooky or kooky during the Festival Club Late Nite Show.

Saturday night also sees the festival’s headline act perform: local and international hip-hop star King Kapisi and a six piece band will take the stage for Pacific Roots, along with Souljah, Manuel Bundy and MC Rhythm Slave.

There are many more events on offer than I have listed here, from a tour of Rolling Stones memorabilia to hand drumming classes for children – Titirangi is guaranteed to be buzzing for the whole weekend. For more information and tickets see the Titirangi Music Festival 2010 site.

A pastry-topped beef pot pie from Galbraiths on Mt Eden Road was an unexpectedly good start to the night. After that and a glass of wine we crossed the road to the Powerstation to wait with the 100-or-so other slighty-aging fans for the doors to open.

After a brief rush to the stage to secure spots, drinks were sourced (the cash bar at the Powerstation is unusual, but great for those that thought far enough in advance to bring folding stuff) and the wait began. After ominous introductory music, the Pixies took the stage at 9pm on the dot.

Being the 20th anniversary tour of their Doolittle album, most of the set list was pre-determined: b-sides from singles off the album, then the full album itself, followed by two more b-sides, then finally a run through of (mainly Surfer Rosa/Come On Pilgrim) hits for an encore.

The erstwhile Black Francis has lost none of the power in his scream, and while his face said ’sleepy and a bit bored’, his voice screeched biblical Spanish alien sex. Joey Santiago looked nervous the entire night, though he needn’t have – he’s a man well in control of his instrument, so to speak. David Lovering was everyone’s dodgy old uncle, and Kim Deal offered the occasional comment in advance of the songs, as well as smiling through the whole shebang. Watching 1000 people trying to whistle along with La La Love You, and yodel along with Caribou, I reckon I’d have cracked a smile or two as well.

Our spot – second row from the front, stage-right, in front of Joey – was even closer than I let myself hope for. It was a privilege and a thrill to be that close to a band that formed a significant part of the soundtrack to my teens and 20s – let it not be said that I (and most of the crowd, by the looks) didn’t appreciate every minute of it. Speaking of the crowd – they were well-behaved, and the (fairly sparse) security team didn’t have a lot to do all night.

After a joint bow, each member of the band went along the stagefront to slap hands and wave to each section of the audience – a nice touch that further endeared them to an already happy crowd. We were out by 11pm, and then it was back home for an early night before round #2.

The next day we were pleasantly surprised by Bellota, on Federal St under SkyCity. I was expecting a sterile, hotel-restaurant style environment, but I got an intimate little tapas bar with excellent pork belly and a range of tasty pintxos. Not cheap, but not exorbitant.

A taxi to Vector Arena, and we were amongst the heaving masses. Purchasing alcohol at the Arena is fine if you get there early; by about halfway through the support band (Collapsing Cities), queues were about half-an-hour long and gettng worse. Drink early!

Sound at the Arena was fine (for a large arena-style show) – having been to a couple of previous concerts I wasn’t overly worried, and that was justified. Visuals were interesting and adding something from what we’d seen the previous night. The ominous opening music was revealed as a soundtrack to an excerpt of the Luis Buñuel/Salvador Dalí film Un Chien Andalou, which is referenced in the opening track (Debaser) on the album.

Set list was obviously very similar to the night before, with a few of the encore songs swapped in, out or around. Then, after giving their goodbyes with another round of waving and bowing, they were gone.

The Corner Bar under Hotel DeBretts on Shortland St provided drinks afterwards – though with only two barmen dealing to a large (if quite polite) crowd, and no drinking at the outside tables after 11pm, I think I’ll head further afield after future Vector gigs.

I look forward to the 40th anniversary concerts in 20 years’ time.

Setlist

Dancing the Manta Ray
Weird At My School
Bailey’s Walk
Manta Ray
Debaser
Tame
Wave of Mutilation
I Bleed
Here Comes Your Man
Dead
Monkey Gone To Heaven
Mr. Grieves
Crackity Jones
La La Love You
Number 13 Baby
There Goes My Gun
Hey
Silver
Gouge Away
Wave Of Mutilation (UK Surf Mix)
Into the White

Encore (Powerstation):
Isla De Encanta
Nimrod’s Son
U-Mass
Bone Machine
Vamos
Caribou
Gigantic
Where Is My Mind?

Encore (Vector Arena):
Where Is My Mind?
Broken Face
Isla De Encanta
The Holiday Song
Nimrod’s Son
U-Mass
Gigantic

I’m a product of the ’80s – when I was a teenager George Michael was still straight (well as far as we knew anyway), Berlin was a city and a band, and former Prime Minister Sir Robert Muldoon guest starred as the narrator when The Rocky Horror Show toured New Zealand.

All that is far in the murky depths of the past now, or so I thought, but recently I’ve had the oddest feeling that I’ve stepped back into the ’80s again. Not only has the ever revolving wheel of fashion brought ’80s clothes back to the stores, but now it seems like every band who had a hit song or two back then has reformed and is touring. And actually, that’s fine by me. When Duran Duran played Vector Arena in 2008 I was there, singing along at the top of my lungs.

This year sees at least three big acts from the ’80s coming to New Zealand. Scottish group Simple Minds (whose lyrics thankfully are easier to understand than their indecipherable accents) play The Civic on Tuesday 30 March as part of a world tour to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Then on Thursday 29 April Tears for Fears and Spandau Ballet (who, if my circle of friends was anything to go by, were the subject of many a teenage girl’s daydreams) play a double bill at Vector Arena.

Simple Minds tickets can be purchased from The Edge, and Spandau Ballet/Tears for Fears tickets from Ticketmaster. And if you go to Spandau Ballet and some five foot tall chick is bouncing up and down behind the tall people and shouting “I love you Tony Hadley” at the top of her lungs it’s totally not me, honest.

Building on a series of summer shows, new Auckland band Rata & Sons is playing the Kings Arms on Friday 27 March with guest drummer Paul Roper (Mint Chicks) and country pyschadelic rockers Royal Falcon.

Rata & Sons describe themselves as “where Oasis and The Jam meet Cheap Trick and the Kings of Leon”, while Royal Falcon have “expansive lead guitar and dark narratives to create something pretty intense” so it sounds like a pretty interesting gig to check out.

7 February – SJD (Aucklandista top pick)

14 February – Don McGlashan

21 February – Nathan Haines + Hollie Smith

7 March – Mint Chicks + Pluto

The atmosphere is Family Orientated, meaning you can take chairs and picnic baskets and that and lounge around. But no booze. Booze is available, though.  Of course, you are welcome to have a look around the Zoo while you’re there, but apparently the Tiger cubs are past the point of optimal cuteness.

*Kudos to Hadyn Green, factchecker.

I tried to tell her that I’d never even considered it, but when Jo makes “suggestions”, it’s very similar to the Mafia telling you what to do except with a “I mean, if you want to” tacked on at the end. So I managed to find myself a friend with a car and we went out on a Dog Out to do some Serious Investigative Journalism. Read on for the (SPOILER ALERT!) very boring results.

Our first stop was the bottom car park at Mount Eden, because it was 10pm by the time I had persuaded my driver friend to participate in my crazy scheme, and the Wellingtonista comments said that it closed at 11pm. We saw nothing and no one, but it was a nice spot for me to have a quick smoke in. I hope that’s not tapu. So instead, we set off down Mt Eden Road towards our next destination.

Onehunga went through a bit of a stage of being the hot place to buy houses, at least according to one Metro article one time or something but it is not a hot place for dogging. We went to the Orpheus Street Reserve, and there was a souped up car full of teenagers who were drinking RTDs, except for the driver, we’re assuming. They didn’t appear to be having sex, but beneath all those baggy hoodies, who could really tell?

We had planned to go to Murphys Bush Reserve but it looked too far away according to Google, so we hopped on the motorway and went to look for “auckland domain still has a gravel car park on the northern end, off the road that leads to the port motorway that can be good at times”. Honestly, by that stage I was far too stoned to navigate and was much keener to find a drive-through Wendy’s, so we returned to Mount Eden for salted goodness, went home, and downloaded some porn instead. Sorry Auckland, I will try to be a better journalist next time, I swear.

And if you don’t have tickets, you may still like to head along to the red carpet, because (along with OMG celebreties that you’d normally only see in the Grey Lynn Foodtown) soul, funk, jazz and hip-hop artist, Iva Lamkum will be performing live on the red carpet before the Awards.