Studio the Venue: Kiwi metal superstars Alien Weaponry have returned home for their Tūmatauenga national tour - their biggest tour ever in New Zealand. The trio, who have found world fame with their te reo Māori lyrics and heavy metal sound, return home after signing internationally, headlining festivals around the world and right off the back of their monster Australian tour. Their tour kicks off in Tauranga on Thursday and lands in Auckland on Saturday. These will be the band's only shows in New Zealand this year before they head off overseas again for a US headline tour, more festivals and the honour of opening for metal legends Slayer in Germany, so don't miss your chance to see 'em now.
Alien Weaponry, Studio the Venue, Saturday
PumpHouse Theatre: For the past two decades, Touch Compass has turned conventional ideas about ability and impairment on their head through dance which is often experimental, frequently genre-defying and always stunning. This weekend, to mark its 21st, the company uses dance, theatre, visual arts and new media to celebrate its own achievements and our diverse society. Award-winning choreographer Sarah Foster Sproull joins forces with dancers Julie Van Rennen and Rodney Bell for the duet Drift; a site-specific installation will rise up beside Lake Pupuke to inspire the next generations of dancers and bloggers; the new hip-hop crew Integr8 performs and artist Yung Chen provides the backdrop for dancer Julie Van Rennen.
I'mPaired, PumpHouse Theatre, until Saturday
Spark Arena: Singer-songwriter John Mayer begins his 2019 world tour at Spark Arena this Saturday with An Evening with John Mayer, a concert featuring songs spanning his entire career. It's his first visit down here since 2014 and there's no opening act. The seven-time Grammy winner most recently released The Search For Everything, his critically acclaimed album from 2017, and is working on a follow-up; he just released the new single Guess I Just Feel Like. Mayer's cultural influence only continues as the years roll on - in the US, ABC has commissioned a pilot called Heart of Life, inspired by Mayer's song of the same name.
An Evening with John Mayer, Spark Arena, Saturday
Auckland Town Hall: It's the final weekend of the Auckland Arts Festival and they've saved one of the biggest events till nearly last. Composer Olivier Messiaen's Turangalîla Symphony needs a massive orchestra – more than 100 players and two soloists – to bring it to its full exuberant, colourful and excessive life so Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, musicians from the Australian National Academy of Music, pianist Joanna MacGregor and ondes player Cynthia Millar are joining forces for this rarely performed piece. It could well be a once in a lifetime opportunity and, if you're unsure about what to expect or maybe not a regular orchestra goer, there's a chance to find out more with a pre-concert "unwrap" which explores the piece.
Auckland Town Hall, Messiaen's Turangalîla, Saturday night
