Stories

Cityscape is amped for next week’s masterclass on non-alcoholic cocktails at Ballantynes with Seedlip founder Ben Branson, who’s coming all the way from his dreamy farm in the English countryside. We wanted to know more about the idyllic life of the creator, so we had a quick catch up before he heads our way. It’s been a crazy few years for you and Seeplip - did you ever anticipate that it would be so successful? When I was hand labelling bottles in my kitchen, packing them into boxes, putting them in the back of my car, delivering them, then standing in Selfridges in London for four hours each day and then serving Seedlip cocktails at events in the evening, never did I dream that just three years later we would be available in over 25 countries, working with over 250 Michelin * restaurants & have our cocktails served in eight of the...

Time to get your groove on, Christchurch’s hottest and newest music festival Urban Jungle is tapped to take over Vanguard Square in the CBD on April 13. A collaboration between Christchurch-based promoters Sub180 Entertainment, Dux Central, SIMBA Canterbury, The Slate Room and The Edge Canterbury, Urban Jungle will have you swaying to chill tunes and solid bangers thanks to the muso line-up which consists of Kiwi legend Savage, local lads Nomad, Whanganui rap crew Machete Clan and Dunedin rockers Hot Donnas as well as up and comers Run77 and hip hop crew The Joint. With talks that Urban Jungle will become the city’s equivalent to other urban festivals such as Auckland’s Laneway and Wellington’s Homegrown, you’ll want to snap up tickets stat. Urban JungleApril 13, Vanguard Squarefacebook.com

Cityscape chats with Mark Kneebone, one of the founders of You Are Us / Aroha Nui, an event that sees a selection of New Zealand musicians take to the stage in Auckland (April 13) and Christchurch (April 17) to raise funds for Our People, Our City.  How much sleep haven’t you had over the last week? Haha - it’s been a busy week. How difficult was it to pull this together on such short notice? On one hand incredibly difficult because of the short timelines, on the other hand really easy because everyone wants to help and be involved. Who called who? Brent (Eccles) and I both started getting a bunch of calls from artists that we work with, and after that it was people in the industry and an overwhelming sense of people wanting to help and be involved and contribute … from there it was just a snowball.  It has been universal: artists from...

Heavy hitters from the New Zealand music scene are coming together for two epic performances in Auckland (April 13) and Christchurch (April 17) to support those affected by the Christchurch terror attacks. Hosted by New Zealander of the Year, Mike King and with other performers and cultural speakers set to take to the stage, these concerts will be a great way to get behind this cause and rally together. The full Christchurch line-up has been announced and sees The Adults, Anika Moa, Bailey Wiley, BENE, Bic and Boh Runga, Chaii, Christchurch Combined Choir, Dave Dobbyn, Diggy Dupe, The Exponents, Fat Freddy's Drop, Hollie Smith, Illbaz, Marlon Williams, Melodownz, MC Mike King, Mitch James, Seth Haapu, Shapeshifter, Shihad, Six60, Stan Walker, Soraya Lapread, Teeks and Lorde take to the stage with many more performers still to come! Spark Arena, AucklandChristchurch Stadium, Christchurch youareus.co.nz

Coastal tones and cool hues are the signature look of the season for style savvy lads. Embrace the elements with the newest AW19 drop from New Zealand designers Untouched World, Cutler & Co and Indigo & Provisions. Keep things dapper with the striped flannel blazer from Cutler & Co (1) or for an off-duty weekend look, pair a tee with a comfy jacket in the likes of the Dstrezzed tee (2) and Dstrezzed shell jacket (4). Accessorise with some sunnies, a belt and a rad satchel - we love the latest from Indigo & Provisions (6, 7 & 8) and top it all off with a spritz of cologne - Alien Man EDT (3) has been a fave. 1. Dstrezzed brand melange stripe flannel blazer from Cutler & Co2. Dstrezzed brand tattoo design tee from Cutler & Co3. Alien Man EDT 100ml4. Dstrezzed brand tech shell jacket from Cutler & Co5....

The last week has taught us, among a great many other things, the value of looking up and away from our screens. Social media platforms have (rightly) become the target of frustration and anger – particularly Facebook. The global giant has been called out by our Prime Minister for doing far too little, far too late to stop the spread of that hateful video of the Mosque shootings. There is a call for a Facebook blackout for 50 hours this weekend, starting at 1.40pm tomorrow and observing an hour for every victim killed in the incident. There is a stronger call to get off the platform for good. My challenge to you, Cityscapers, is to adopt the 50 hours and see how it goes. See if you can do it. Put your phone in your pocket or leave it on the table, face down, when you go out with friends. Order...

Bold and busy prints are the look of the AW19 season. This daring trend is not for the faint hearted! Don’t get us wrong, we love a LBD and a simple bias slip dress, however we’re all for making a statement on the pavement and we’ve found love in dresses that ooze eccentric prints, in particular the newest AW19 collections from Helen Cherry, RUBY and Kate Sylvester. Keep the rest of your outfit understated with simple kicks and accessories and let your dress do the talking. Go bold or go home! Left to right: Zimmermann, Helen Cherry, twenty-seven names, Trelise Cooper, RUBY/Liam, Kate Sylvester, RUBY

Don’t let the cooler weather dampen your style – up the ampage with bold colours, eccentric prints and a serious amount of sass. Autumn is all about embracing your inner wild child. From cosy coats to daring dresses, experiment and have fun mixing and pairing different prints – fashion is free! Take your cue from powerhouse fashion brand Zimmermann, whose AW19 collection rocks a structured look where militaristic vibes are very much the undertone of their collection. Burgundy and checks are the recurring colour and pattern of this season as seen in their Resistance Leather Dress (1) and Sabotage Checked Cropped Cotton-Blend Jacket (10). While we’ll subconsciously lust over the balmy breeze of summer days, there’s no denying that cooler days are on the horizon and so our wardrobes are going to become home to winter woollies. Now, before you go on and steam full speed ahead into purchasing a coat...

Writers and readers rejoice – WORD Christchurch has announced a stunning autumn season of sensational speakers bringing their brilliance to the city from May 8 - 25.Nine events, featuring eight writers seconded from the Auckland and Dunedin Writers Festivals will have the city humming. We’ve got a fearless feminist, a Hip-Hop artist and writer, a flamboyant poet, three popular novelists, a world-renowned podcaster and a legendary New Zealand musician.Tickets are on sale now and they won’t hang about, so get thee to a keyboard ASAP and grab your seat today.wordchristchurch.co.nz May 8 Clementine Ford: Boys Will be Boys - Fearless feminist Clementine Ford returns to Christchurch with Boys Will Be Boys, the follow-up to her incendiary debut Fight Like A Girl. May 12 Akala: Hip-Hop & Shakespeare - BAFTA award-winning Hip-Hop artist Akala, co-founder of The Hip-Hop Shakespeare Company, explores the social, cultural and linguistic parallels between the works of William Shakespeare and contemporary Hip-Hop....

Fierce prints will be a wardrobe staple this AW19 season. Seen all over the catwalk, this wild trend is here to stay. Take a walk on the wild side and take your fashion game to new heights with a splash of animal print. Whether via a coat, a pair of kick ass shoes, a dress, pants or some arm candy – of the handbag variety – sass and sizzle is most definitely on the cards when you opt for this trend. 1. Zimmermann 2. Rochas 3. Helen Cherry 4. Zoe Kratzmanm From Issimo 5. Kathryn Wilson

Support the community Friday March 22 will be a day to visibly support our community. An official Call to Prayer event will take place this afternoon as Hagley Park, across from Al Noor Masjid on Deans Avenue in Christchurch. The official proceedings will begin at 1.25pm, with the call to prayer starting at 1.30pm, followed by two minutes of silence at 1.32pm. From 1.34pm until approximately 2pm the Muslim community will pray and the crowd will remain silent. The service will conclude with a brief closing remark from the Prime Minister at approximately 2.02pm. Those wishing to attend are advised to arrive early, preferably before 1.00pm. Everyone attending this event is asked to wear clothing that covers the ankles and long sleeves that go down to the wrist. Women should wear headscarves that cover their hair.The Christchurch Foundation has introduced #colouryourdaynz and is encouraging people to wear something colourful. Donations can be made to the...

This effortlessly chic look is an easy way to spruce up your wardrobe this AW19 season. Pick a colour and stick with it, for a head to toe look. Let’s be real, the struggle can be oh-so-real when rifling through your wardrobe in the morning trying to mix and match clothes to ensure there ain’t no clash of the colour titans. This season, opt for one colour and rock it from head to toe. There’s no need to go overboard and kit every inch of yourself out in that particular colour and if you feel like it’s too bold, break the outfit up with a different colour depending on your initial hue choice. Or, embrace the colour and take some inspo from a handful of New Zealand's leading fashion designers; Trelise Cooper, Gregory, twenty-seven names and RUBY/Liam. Voile!  

Millie Pux-Askew, winner of the Ballantyne’s Emerging Designer competition from last year’s Fashion Week, has produced a collection that is ‘natural, creative’ and very now. Cityscape caught up with Millie ahead of launching her Millie Askew collection exclusively at Ballantyne’s Contemporary Lounge and online. Congratulations on taking home the Emerging Designer crown – how has that experience been for you? It was pretty unexpected, to be honest. I entered on a whim, really, and got the project together two weeks before it was due. It’s been a pretty crazy couple of months since, with lots of late nights sewing and learning – so much learning, stuff they can’t teach you at university about how to get a business together and designing for a business. The biggest challenge has probably been managing all the other people. When you do things on a bigger scale there are a lot more people involved and there’s...

After wowing audiences with their 2017 performance Animals, The Pink Floyd Experience – quite possibly one of the coolest tribute bands in existence – are taking to the road again, this time in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s album The Wall release. Immerse yourself in the experimental and psychedelic tunes when they land in the city (May 31 – Jun 1) for two spectacular performances. isaactheatreroyal.co.nz

A sensational night of music awaits when leading musicians Fiona Pears, Graham Wardrop and the New Zealand Army Band take over the Transitional Cathedral on March 30 to raise funds for the city’s less fortunate with The Gift of Music charity concert. Accompanying the stellar lineup is a handful of the country’s top musos: Tom Rainey, Greg Donaldson, Pete Fleming and Ian Tilley. With 100% of the proceeds going to registered charity Street Wise, get behind this great event with an even greater cause. fionapears.com

Make a beeline for The Tannery Autumn Market on March 23, where from 10am to 5pm a smorgasbord of accessories, fashion, jewellery, homewares and tasty food offerings will be up for grabs. Peruse the vast collection of boutiques and stalls in the Atrium and Blue Smoke, including modern art from Gemini Project and slick threads for your wee ones from Ruby and Bear. Take advantage of the epic sales and promos on offer from the boutique retailers in The Tannery and satiate your hunger with delicious treats from the array of food vendors. thetannery.co.nz

The wildly talented Rob Brydon – charming Welshman and cult comedy TV star from the likes of Gavin & Stacey and the ever-hilarious Would I Lie To You – is bringing his brand-spanking-new live show I Am Standing Up to the Town Hall on April 4. Brydon’s cynicism, ad-libs, audience repartees and cleverly crafted improvisations are sure to have you in fits, as well as his uncanny impressions of notable celebs – think Tom Jones, Michael Caine and Steve Coogan. Get in quick to see Brydon in the flesh when he performs in the city for the first time. eventfinda.co.nz

Award-winning singer/songwriter Norah Jones will bless Christchurch audiences with her signature sultry sounds this April 29 in a beautiful performance that showcases her latest album Day Breaks. From jazz to country, folk, rock and soul, this intriguing solo artist’s work has crossed all the boundaries of American music, but this jazz-soaked album returns to a piano-driven sound as heard on releases early in her ground-breaking career. The ‘Come Away With Me’ singer is set to grace Christchurch for the first time in 14 years, so don’t miss your chance to sway to the smoky voice of this quintessential American artist when she calls in to the city’s Town Hall – expect some serious spine shivers! frontiertouring.com/norahjones