Chatterbox: Jazz Robbie-style

Jamie Cullum

The British guy who earned the moniker of the "jazz Robbie Williams" with his high energy performances and populist approach to the genre, is returning to New Zealand for one concert.

Singer-pianist Jamie Cullum, who was last here on a promotional visit in 2004, has included his interpretations of songs by Jeff Buckley, Jimi Hendrix and Radiohead alongside jazz standards and will play an Auckland concert at Easter at the end of a swing through Australia.

Cullum and band will perform at the SkyCity Theatre on Easter Sunday, April 16. Tickets on sale March 3. 


Them's the Breaks

There's been much activity in the Breaks Co-Op camp.

As well as going on tour next month, the band has signed to Parlophone Records in Britain (the EMI label for which the Beatles recorded and whose roster includes Coldplay and Radiohead) and in the United States to the EMI-owned Astralwerks, which licences many European electronic acts.

Also, the group have gained a grant from the New Zealand Music Industry Commission's Outward Sound scheme which in effect gives them as much as $60,000 for "market infiltration" costs on a dollar-for-dollar basis to help them penetrate the British market.

Meanwhile, Breaks Co-Op play the the Leigh Sawmill on March 16, King's Arms on March 17 and Wellington's Hope Brothers Cafe, March 18. 
 

Ready to be Disturbed

Chicago-based metal act Disturbed are heading to New Zealand for a close encounter with the fans who drove their third album straight to No 1 in the local charts. Ten Thousand Fists topped the NZ charts on its release in October.

Disturbed will play at the Christchurch Town Hall on Thursday April 20 and the Auckland Town Hall on Saturday April 22. Each venue has a capacity nearer 3000 fists, if everyone puts up both hands at once. Tickets go on sale on March 3. 

 
Musical chairs

Damian Marley and Public Enemy have swapped dates. Not in the Motley Crue sense - Marley now plays at the St James, Auckland on April 6 and Public Enemy play at the same venue the following night. (Tickets for both shows are available from TicketDirect and Real Groovy.) And just to really screw up your plans, Snoop Dogg will now play Auckland's Supertop on April 15, rather than the Friday announced by organisers last week. Ticketek has tickets. 
 

Fleeting visit of Foreigner

Foreigner - the band behind such late 70s/early 80s FM rock hits such as Cold as Ice, Hot Blooded and the power ballad I Want to Know What Love Is - are heading to Auckland in May for one concert.

The band now consists of British founder guitarist, songwriter and producer Mick Jones along with musicians recruited in the past decade including Jason Bonham - son of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham and the man on the stool for the last Oasis album.

The tenth or so Foreigner line-up plays at the Aotea Centre on Thursday, May 25. Tickets on sale March 3.