KEY POINTS:
Soul
In support of her third album, Half The Perfect World, Madeleine Peyroux performs at Auckland's Aotea Centre on Friday. Often compared to Billie Holiday, Norah Jones and more, expect a soulful show from the singer-songwriter. Born in Athens, Georgia, she has since spent time living in California, New York and Paris. Peyroux has come a long way from the early days of busking on Parisian street corners and now performs in theatres and clubs around the world.
* Madeleine Peyroux - ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre, Jan 26; Tickets $65 at Ticketek
Festival
Culture takes over Waiheke Island this Anniversary weekend. It's billed as "Auckland's newest, and only, zero-waste, corporate-free, multi-day festival". The musical line-up is impressive, with a collection of some of Auckland's most talented DJs rubbing shoulders with a couple of top-notch live acts, including British-based dance act Spektrum, Nathan Haines, the Black Seeds and North Shore Pony Club. Festival-goers will also be entertained by impressive audio visual shows, markets, a speaker's corner and more.
* Culturefest - Waiheke Island, Sat-Sun, www.culturefest.org.nz, tickets $80 residents, $100 non-residents, from iTicket
Jazz
The zoo continues to offer a star-studded season of entertainment in their Zoo Music series. Upcoming acts include Tim Finn, the Black Seeds and Anika Moa. This weekend New Zealand's biggest selling jazz artist Nathan Haines performs from 6pm with an eight-piece band featuring vocalist Vanessa Freeman, and keyboardist/producer Mike Patto. There is a good cause to be supported with some proceeds going to the Seblat Project, a venture which hopes to aid the endangered Sumatran tiger.
* Zoo Music with Nathan Haines and dDub - Auckland Zoo Band Rotunda, Sunday, 6pm-9pm
Rock
Following Syd Barrett's departure from the group, Pink Floyd's Roger Waters became one of the key creative forces in the band throughout their long career. It's not every day a musician of this calibre visits New Zealand, but he's here on Monday at North Harbour Stadium, Albany. After Pink Floyd went their separate ways, Waters went on to a solo career, before the group reformed for the Live8 gig last year. He plays New Zealand with a band that includes his son, Harry, on keyboards.
* Roger Waters - North Harbour Stadium, Albany, Monday, tickets from $90 at Ticketmaster
Learn
John Conway is a mathematician and a teacher, having at one point said, "If it is alive and is sitting somewhere near me, I'll teach it." His fascination with games and puzzles has led him to important discoveries in areas of mathematics from number theory to geometry. You might also remember him as the inventor of the Game of Life. Maybe not, but he can tell you all about that and more as he delivers a public lecture tonight at the University of Auckland.
* Public lecture by John Conway: The Game of Life - SLT 1, 38 Princes St, University of Auckland, tonight, 6pm
Sport
The City Of Sails lives up to its name this Anniversary weekend. On the water, the Auckland Match Racing Cup is under way, finishing up on Sunday with the cup presentation outside Soul Bar in the Viaduct. From land, the action is best viewed from the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron at Westhaven Marina, Tamaki Dr, Orakei Wharf, or Bastion Point. The annual Anniversary Day regatta happens on Monday, as well as an official farewell to Team New Zealand before they head to Valencia. The team's base will be open to the public from 12.30pm-5.30pm. Maritime Festivities - Waitemata Harbour and the Viaduct Basin, until Monday
Family
Grab the kids and head out to the Hunua Ranges on Sunday to try out the Auckland Regional Council's Mountain Bike Adventure course. Suitable for those 8-years-old and up, the two-hour course starts with a quick skills refresh and bike familiarisation, before heading on to the tracks. Bikes, helmets, and a guide are provided for $20 per person, and there are three journeys at 10am, 12.30pm and 3pm. The course is suitable for family groups and bookings are essential.
* Hunua Mountain Bike Adventure - meet at the lower carpark at the Mangatawhiri Dam, Hunua Ranges, 10am, 12.30pm, 3pm. $20 per person. Ph (09) 366 2000, option 2
Folk
Well look at that, it's the 34th annual Auckland Folk Festival this weekend, at the Kumeu Showgrounds. On Saturday and Sunday you can enjoy folk talent from here and abroad. Cloudstreet, known for their hot harmonies and beautiful ballads, perform a set of original songs drawing influence from traditional Australian, English and Celtic music. The Aardvarks are billed as a folk supergroup led by Pete Grassby, and are sure to get people up and dancing. Visit aucklandfolkfestival.co.nz for more info.
* Auckland Folk Festival - Kumeu Showgrounds, 10am-11pm, Sat-Sun, tickets $45 per day
Soul/Hip Hop
After a memorable performance on the main stage at Rhythm & Vines in Gisborne, Auckland soulful hip-hop collective Opensouls play two gigs at a smaller, more intimate venue this weekend. The Leigh Sawmill continues its tradition of booking great gigs over long weekends (Fat Freddy's Drop on Labour weekend is always one to catch). The full band will play on Saturday night with DJs Dylan C and Dan Paine, and then again on Sunday with Manuel Bundy and The Submariner.
* Opensouls - Leigh Sawmill Cafe, Saturday and Sunday, tickets $25 from Real Groovy or Sawmill Cafe
