KISS are coming back to New Zealand - and they're promising to "shake the heavens" with their biggest stage production yet.
The iconic rockers are set to perform at Auckland's Vector Arena on Friday, October 16, their first show here in seven years. They'll be bringing those tongues, that makeup and a giant spider with them.
"We are so very excited to be visiting again with our fans in New Zealand," frontman Gene Simmons said.
"We feel a special kinship to the Kiwis, the culture, the food and the people. But don't kid yourself, we're coming to you to shake the heavens. You will see the greatest show on Earth."
They'll perform on a fully functioning stage production called "The Spider", that's controlled by winches and features 220 lights and 900 pieces of pyrotechnics. It weights 43,000kg.
The New York rockers have a career spanning five decades and 20 albums, including classic songs like I Was Made For Loving You, God Gave Rock 'n' Roll To You, and Rock 'n' Roll All Nite. Their last album, Monster, was released in 2012.
Tickets go on sale on March 25, with a Kiss fan club presale starting on March 20, and a My Ticketaster pre-sale kicking off on March 23.
If that's not enough Kiss for you, guitarist Ace Frehley will be here for a one-off show in Auckland next month.
He's performing at The Studio on April 25, where he'll play Kiss classics and songs from his own solo career. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster.
NZ tour for wedding crashers
If you're planning a wedding for later this year, you might want to time it to coincide with Maroon 5's tour dates.
The Moves Like Jagger hit-makers are planning two New Zealand shows in October, at Christchurch's Horncastle Arena on October 1, and Auckland's Vector Arena on October 3. They'll be playing in support of their most recent album V, which features Sugar, the single that went viral thanks to a video featuring the pop-rock act turning up at weddings unannounced and playing a surprise set.
It's had more than 223 million views, despite questions being asked over whether the weddings were real or staged.
Either way, it's the latest hit for the falsetto-loving Grammy winners, with their catalogue of chart hits also including Payphone, One More Night, and This Love. You may have also seen front man Adam Levine on your TV screen lately, either as a judge on talent show The Voice, or as a recurring character in the second season of American Horror Story.
Swedish trio Dirty Loops will play in support at both shows. Tickets go on sale on March 27, with a Spark pre-sale beginning on March 24, and a My Live Nation pre-sale on March 26.
Maroon 5.
Humming along
Blink, aka Ian Jorgensen, is a one-man force of nature who had a huge impact on underground music in New Zealand over the past two decades.
His record label and touring company, A Low Hum, helped to kickstart many local careers; his Camp A Low Hum festival was the stuff of legend; and he wrote three books full of advice for musicians and music lovers, helping them to negotiate the murky waters of the music industry.
Now he has launched a new project, entitled "A Movement". It launched in Wellington (where he is based) last week and this week it arrives in Auckland, encompassing multiple media.
First he's releasing 10 photographic art books of intimate shots he's taken over the past 15 years, accompanied by a film, which is a visual essay comprised of Jorgensen's own archive video footage following the 70 bands he toured around the country in this time. There are limited screenings round the country - it will be shown at The Wine Cellar this Saturday at 3pm.
Plus there are over 25 gigs round the country, including eight in Auckland from tonight, featuring acts like Secret Knives, Shocking Pinks, Riki Gooch, Totems, and Jon Lemmon, across various venus including The Wine Cellar, Golden Dawn, The Kings Arms, TimeOut bookstore, Absolutely Trashed, and the Pioneers Womens Hall. Head to alowhum.com for all the details.
Vampires get their teeth into the US
Wellington's vampires have made a dent in America.
Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement's vampire mockumentary, What We Do In The Shadows, has charted at No. 19 in the latest American box office figures released by Rentrak.
Though that's a long way from the No. 1 spot, claimed by Cinderella, it does sit above The Wedding Ringer, Kevin Hart's dud that has an approval rating of just 28 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. Shadows' rating is 96 per cent.
Rentrak reported Shadows made US$321,925 ($436,106) after screening in 126 theatres, averaging US$2555 ($3461) in each cinema. After five weeks in theatres there, has made a total of US$1,375,381 ($1,863,559).
Shadows was released in New Zealand last June but has only just come out in America, thanks to a kickstarter fund that helped Waititi and Clement release the film independently.
