Stories

Touring New Zealand is in musician Barry Saunders’ blood – he’s played everywhere, he says. The bard of the back roads talks to Cityscape before his gig with Delaney Davidson at February’s Nostalgia festival. You’re known for your relentless touring, either solo or with The Warratahs – any plans to slow down? I’m touring less these days but it’s still good to be out there. You can run out of land pretty quickly in New Zealand so it’s good to do different things. Is there anywhere in New Zealand where you haven’t played? Do you have a favourite? I’ve never played Stewart Island or the Chathams but I’ve been everywhere else. I don’t really have a favourite, just the last show. What’s your go-to spot in Christchurch? Banks Peninsula bays – I spent a lot of my teenage years around there and I have just written a song called ‘Tumbledown’, which...

Saxophonist Scott Towers, aka Chopper Reeds, gives us the skinny on Fat Freddy’s Drop and their latest release ahead of their headlining show in Christchurch on Waitangi Day. Your latest album, Special Edition Part 1, has dropped – tell us how it came together? It’s a pretty even mix of road-tested numbers that have been honed over the last 18 months on tour and studio workouts that came from jam sessions. We've always wanted to do an audacious large-scale release and a two-parter seemed the right way to go. Can fans expect to see a Part 2 drop in 2020? Either late 2020 or early to mid 2021. Or perhaps some other time. Heck, we don't know either, but it will happen. How did you come up with the name Fat Freddy’s Drop? The long-whispered mythology about the band name is correct – a long hazy weekend of music-making, some recreational...

Alt-pop songstress Mousey has a new album in the works and a spot on the RDU stage at February’s Nostalgia festival. She credits growing up in Christchurch for her development as a musician. Late last year you released your album LEMON LAW and toured New Zealand for the first time – is there anything else in the works? Yes, I’m writing my next album at the moment. Any highlights from your first New Zealand tour? I loved hanging out with the band. The whole tour was soul food for me. How did you come up with your stage name, Mousey? “The girl with the mousy hair” from David Bowie’s ‘Life On Mars’. You grew up in Christchurch – did this help your music career? It helped me grow as a musician. Christchurch is a really safe space to get better. I was able to upskill without the industry voices distracting me....

Cabaret artist Reuben Kaye shares his dreams and desires with Cityscape ahead of the World Buskers Festival. This will be your Christchurch debut, what can we expect? Possibly the first case of New Zealand deporting a cabaret artist on a morality violation. I don't know how useful expectations are – my father had certain expectations of me and now he owes my mother 20 bucks. (It was a very cheap alimony payment). Are you looking forward to checking out anything around town? If you have any men who like making bad decisions then I think I'll be just fine. If masculinity is a prison then I just dropped the soap. Fashion must be a big part of your show – will we see multiple outfit changes? I don't know what kind of show you think this is. Costume changes? Sounds kind of gay to me. You’ve worked with some true queens...

13-year-old Christchurch local and SOLE Music Academy student Monet Schutte got an early Christmas surprise when she performed in Austria and won an international songwriting competition. Monet took to the stage in the Vienna Concert Hall in November and performed her original song ‘Like You Did Before’. Her amazing performance earned her a standing ovation and a win – the International Sounds of Children’s Rights Songwriting Competition. Monet wrote and recorded the song with her mentor, Sacha Vee, at SOLE Music Academy, where she has been studying for the past two years. Monet entered the song in the competition and when it made the top 10, she then had two months to learn to accompany herself on the piano. The Sounds of Children’s Rights is sponsored by UNICEF and is designed to address the topic of children’s rights in a musical form. “One of my friends unfortunately suffers with depression and...

December means the festive season is in full swing for Cityscapers, and Christmas cheer is truly among us with a jam-packed month. The good times will kick off with the Christchurch City Choir as they perform Handel’s Messiah. If you’ve been a bit slack at planning the work Christmas party, Addington Christmas at the Races have got you covered. There’s plenty more Christmas joy, too, with the annual Santa Parade; turning it up a notch is CSO Presents: Festive Christmas 2019; and Victoria Square will be lit up with the YMCA Carols by Candlelight. Your mouth will be watering with the South Island Wine & Food Festival, and you’ll be blown away as burlesque queen Dita Von Teese takes to the stage. If you’re looking to escape the overload of activities, Nick from Lumiѐre Cinemas gives us the hot tips on what to watch, or you can pop by The Court...

English pop sensation and singer/songwriter James Blunt is returning to New Zealand in spring 2020 to celebrate the release of his choice new album, Once Upon a Mind. This is Blunt’s sixth studio album and it has been a work-in-progress for over 10 months at studios in London, LA and Nashville. The result is a personal album with some chill sounds that will translate fabulously when performed live. The singer has sold more than 23 million albums worldwide and has over 26 million catalogue streams in New Zealand, so you can expect a massive night. Blunt is set to play crowd favourites including ‘You’re Beautiful’ and ‘Goodbye My Lover’ along with some of the killer tracks off his latest album, which debuted at No. 15 in the New Zealand charts. Blunt will play at Christchurch’s Town Hall on November 25, 2020. Tickets go on sale Tuesday December 3. frontiertouring.com

The Royal New Zealand Ballet has once again wowed us all, this time with their rendition of the classic and unsettling story of Hansel & Gretel. Dancing to the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, each move was executed with perfection and the whimsical set design transported you to another world. The bold and stunning choreography can be credited to Loughlan Prior, who has done a fantastic job at pushing traditional boundaries with cabaret-style dances throughout. While the first half was fabulous, the performance really bursts to the next level in the second act as the children enter the Gingerbread House and a world of colour is revealed. Hansel & Gretel is a German fairytale from the pen of the Brothers Grimm and was published in 1812. While the ballet follows the storyline, there are some distinct differences from the well-known tale – it’s more Americanised and the children are not abandoned in the...

Two delightful drops to add to your Christmas wish-list. Fiddler’s Green Vineyard & Bistro Chardonnay 2018 After so long living in the shadow of the all-conquering sauvignon blanc, chardonnay is again finding favour with New Zealand wine drinkers. It’s examples like this from Fiddler’s Green Vineyard & Bistro in the Waipara Valley that are stoking the switch as well. This full but smooth and elegant chardonnay has flavours of ripe melon, peach and apricot, complemented by toast and buttery complexities. If it has been a while since you sampled a chardonnay, here’s a good place to start. fiddlersgreenbistro.co.nz Pegasus Bay Estate Pinot Noir 2016 The excellent free-draining soils of the Waipara Valley are gaining a reputation for the quality of the pinot noirs they produce, and this example from Pegasus Bay is clear evidence of why. The bouquet is packed with red and dark fruit, with hints of pepper and spice....

Eight Christchurch or Canterbury restaurants will feature in Cuisine magazine’s annual Cuisine Good Food Guide this year, having made the list of the top 108 places to eat and drink across the country. Of the top 108, restaurants that have achieved the coveted ‘hats’ and the category winners will be announced during the Cuisine Good Food Awards on November 25 at cuisine.co.nz. The awards and their resultant Cuisine Good Food Guide acknowledge the very best restaurants and chefs nationwide. This year Cuisine is refreshing its traditional awards, with the list of the top 108 to be split into hatted restaurants and an additional list of ‘ones to watch’ – restaurants that demonstrate a high standard and are definitely worth a visit. Cuisine will also this year recognise the highest-achieving restaurants in 13 categories, including the highly coveted Restaurant of the Year and Chef of the Year awards, through a new digital...

New Zealand Opera will bring a new production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro to Christchurch in July as part of its 2020 programme. Director Lindy Hume and her creative team will explore the potent class and gender politics of this landmark opera and what it means in a modern context. You won’t need to wait that long though for your fix, Christchurch opera lovers – the company combines in February with Atlas Voices for a beautiful afternoon of opera on the Botanic Gardens’ Archery Lawn. Under the musical direction of Ravil Atlas, the concert features local soprano Amanda Atlas, Freemasons New Zealand Opera Artist Andrew Grenon (tenor) and members of the Freemasons New Zealand Opera Chorus and Atlas Voices accompanied by New Zealand Opera’s Head of Music Lindy Tennent-Brown. The programme includes favourites by Mozart, Donizetti and Verdi. Bring along a picnic and enjoy the music in the stunning surrounds...

Musical giants Simple Minds will bring their slew of hits to Christchurch’s Horncastle Arena on December 15, 2021. Joining them will be acclaimed UK avant-garde band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). Both bands are marking 40 years of writing and performing some of the seminal sounds of the post-punk era. These musical pioneers created their own fusion of art rock and electronic dance music, and gave birth to synth pop. The influence of both bands can be heard in many of the current crop of chart toppers. Simple Minds’ tour celebrates the release of 40: The Best Of - 1979-2019, a new 40-song collection marking their 40th anniversary. The compilation features a cover of Scottish singer-songwriter King Creosote’s ‘For One Night Only’. It was the release of New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84) that set Simple Minds alight in New Zealand. A string of awards and more unforgettable hits followed, including ‘Promised...

If you enjoy a fusion of synthpop, space disco and house woven together with a bit of techno and funk then Otautahi outfit BEACON BLOOM need to be on your radar. These guys are an uber-cool new band around town and have gained recognition with their inclusion in the RDU Singles Club for their song ‘Rocket’, which is full of good vibes. BEACON BLOOM’s chillaxified music is the brainchild of James Allen, Ryan Ferris and Thomas Isbister. Ryan says, “The subject matter of the songs generally deals with belief and non-ordinary states of consciousness, states which the music itself can hopefully take people to at our shows.” These guys will perform and curate a stage at the brand-new Something Else Festival in November and have a killer set lined up for Nostalgia in February. beaconbloom.com

You’ll start a conversation, help save the planet and ensure your present is the toast of Christmas Day, says Ralph Bungard. A few seasons back our extended whānau decided to do away with the gifting of gimcrack over the festive season. The rule became that gifts had to be homemade and/or consumable. It’s a popular rule. It reduces waste and suits our changing world, where we are looking to minimise our global footprint. When it came to homemade and consumable, I had it easy – I had beer! I know it’s hard to believe but some people say they don’t like beer and they may not appreciate it as a gift. In most situations, when questioned why they don’t like beer, you may find that they don’t like brown, slightly sweet and malty beer synonymous with the old-fashioned style that dominated New Zealand brewing for decades. I get great pleasure at...

Don Service is the talent behind RightSide Gallery at 14 Tyne Street in Addington, where you’ll discover more than just paint on canvas. The stunning space has been a long-held dream for Don, who has always wanted a workshop and showroom where he can make designs and do various other jobs such as art repairs, frame making, design and build items for shopfitting and stretching clients’ art, building plinths for sculptures and have a base for his art hanging business. This funky studio is home to a collection of pieces made using form, texture and colour. Don loves to work with solid timber, steel and rust, and plywood, which he uses to create shapes that play with the eye, cast shadows and look amazing. RightSide is also a showroom for Don and fellow artists he has met through exhibiting at art shows around the country. All are very talented, motivated and...

Whether you are after a crusty, crumbly sourdough, a buttery Morning Bun or a cake that will match the most special occasion, these five Christchurch bakeries will deliver the goods. Get them on your radar and taste the difference. Grizzly baked goods There are few life-affirming moments that compare to biting into the caramelised layers of a light, flakey and dizzyingly buttery Morning Bun for the very first time. Sam and Sara Ellis of Grizzly Baked Goods have brought this pastry delight to Otautahi, most famously in the form of Lemon Poppy Morning Buns, Bear Claws and Everything Croissants. Grizzly is now part of The Welder’s boutique collective. The petite diner-style space will offer inner-city folk the full Grizzly range, as well as Embassy Coffee espresso. grizzlybakedgoods.com Harpers House Harpers House create bespoke sweet treats for birthdays, baby showers, weddings or any occasion. Owner Andi can work with you to create...

Sam and Sally Hooper, the awesome duo behind Cityscape fave Sister Kong, have joined forces with former All Black Andy Ellis to bring Bar Yoku to life. After eight years living in Japan, Andy knows what good Yakitori (the hero of the menu) tastes like. Located in the hip new hangout The Welder, this Japanese restaurant is bringing some big flavour to town and is a super-cool place to pull up a pew and kick back in the laxed atmosphere. FB/baryokusakeandyakitori

Want Rollickin Gelato at your home, workplace or event? These guys sent a chilly bin of goodness to Scott Base so they know all about gelato to go and can cater for groups large or small. For really big events, there’s Rollickin’s original red horse float cart. Next down is its vintage cart, which is ideal for weddings, birthdays and similar-sized events. If it’s a party or work do for 20 to 30 people there’s the Funk Truck, which has two flavours. Smallest is an Uber Eats party tub, still with two flavours, hand-packed to order. rollickin.co.nz