KEY POINTS:
MUSICAL
With the passing of opera singer Rob Guest last week, The Phantom Of The Opera will be at the front of many people's minds - Guest played the role of the Phantom more than 2000 times in his career. The show kicks off an Auckland season early next week and it's a guaranteed great night out. The Andrew Lloyd Webber-penned show is the longest-running show on Broadway, 80 million people have seen it - what more do you need to know?
Phantom of the Opera - Civic, Auckland, Oct 14 -Nov 2
BLUES
These two icons of Kiwi music have been mates for years and now they're teaming up for a special tour of New Zealand. Midge Marsden and Hammond Gamble will go from "90 Mile to Bluff" in October, including a gig in Napier on Wednesday followed by shows in the top half of the North Island, delivering their seasoned blues and rock to long-time fans. They each perform a set of their hits before doing a combined encore.
HIP-HOP
Blackalicious bring their brand of hip-hop to Auckland and Wellington this weekend. The duo of DJ Chief Xcel and Gift of Gab first met in the late 80s and have been cooking up rhymes ever since. For a taste of Gab's lyrical ability, check out the song Alphabet Aerobics, as he makes his way from A to Z using alliteration as his mantra. "Artificial amateurs, aren't at all amazing/Analytically, I assault, animate things."
Blackalicious - Zen, Auckland Central, Oct 9; San Francisco Bath House, Wellington, Oct 10
METAL
None other than Rolling Stone magazine described hard rockers Meshuggah as one of the 10 most important hard and heavy bands - find out why at Auckland's Transmission Room this Friday night. It's the first time the Swedish band will bring their take on hardcore, death metal, thrash and progressive metal to Australasia. New Zealand fans will relish the chance to hear all the classic tracks live, plus material from their new album ObZen.
Meshuggah - Transmission Room, Auckland Central, Oct 10
ROOTS/REGGAE
Those cranking, skanking Aucklanders are at it again. dDub are warming up for another big summer with their "Early Early Summer Tour", which sees them playing Auckland tonight and Hamilton tomorrow. Here's a good chance to catch some organic, summery grooves to warm up for what is set to be another classic Kiwi summer of festivals. The party celebrates the release of a DVD to accompany their album Medicine Man.
dDub DVD Release party - Galatos, Auckland, Oct 10; Flow, Hamilton, Oct 11
DANCE/ROCK
A true smorgasbord of local underground talent across various genres comes together to play the iconic King's Arms this Friday. The aptly named Hold Onto Your Genre gig consists of everything from the electro-pop sounds of Bionic Pixie to the hip-hop of Tourettes to the indie four/four of Pig Out. This excellent showcase of below-the-radar Auckland musicians also features White Birds and Lemons, Sharpie Crows, Sam Hamilton and James Hayday.
Hold Onto Your Genre - King's Arms, Newton, Oct 10
COMEDY
If you like odd Friday night TV comedy A Thousand Apologies, you may be keen on a show at Auckland's Maidment Theatre. Tarun Mohanbhai, a comedian on the Auckland scene since the late 90s and one of the creators of that TV show, performs his solo stage show Cornershop Confessions until Sunday. Follow the character DJ Vijay as he tries to buck the family tradition of working in a dairy to pursue his dreams.
Cornershop Confessions - Maidment Theatre, Alfred St, Auckland, to Oct 11
JAZZ ETC
Takapuna's Pumphouse Theatre has attracted some big names for their Music Week, which kicks off next Tuesday with a performance by jazz-tronic troubadour Nathan Haines. Wednesday sees the delightful guitar pop of Goldenhorse take residence, Thursday it's the sweet sounds of Anika Moa, on Friday the legendary Don McGlashan takes to the stage, and Saturday wraps up with the glamorous Jennifer Ward-Lealand.
Pumphouse Music Week - The PumpHouse Theatre, Takapuna, Oct 14-18, all gigs start 8pm
