KEY POINTS:
DANCE
Today in Auckland thousands of people are brimming with excitement over a gig tonight by a couple of guys from the UK called Ed and Tom. With their recent single Salmon Dance reaching almost Macarena status in its infectiousness and dancefloor potential, there will be plenty for the crowd to digest at this Chemical Brothers show. We hope they delve deep into their back catalogue to pull out gems like Star Guitar and Hey Boy, Hey Girl, but also expect the current heavy hitting tunes like Do It Again to set the Vector Arena alight. Did somebody say visuals?
* Chemical Brothers with Minuit and James Holroyd - Vector Arena, Feb 28
ROCK
The big names just keep on coming to the Vector Arena, with the Latino guitar maestro Carlos Santana making Tuesday night in Auckland feel like a Saturday night in downtown Mexico City. The man is a legend, with millions of albums sold, multiple Grammys to his name, and the title of `15th best guitarist ever' given to him by Rolling Stone magazine. It's five years since Santana visited our shores, so it's well worth catching up on his latest material.
* Carlos Santana - Vector Arena, March 4, ticketmaster
FESTIVAL
If the day dawns fine this Sunday, one option could be a jaunt to Matakana to enjoy a brand new event. The Matakana Food and Wine Festival sees a bunch of local wineries come together for our benefit. Take a stroll through the 21ha Matakana Country Park, sample wine, food and lots of music. Four different stages host everyone from the bluesy Groove Diggers to the Latin soul of Batucada Sound Machine, to the funky house of Bevan Keys.
* Matakana Wine & Food Festival - Matakana Country Park, 10am, Ticketmaster.co.nz
ROCK
Toto are the kings of soft rock thanks to songs like Africa, Rosanna and Hold the Line.
Never fear, when they play the Civic Theatre on Sunday night they will play your beloved Africa but you could be quite shocked by the noisy rock numbers from latest album Falling In Between.
And the band, which features original members Steve Lukather on guitar and singer Bobby Kimball, also play a selection of songs from their 13 studio albums spanning more than 30 years. Expect it to be anything but soft.
* Toto - Civic Theatre, Auckland, Mar 2. Tickets $99.50-$149.50 from Ticketek.
FESTIVAL
If you're lactose-intolerant, discontinue reading this story. This Wednesday the Skycity Convention Centre becomes a cheese-lovers' fantasy land for a few short hours. CheeseFest 08 sees 400 of the cheeses taken from the recent Cuisine Magazine Champions of Cheese Awards gather under one roof, ready to be sampled. A complimentary glass of wine on entry gets you going, and a glass of port at the blue cheese stand will make for a tasty pitstop.
* CheeseFest 08 - Skycity Convention Centre, Auckland, March 5, 5-8pm, ticketek
POP
Ladies, be sure to pack a spare pair of underwear for this Saturday's Mission Estate Winery Concert. Headlining the show is none other than Mr Tom Jones who, at the sprightly age of 67, still inspires much knicker throwing wherever he goes. As if Tom wasn't enough, also entertaining the Napier crowd will be stalwart Australian rocker Jimmy Barnes. It's worth noting that although you can BYO alcohol, there is a limit of two bottles of wine each, a dozen cans of beer, or 10 pre-mixed drinks per person.
* Mission Estate Winery Concert with Tom Jones, Jimmy Barnes - 198 Church Road, Greenmeadows, Napier, noon-11pm
FESTIVAL
Radio station 95bFM holds their first Summer Series of the year this Sunday at Auckland's Albert Park (February's was rained out). It starts at noon and features the raw funk of Tyra and the Tornadoes, the big tunes of Scribe, and the heavy drum and bass of Bulletproof, among others. Meanwhile at Waiheke Island's Isola Estate the Corona Festival sees George FM's DJ talent joining bands such as The Hot Grits and One Million Dollars for a free festival happening on both Saturday and Sunday.
* Corona Festival with One Million Dollars, The Hot Grits, Tim Phin, Recloose, Peter Urlich and more - Isola Estate Vineyard, Waiheke Island, March 1/2, 11am-8pm; bFM Summer Series - Albert Park, March 2 noon-6pm
JAZZ
Sydney band The Necks are an intriguing proposition. Their best album Piano, Bass, Drums features one continuous 53-minute song. Their live show will have a similar structure, with simple beginnings marking the start of a musical journey for both the band and the audience. The Civic Theatre's Wintergarden will provide an epic setting for their gig this Friday night. The trio have been prolific over the last 20 years, with over 200 albums featuring their presence individually or together. Take a deep breath and open your mind for this one.
* The Necks - Wintergarden, Civic Theatre, Feb 29, ticketek
