Stories

UK rock legend Lloyd Cole prefers intimate, acoustic gigs these days over the stadium-storming days of performing with the Commotions. He tells Cityscape that breaking a song down for acoustic performance exposes just how strong or weak it is. This is your eighth visit to New Zealand – what keeps bringing you back? It’s what I do. The model for making a living as a musician these days is exactly the opposite of what it was when I started making music. We used to make money from selling records and then we would go on tour to promote those records. Now it’s exactly the opposite. Do you still enjoy touring? I do. The only thing that’s sometimes a little worrying is that obviously I’m not getting any younger and it’s tiring. So I like to try to schedule it properly and I’m also now taking action and working on my fitness...

Since she stopped comparing herself with others and started to lead her own life, Lucy Sheridan hasn’t looked back. Now she shares her insights with others, online and in a new book. Cityscape caught up with the UK author and ‘comparison coach’. So how did you come to be the world’s only comparison coach? Comparison has always been part of my life since I was young. I compared myself often in lots of ways and it has been as exhausting as it sounds. In my late 20s I decided I had finally had enough and committed to exploring the root cause of my toxic habit. This led me first to the self-help aisle of the bookshop, then to psychology videos on YouTube and then progressed more seriously into me exploring my own coaching training. Through this process I was able to create a set of tools and techniques to massively reduce...

Cityscape checks in with what’s new in the inner city, from retail meccas boasting everything from boutiques to High Street fashion, and hospitality venues ideal for everything from an intimate date night to places where the party is guaranteed. Riverside Market This seven-day-a-week market space by the Bridge of Remembrance has been inundated since opening with keen shoppers wanting to get their hands on the multitude of goodies on offer. Stop by and you’ll discover plenty of banging eateries, artisan suppliers and boutique retailers – you’ll be spoilt for choice. You can bop along as you shop, too – there’s an awesome sound system that was put in by Craig Shaw and the team at Harvey Norman. Among the 30 independent food outlets and 40 market stalls are city favourites Pedro’s Kitchen, where you can pick up some delectable tapas; Argentine BBQ bosses El Quincho; Bohemian Bakery, serving up their fresh...

Callam Mitchell heads Team Event, the promoter putting the icing on Christchurch’s cake this summer with a killer lineup of festivals and events. He tells Cityscape about his first event – a high school after-party when he was 16 – and why he loves what he does. Tell us what Team Event has in store for Christchurch this festival season? We have our biggest summer coming up, with five festivals locked in and a number of headline shows. We’re kicking off with the South Island Wine & Food Festival on December 7. We then have the Great Kiwi Beer Festival in January, Nostalgia Festival and Electric Avenue in February, and the first North Island edition of the Great Kiwi Beer Festival in Hamilton in March. We are also involved with the Summer’s Day Disco concert in Hagley Park in January, and we have one or two more announcements yet to come....

Find the clues, solve the puzzle and escape! That’s what the good folks at CodeBreakers live for and they filled Cityscape in on some of the adventures to be had at their two locations. You’re stuck in a room with your friends and the clock is ticking on your escape – the team at CodeBreakers are masters at setting up quirky, challenging and entertaining scenarios for you to break out of. These guys recently had a makeover and changed their name from Crate Escape to CodeBreakers and with the new name comes a whole raft of new escape adventures! An escape room is just that, with a tricky scenario thrown in for good measure. The aim is to work in a team to uncover clues, crack codes, solve puzzles and complete your mission, which is to get out – all within 60 minutes. Sounds fun, right? You’ll discover various themes at...

Health and wellbeing has a new home in Christchurch. The Welder brings all aspects of a healthy life under one roof in Welles Street. Trendy Welles Street has a new hotspot, The Welder, the first health and wellbeing centre of this scale in the country. It’s a place where you can celebrate all parts of wellbeing, expanding further than just healthy eating into physical wellbeing, mindfulness and sociability. Balance is at the core of The Welder, which is located in six beautifully repurposed character buildings dating back to 1880. Some days you might pop in for a yoga class and a salad, other days you might eat pastries and drink beer. Or get a new hairdo. Who’s at The Welder? O-Studio Get the most from your body and mind with yoga, flotation, meditation, ice baths, infra-red saunas and personalised coaching programmes. GoodFor Stock up on pantry goods without the wasteful packaging...

Iconic inner-city department store Ballantynes have opened their stunning new retail space and it’s packed full of wow factor. Step inside and discover some chic European influence throughout, with a spectacular three-storey atrium at the intersection of the old and new – this is where you’ll find the oh-so-cool deli, café and wine bar Kin. The shiny, new 2,800 square metre homewares department is drenched in natural light and will bring all your design dreams to life with exclusive-to-NZ brands Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids and West Elm. These upscale US brands will bring a touch of difference to the homewares on offer in town and will leave your home looking at its best. Pottery Barn specialise in casual, comfortable and classy home furnishings – they have a timeless design aesthetic and will provide inspo for every room. Pottery Barn Kids’ designs create child-friendly, snazzy and innovative spaces for the nursery,...

Cityscape brings you all the deets for Addington Cup Week, the biggest week on Christchurch’s social calendar. We have tips for picking a winner as well as pacing yourself on the 116th Christchurch Casino NZ Trotting Cup Day, the inside word from the fashion judges on what they are looking for, and we catch up with the artists who will keep the vibe pumping between races. Hang on to your fascinators, everything is lined up and ready to race for Addington Cup Week. The season’s hottest social event is this year set to be the most stylish yet. Join the city’s crème de la crème at Addington Raceway & Events Centre when the action kicks off on Tuesday November 12 with Christchurch Casino NZ Trotting Cup Day and continues on the Friday with Show Day Races. On the day, a full card of 12 races culminates in the 116th running of...

Kiwi R&B-pop artist Vince Harder will be breaking out the hits on the Lindauer Lawn between races at the Christchurch Casino NZ Trotting Cup Day. What you have been up to recently? I have just got back from touring with Guy Sebastian on his sold-out Australian tour. Any plans to return to the recording studio soon? I’m always in the studio! But I’m definitely working on another single release, if not before the end of the year then early next. What’s on the cards for 2020? It’s looking pretty good so far. I’m planning on writing and releasing more original music and also focusing on more live performances throughout New Zealand and Australia. Tell us about your first gig? I think my first ever proper gig was at the music festival Parachute. I formed my own band with a really lame name and started writing and performing originals. I had just...

Nostalgia Festival will take over Ferrymead Heritage Park’s 1890s replica township for the seventh year on Saturday February 15, 2020. The funky street fest will feature an eclectic mix of artists across three stages, featuring acts from around New Zealand and beyond. Cityscape has all the juicy deets! Headlining the boutique festival will be multi award-winning and globally celebrated singer, writer and producer Ladyhawke. She will be joined by some killer acts including Lord Echo, Troy Kingi, Holly Arrowsmith, Delaney Davidson and Barry Saunders, Tiny Ruins, Marlin’s Dreaming, Mermaidens, Mousey, Archer and Flora Knight, Skyscraper Stan, Ever Lovin’ Jug Band, Beacon Bloom, Eyes Down Sound, Pikachunes, Hauswerk and MUDD. Keep an ear out because there’s more acts to be announced, too! The broad range of musical styles will appeal to a diverse crowd – festival founder Johnny Gibson says, “The range of acts for the 2020 festival is unprecedented, from the...

Killer micro-brewery and taproom The Fermentist have a new brew that will have your taste-buds zinging – their Kiwi Pale Ale. The KPA is the first certified carboNZero beer – this means sustainable packaging and that every single emission, from the fertiliser used to grow the grain to refrigeration at your home, is measured and accounted for. Simon Taylor, general manager of The Fermentist, says, “For the relatively small footprint the beer still makes, we are offsetting it against restorative forestry projects like that at the local Hinewai Reserve on Canterbury’s Banks Peninsula. We’ve also developed a strategy to ensure we reduce the KPA’s carbon footprint each year.” You can expect some serious flavours with Southern Cross and Motueka hops balanced with 100 percent NZ malt – meaning you’ll get a full flavour without any lingering bitterness. Offering more than just a taste sensation, The Fermentist have partnered with Kiwi DJ...

Spoiler alert – Jojo Rabbit is all about learning to tie your own shoelaces. The simplest of repeated motifs provides the narrative thread that holds together a remarkable film that surely cements Taika Waititi as one of the most talented artists working in modern cinema, as a director and as an actor. The audience’s applause at the end of last night’s premiere was a spontaneous salute to an artist at the top of his game. His deft touch as a director is clear in the remarkable performances he coaxes from his young leads, Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo) and Thomasin McKenzie, as the young Jewish girl hiding in the attic of fervent young Nazi Jojo. And his increasingly unhinged Adolf Hitler – Jojo’s imaginary friend – shifts from comic to terrifying as the war gets closer and closer. Just as Tarantino’s Django Unchained portrayed almost in passing the brutal day-to-day reality of...

Get your green thumbs ready, Cityscapers – come March 2020 we will have a garden festival again. The inaugural Christchurch Garden Festival GROW Ō Tautahi, launched tonight, will transform the Botanic Gardens and Ilex complex into a vibrant, contemporary celebration of the region’s love of gardens, design and outdoor living. From March 20 – 22, the free festival, presented by Lincoln University, will host botanical displays, exhibition gardens, panel discussions, workshops and master-classes. Food maestro Jax Hamilton and celebrated restaurateur Jonny Schwass will lead cooking demonstrations with guest chefs, award-winning landscape designer Dan Rutherford will share his years of experience in creating beautiful outdoor spaces, Dr Trevor Stuthridge and his team from AgResearch will present their research on evolving technologies, and beginner gardening enthusiast Julia Atkinson-Dunn will host panel discussions on what’s new in gardening, and what to do when things don’t quite go to plan. “Grow Ō Tautahi celebrates the...

October brings longer daylight hours and more time to enjoy all that is on offer. Art lovers will rejoice as SCAPE launch their 2019 season, transforming the city into a home for the temporary contemporary. You can also catch street art party Highlight. Jump on your bike as Biketober rolls into town, or get your zen on at this year’s Body Mind Spirit – Health Expo. Quench your thirst with Oktoberfest, or indulge in some locally grown drops at Taste North Canterbury. Discover local history with the Beca Christchurch Heritage Festival. Black Books fans are in for treat as Dylan Moran takes to the stage, and you can get your music fix with Postmodern Jukebox. SCAPE Public Art This year’s six-week season of SCAPE Public Art’s exhibition is sure to inspire and delight you. Outdoor spaces throughout the city will become home to more than a dozen contemporary artworks from local...

Would you believe us if we said Christchurch now boasts 48 kilometres of dedicated cycleways? Well it’s true, and we’re absolutely fizzing. The city has bred more than 10 kilometres of fresh cycleway since Cityscape last checked in, meaning there’s now a path into town from most parts of this humming city. You can check out what’s changed below. Save money, save the planet and join us as we rediscover our city from the saddle. 1. Uni-Cycle University of Canterbury Campus to City Centre – 6kmDon your helmet and jump on your bike to make the most of the spring weather as you traverse the tree-lined cycleways through the university campus. This is a fab ride for the whole family, which has a couple of must-see, must-do places where you can hit the pause button and enjoy the gifts of Mother Nature along the way. First up you’ll find Riccarton Bush. Saturday is...

Welsh mezzo soprano Katherine Jenkins is returning to Christchurch, where she last performed in 2011 in a post-earthquake charity concert with Plácido Domingo. She tells Cityscape she’s looking forward to checking in on the rebuild. You have performed for the Queen and for the Pope, at the Rugby World Cup and in Afghanistan for British troops – has there been a favourite? It’s really hard to pick a favourite. So many were on my bucket list, like singing for the Welsh rugby team or at the Sydney Opera House. Being asked to sing for Her Majesty the Queen is just totally surreal and doing the war zones – which definitely wasn’t something I dreamed of as a child – have been some of my best and proudest memories. What piqued your interest in a career in opera? I come from a very normal background in Wales. My parents never played classical...

The local musicians we can’t get enough of. RUSE Having his song ‘Bring the Bomb Squad’ chosen for the RDU Singles Club was another win off the back of a series of highs for local producer Ruse. He’s performed at some of Aotearoa’s biggest music festivals (Bay Dreams, Rhythm & Alps), represented New Zealand on the world stage in renowned turntable competitions and opened for his heroes. More recently, he released his EP Fragments. Ruse says he’s most proud of the way Fragments highlights his “progress and direction as a producer”. Releasing it on one of his favourite labels – Saturate Records – is something he won’t get over any time soon, either. “It still blows my mind,” he says. Gear limitations allowed him to explore his equipment more and in his words, trying to get as much as you can out of a single source “forces experimentation and creativity”. ADAM...

Grammy-nominated singer and blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa is returning to New Zealand and we couldn’t be happier. The guitarist has released 15 solo albums and secured his reputation as one of the best blues players alive. Rock out with Bonamassa at the Christchurch Town Hall on September 25. jbonamassa.com