Paul Holmes, April Ieremia, John Hart, Paul Radisich and Marty Williams. Spot the odd one out.Those overseas subscribers most likely wouldn’t have heard of the people listed before me. But here in NZ they’re about the nearest thing to Tiger and Oprah that we have, and what down-to-earth nice people they turned out to be. I hear dragon stories of their fierce tempers and inapproachability, but this is far from the truth. Perhaps it was the booze talking, perhaps not. All I know is that they definitely helped make that day at the gallops one of the most memorable ever for me.Read the full story and a whole lot more in my weekly review (click here). Now onto the prizes and winners and a bumper crop of must do events for the week ahead... |
Winners From The Last GuideGerrard Woodside won the Womad 3 day double pass to enjoy with his cousin this weekend.Alistar Shorten and Gemma French got the DJ Ajax double pass for Met Bar this Saturday. Mark Mackay and Will Graham will head to Club Luxury at SpyBar this Saturday. Leon Austin, Nikki McCardle and Joshua Olausen all got tickets to see the last heat of The Miss Kingslander Bikini Competition. Snowy (No one really knows his real name), picked up DJ Recloose’s Perfect Timing album. Will Graham got lucky again and won Space Bar Saturday’s tickets for this weekend. Mark Pickering and Daniel Foreman won tickets to see Steve Bug perform at Coherent. Charlie Perry got the Toto Greatest Hits album. |
Prizes Up For Grabs (please only enter if you can actually attend)2 x Miss Kingslander Bikini Comp VIP double passes (FINAL). Enjoy complimentary drinks and the best seats in the house as 10 beauties compete for great prizes. Write “Miss Kingslander” in the subject box if you want to have a crazy evening at The Kingslander.3 x Double passes to Electric Mojo at Ink Bar and a limited edition Phil Brokelman mixed CD. Write “Electric Mojo” as the header for your email back to me to go in the draw. 1 x $50 bar tab for Denim Bar in Parnell. That’s 10 cocktails if you get there before 6pm on Friday. Write “Denim Bar” as the heading for the email and mail me asap if you’d like to indulge at Denim this weekend. 1 x VIP double pass to the Diesel Bourbon Bikini Competition at Pat’s Garage. The winner here gets $5000 so the calibre will be high. Type “Diesel Bourbon” for the title of your email back to me and you could be enjoying free drinks and ringside seats this Saturday afternoon. 1 x Double pass to Fevah at Galatos this Friday. It’s part of their national tour celebrating 8 years of international hard dance parties and is bound to be a stomper. Put “Fevah” in the subject box and mail me now if you want to go. 2 x Double passes to Glamour at Toto’s restaurant next Thursday (remember we all have the Friday off). A slick event that will be brimming with bling (half of it Adam B’s). Write “Glamour” as the headline and get back to me if you want to be in the draw. 1 x Double pass to Nite:Life on at the Auckland town hall next Thursday. It will sell out (if it hasn’t already). A brilliant venue and DJ line-up. One to witness at all costs. Type “Nite:Life” in the subject box if you want to go. |
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Wednesday March 12thLuke Thompson & Brian PlattTabac, 6 Mills Lane, Auckland Central $5 on the door. 8 – 10.30pm He impressed an educated crowd opening for Toto 2 weeks ago at The Civic, now you can see him perform with the equally accomplished Brian Platt. Their on-stage banter will leave you in fits, and the songs will linger long after you’re tucked up in bed for the night. And/Or Guy Cater – Master Hypnotist The Vesbar, AUT Wellesley Campus, Hikuwai Plaza, St Paul St, Auckland Central Entry $5. 8 – 10pm I have seen Guy perform twice. Once was at last year’s orientation. He rocked. Students are riotous even when in a trance. Great fun. |
Thursday March 13thOpenair Cinema - An Inconvenient TruthCnr Greenslade Cres. & Lake Rd, Northcote No Charge. 8 – 10pm I think we’ve all heard of this movie, you know the documentary presented by Al Gore. It’s a bit over board, but also very real. Nice for a quiet night out, weather permitting. And/Or Annabel Fay LIVE The Chapel Bar, 147 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby Gold coin entry (goes towards breast cancer research). 8.30 – 10.30pm Always a great place to be on a Thursday is the Chapel Bar for fun, social people. Tonight it’s enhanced by Annabel’s sweet voice and her unique soul-pop tunes. |
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Friday March 14thThe Kingsland FestivalThe Kingsland Shops, New North Rd, Kingsland No Charge. 3pm – 1am Last year’s festival was terrific; comedians, buskers and circus acts but most importantly DJ’s of all varieties. 5 very different bars unite to become one. And/Or Cocktails By The Hour Denim Bar, 207 Parnell Rd, Parnell No Charge. 5pm – 12am A perfect follow-on from Thursdays at Denim where ladies drink copious free bubbles from 5 - 7pm. On Fridays cocktails are the key. $5 ones from 5 -6pm, $6 from 6 -7pm and so on. Get there early and settle in for a fun evening with friends. And/Or Fevah’s 8th Birthday Dance Party Galatos, 17 Galatos St, Newton Tickets $45 from Real Groovy, Cosmic Corner or www.iticket.co.nz. 9pm – 6am I remember when these guys began in Christchurch, the energy created was amazing. Now their disciples are all over the world charging strong. If you like hard dance like me, then you should attend. |
Saturday March 15thBatucuda Sound MachineTakapuna Beach Reserve, Takupuna No Charge. 1 – 5pm BSM are a 13 piece Auckland band whose refined, energetic concoction of Brazilian, Cuban and dance-floor Afro-beat rhythms have delighted crowds at most of the major festivals around the world. They’re joined by Tangent and Motor City Family Funk for an afternoon of colour rhythms and rhymes. And/Or Smooth’n’The Park Western Park, Tahuna St, Freeman’s Bay No Charge. 2 – 6pm. An under-the-radar, low key event. If you want something fun but chilled out, then come along here with your filled eski and some friends. Smooth tunes and extra chunky beats. And/Or DJ Ajax – The Bang Gang Code Niteclub, Cnr High and Shortland St, Auckland Central Tickets $15 from Real Groovy, or on the door. It’s downstairs at Code, to keep the intimacy, but Ajax is going to play anything but intimately. He’s not #1 in OZ, and within the top 50 DJ’s in the world for nothing. Expect banging electro house like you’ve never seen before. |
Sunday 16th MarchRound The Bays Fun RunQuay St (By Britomart) to St Heliers Entry $10 - $15 on the day or go to www.roundthebays.co.nz. 9.30am – 12pm Likely to attract over 70,000 people, this is one of the biggest fun runs in the world. The 8.4km journey is picturesque and leisurely. There is a party vibe at the end with BBQ’s and marquees galore. Each year I try and make it, but each year one thing leads to another and I end up watching the competitors warming up from my vantage point at the entrance of SpyBar. And/Or Wigs On The Waterfront Viaduct Harbour, Auckland Central No Charge. 11am – 7pm Join local drag queens and performing artists as they spread their fabulousness, in a day of total camp and drag entertainment. And/Or 95bfm Summer Series Henderson Park, 41 Wilshire Cres., Henderson No Charge. 1 – 6pm A music-filled family day where everything is encouraged. If you missed BSM yesterday, don’t worry, they’re playing here too, along with The Managers, State Of Mind and Tenement Yard. Worth the drive out to the burbs, this line-up’s quality toe-tapping stuff. |
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Monday March 17th St Patrick's DayO’Hagans Irish Bar101 – 103 Customs St West, Viaduct Harbour No Charge. 6am – Late Start here then see what evolves. Last year this place was mental, similar antics are expected again this year. Alternatively try any one of these, The Bog, Muddy Farmer, The Clare Inn, Fiddler, O’Carrolls, The Immigrant or Claddagh. |
Tuesday March 18thUltimate FrisbeeAuckland Domain (fields by the museum), Wintergarden Rd, Parnell No Charge. 6pm. Email auleague.register@gmail.com for more info. It’s an exciting, fast paced non-contact sport that combines the skills from sports like rugby and netball, with the flight of a Frisbee. These boys are always game for a brew or 2 afterwards too. |
Wednesday March 19thAdam Stevenson LIVEThe Eden Cloakroom, 476 Mt Eden Rd, Mt Eden No Charge. 7-10pm The place has been open about 6 months and the popularity, especially among locals, is escalating. Tonight’s a great time to check it out. Adam sings like a bird (in a masculine way though) and is always up for a laugh with a great crew of workers and punters. Good fun. |
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Cool Events of the HorizonMarch 20th, Royal Easter Show (begins), ASB ShowgroundsMarch 20th, Glamour Dance Party, Toto’s Restaurant March 20th, Our House Nite:Life, Auckland Town Hall March 20th, Norman Jay, Pontoon March 20th, Improv. Bandits final show, The Classic March 21st, Good Friday March 21st, Rabbit (begins), Silo Theatre March 22nd, Auckland Dragon Boat Festival, Viaduct Harbour March 22nd, Comedian Kevin Nealon, The Classic March 22nd, Super 14 Blues V Stormers, Eden Park March 22nd, Jimmy Barnes, Mangawai Tavern March 22nd, Bluesfest, Whitianga March 22nd, Sundown Dance Party, Stonyridge Vineyard, Waiheke Island March 22nd, Smashing Pumpkins, Vector Arena March 23rd, NRL Warriors V Eels, Mt Smart Stadium March 26th, Duran Duran, Vector Arena March 28th, Split Enz, Vector Arena March 28th, Dam Native & Recloose, 4:20 Club March 28th, SJD & One Million Dollars, Te Wero Island March 29th, Blues V Bulls, Eden Park March 29th, Split Enz (second show), Vector Arena March 29th, Phoenix Music Festival, Basque Park March 29th, Titirangi Festival of Music, Titirangi March 29th, Hed Kandi, Asta March 29th, Oxygen Dance Party, Transmission Room March 30th, BFM Summer Series #5, Narrowneck Beach Takapuna April 3rd, Moonlight Movies - I Do, Killarney Reserve April 4th, Autumn Home Show (begins), ASB Showgrounds April 5th, Mint Dance Party, Seba April 6th, Daylight Savings Ends April 6th, Maroon 5, Vector Arena April 8th, Matchbox 20, Vector Arena April 9th, Balloons Over Waikato (begins) April 12th, WINGS’n’WHEELS, Marty’s 32nd Birthday Party, All Welcome, Forte April 17th, 5 Star Comedy Preview, SkyCity Theatre |