New Zealand has been privy to some great international entertainment events over the last five years – we are no longer the last place on earth that the major pop stars and sports heroes choose to tour.

Next on New Zealand’s list for the first time EVER comes the green fairy from down under, the one and only Kylie Minogue. Kylie is set to hit the stage in Auckland on December 8 this year, a pre-Christmas gift if you will?

Her show X2008 has toured across Europe and been seen by more than half a million people. With costumes kitted out by none other than Jean-Paul Gaultier (the man behind Madonna’s cone bra of the early 1990s), X2008 and its $24 million production budget surely won’t disappoint Kiwi Kylie fans.

Get ticketing information from Eventfinder – tickets are on sale from 9am, September 9.

Image from Flickr.

The start of May brings another NZ Music Month to life. This seems to fit nicely with the announcement today that Flight of the Conchords have come in at #3 on the US pop charts with their debut self-titled album, topping the previous high of Crowded House at #12 for their own self-titled debut album in 1987.

Each year, the month of May is dedicated to promoting New Zealand music on radio & television and is supported heavily by the NZ Music Commission who work tirelessly to bring local talent in front of the wider NZ public.

The official website (nzmusicmonth.co.nz) lists a surprisingly large level of NZ gigs going on around during the month. On the 1st of May alone there are more than 20 different NZ gigs taking place up and down the country, from Sarah Brown in Auckland to The Mint Chicks in Dunedin.

Make sure you get your fair share of New Zealand music this month and get along to one of the gigs!

Image from NZ History.

Internet technology is now bringing online music classes to students around New Zealand who otherwise would be without music tuition. Through online video conferencing, kids in remote New Zealand locations, such as the Chatham Islands and the West Coast, can now learn from tutors online.

Merryn Dunmill, project director at the Christchurch School of Music, said the classes would be available to about 50 children and was aimed at low-decile schools in remote areas of New Zealand.

Virtual lessons are supported by emails, texts and blog posts – students are also encouraged to watch their music lessons online to see areas for improvement. Mark Walton, director of the Christchurch School of Music, has been offering online lessons in New Zealand and Australia for ten years. He says it’s great to be able to teach music online – music lessons are “a way of opening up a new world” for Kiwi kids.

Image from Flickr.

Flight of the Conchords – two of our best known (and funniest) comic ambassadors – have won a prestigious Grammy award for their EP, The Distant Future.

For those not familiar with this quirky musical duo, Flight of the Conchords is the comedy-child of Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie. As well as being stand-up comedy musicians (a hard act to pull off), the two stars have created their own self-titled television series, which is now into its second season – due on our screens later this year.

The Distant Future features original songs, each a classic in its own right. You’ll laugh out loud at their clever lyrics and dead-pan parodies – and set your player to repeat. Listen out for the heartfelt ‘Beautiful Girl’ (”you are the most beautiful girl in the room”) and the heartbroken ‘I’m Not Crying’ (”these aren’t tears, it’s just been raining on my face”).

Released in August last year, the Distant Future was just a taster of more to come – in the words of one reviewer, a tidbit “to satisfy the group’s growing rabid fan base” while a more substantial offering was recorded. A full-length album is due for release in the United States on 22 April. Until then, you’ll have to get your fix of offbeat comedy and alt-folk tunes by buying the award-winning Flight of the Conchords EP.

Free music downloads from a band that’s loved around the world? An exclusive online album release?

Sounds too good to be true, but world superstars Radiohead have done just that with their new album, In Rainbows.

No longer under the thumb of record giant EMI (their last album, 2003’s Hail to the Thief, was the final in a six-record deal), this experimental group have bucked the trend by shouting a resounding ‘Yes’ to music downloads. Not only can you download the new album from their site, you choose your price, flea-market style. If you want, you can pay only the cost of processing your credit card payment. No one will know how many people have bought the new album or what they paid for it, as Radiohead are not revealing sales numbers or the amount paid for each album.

Challenging the system is nothing new for Radiohead; they’ve always been innovators. Although their last three albums – Kid A, Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief – all reached number one in the charts, these UK rock stars are distinctively experimental in their musical style. Band manager, Bryce Edge, says of the move:

“We’re prepared to take a risk and we might come out looking very foolish. But we believe if your music is great, then people will pay for it.”

Could this be the start of a new trend? Other artists have pulled similar stunts: Prince gave away copies of his last album and The Charlatans are planning to offer free downloads of their next album. Radiohead will release a retail version in early 2008. Fans can also pre-order a “discbox” from the band’s website, which features bonus tracks, a vinyl version of the album and a lyric booklet, as well as the download.

I wonder if any New Zealand bands will follow suit?

Am I the only one who feels a tingle of pride when Kiwis make it big overseas? We can all bask in the glow of successful, talented New Zealanders like Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, otherwise known as the Flight of the Conchords. (Yes, I have been heard to rave about Clement’s performance in Eagle vs Shark).

This comic musical duo has hit the bigtime in America, a notoriously difficult market to crack. With humour that’s refreshingly dry, the series has attracted a cult following in America, the United Kingdom and at home. Sure, they’re funny to us, but it’s rare for our comedy to translate so well globally. Defying the odds, the show has been dubbed “a very smart, very funny show” by reviewers (and viewers) everywhere. All those YouTube clips, ringtones, t-shirts and ‘Conchordisms’ being thrown around are sure signs these Kiwis are soaring to heady heights.

Now, I’ll admit I heard the hype long before I laid ears on the dulcet tones of these two quirky songbirds, but unlike many hyped acts these guys live up to their publicity. The show’s premise is simple: two Kiwi musicians head to London to make it big, with only a stalkeresque fan and a manager who can’t seem to land them any gigs. Sounds like this might be based on a true story?

If you’re not yet a Conchords convert, tune in for classic love ballads like these: “You’re so beautiful, you could be a waitress… You could be an air hostess in the Sixties… You’re so beautiful, you could be a part-time model, but you’d probably still have to keep your normal job.”

Mondays, 10:00pm on Prime Television. Be there.

In my humble blogger opinion, New Zealand music is really getting its groove on now. Sure, we went through a bit of a cultural cringe era when we were afraid to say the words ‘Kiwi’ and ‘music’ in the same sentence, but now NZ bands and musicians are passing the cool test with flying colours. And they’re going online so you can find out (at any time of the day or night) exactly what they’re up to.

Before I go any further, I’ll point out that I like a bit of indie music. Well alright, a lot of indie music. But I try to keep my ear to the ground for interesting New Zealand music news from all genres of beats ‘n’ rhythms. If you want to sample some tasty Kiwi music treats, try:

• The new release from fantastic twosome The Brunettes, entitled Structure and Cosmetics, a happy mix of Beach Boys and cute indie tunes.
• The upcoming release from Phoenix Foundation; their greatly anticipated third album, Happy Ending, is due for release in October 2007.
• The music of Canterbury treasure, Dudley Benson, whose engaging and endearing music has been described as “part choral, part electronica, part pop’.
• Shapeshifter, who are soon to release a live album following the runaway success of Soulstice (which has now gone platinum).
• Kiwi songbird Brooke Fraser, who will be winging her way around New Zealand in October, from Invercargill to Whangarei.
• Ever-strong Minuit, who have been touring New Zealand this month, before departing for Europe to spread their funky blend of rock and electronica.

There’s a whole lot more New Zealand music, so get your ears onto it!