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October’s a bit of an in-between month. I can’t think of any notable poetic musings on it aside from a childhood memory of Anne of Green Gables saying, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers”. Even to a child being read a bedtime story that seemed a fatuous thing to say.
These days my thoughts of October mainly run to a silent scream of, “three-quarters of the year gone already? Seriously?”
But October is the month the musical calendar starts picking up again and there’s a diverse range of music popping up in the Tauranga area, some really cool stuff we’re lucky to see in a city that sometimes gets skipped on the touring circuit.
It climaxes in the last 10 days of the month, when the Tauranga Arts Festival takes centre stage. Some shows have already sold out, but there are five musical acts that attract me. Exact times for them are on the festival website.
Worthwhile opinions
Premier classical pianist Michael Houstoun is playing music from French composers at Baycourt with ambient soundscape accompaniment from Ambient Ousia, the musical partnership of Jack Hooker and John Psathas. And I’m interested in hearing Jon Toogood, former Shihadist and author of the memoir Home Again, talking with Karl Puschmann. He’s always got worthwhile opinions and has walked the walk for a long time now.
The cover of Jon Toogood’s memoir Home Again. Photo / Supplied
Wellington soul singer Louis Baker is playing at Totara St, more like a regular gig than an art festival event but he’s well worth it, while Jamaican Canadian Duane Forrest brings what’s definitely a show – from Off-Broadway and the Edinburgh Fringe – exploring Bob Marley’s life and influence through story and song. It comes with great word of mouth.
Hats off to the festival for spreading things around, with Forrest performing in Katikati and Te Puke as well as Tauranga. Also peripatetic is Li’l Chuck The One Man Skiffle Machine, who’ll be at Baycourt and Ōmokoroa as well as making an appearance at Tauranga Fringe Festival, which takes place at the Historic Village on October 24. Many bands will join him there: so far I hear Cat Face, Mike Garner, Edward Gains, and Dani VR. Updates as we go...
Louis Baker. Photo / Ashley Alexander
Satirical songs
On October 16, Andrew London’s duo will be at Katikati’s Arts Junction for the folk club. He has a most excellent new album, Set Me Up By The Bar, so expect a fresh bunch of swinging satirical songs and laughs, since he’s considered at least three times wittier than the average witty person.
Aussie bluesman Shaun Kirk hits Totara St on October 22, but possibly the most exciting October shows are in extreme territory: October 30, at Totara St again, it’s the legendary, and I actually mean legendary, Seattle band Mudhoney. Genuine grunge royalty indeed.
Then on October 31 at Ōkahukura on Grey St, insane Italian industrial-metal-goth-punk-techno-noise band OvO finish their New Zealand tour with support from locals HOICK, Threat.Meet.Protocol and Flogging A Dead One Horse Town.
Hear Winston’s latest playlist:
