KEY POINTS:
Otto and Astrid Rot are just two of the new star attractions appearing at Auckland Festival's Red Square in March.
Also known as Berlin's Prince and Princess of Punk, the pair bring their unique brand of "self-delusional electro-thrash" to Auckland with the show Die Roten Punkte: Robot/Lion Tour.
Elsewhere, burlesque dancers, a dark angel seductress, and the long-lost cousin of Sgt Pepper are part of the circus headed to Red Square as the Famous Spiegeltent returns to the Auckland Festival 2009.
Set up in Aotea Square - which will be known as Red Square during the two-week festival - the tent will play host to a number of local and international acts, including the colourful cabaret show La Clique, which sold out in 2007.
French-Irish chanteuse Camille O'Sullivan - known as The Dark Angel - comes straight from a sellout season in New York, to seduce Auckland audiences with her dramatic live show, while Parisian singer Caroline Nin brings some classic French glamour to the line-up with her Piaf tribute show, Hymne a Piaf.
Closer to home, Australian comedian Tim Minchin promises an entertaining night out as he combines his sharp observational comedy with accomplished songwriting skills, and The Wide Alley sees East and West collide as they combine the musical traditions of China's Sichuan province with European jazz, opera and folk music.
There is a diverse range of local music in Red Square this year, with everything from taonga puoro player Richard Nunns and artist-musician Phil Dadson teaming up to create sonic alchemy in Blood And Stone, to the weird and wonderful gypsy music of the Benka Boradovsky Bordello Band and Dr Collosus, and the eastern-influenced trance rock of An Emerald City.
There are also performances from hip-hop soul divas Ladi6 and Tyra Hammond, who plays with her band the Tornadoes, while The Recloose Live Band will get the party started at the Festival Club and Greg Johnson returns with his Cocktail Club set, an intimate evening with the singer/songwriter and his band.
Then there's producer and multi-instrumentalist Darryn Harkness playing live to a screening of vampire film Nosferatu and not forgetting musician and singer Tama Waipara's show Sir Plus and the Requirements.
Sir Plus is the long-lost Polynesian cousin of Sergeant Pepper, and Waipara describes the show as being on an island with Prince Tui Teka, Kid Creole and Burt Bacharach.
Red Square opens on Thursday March 5 and will be open every night until the festival closes on Sunday March 22. For more information go to www.aucklandfestival.co.nz
