9 January 2006

Solid Gold retro sounds

Solid Gold retro sounds from the garden of Eden Aucklanders can enjoy some great sounds from the 60s, 70s and 80s in Mt Eden over the next three months by attending Auckland City's Music in Parks Solid Gold Saturday series.

Three free performances featuring top Kiwi artists will be held in Maungawhau Mt Eden's beautiful natural amphitheatre, Tahaki Reserve.

The series starts on Saturday 21 January with New Zealand rock icons Shane and the Saints performing all the hits of the 60s. Shane will be joined by Tom Sharplin and Scottish entertainer Celine Toner. The energy-packed show will include songs from Lulu, Dusty Springfield, Cilla Black, Mamas and the Papas, Cliff Richard, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones... and of course Shane's number one smash hit - "Saint Paul."

Iconic hits of the 70s will be brought to life on Saturday 18 February by Hello Sailor and Debbie Harwood.

Hello Sailor surfaced among the inner city student population in the 70s, and their debut self-titled album released in 1977 was the first locally made New Zealand record to achieve Gold Record status with hits like "Blue Lady", "Gutter Black" and "Lyin' in the Sand". The three founding members and songwriters, Graham Brazier, Dave McArtney and Harry Lyon, still perform and record together some thirty years after the inception of the much-loved Kiwi band.

Debbie Harwood was a member of the Kiwi female singing sensation When The Cat's Away, who in the late 80s were named Top Group at the NZ Music Awards as well as celebrating a gold album and the number one single "Melting Pot". Debbie's range of talents, including acting, producing, and radio broadcasting has made her a significant influence in the New Zealand entertainment industry. This year she was a finalist at the 2005 Vodafone NZ Music Awards in the category of Best Female Solo Artist with her first solo album, "Soothe Me".

The final Solid Gold concert on Saturday 18 March promises to be an 80s extravaganza with three hours of high energy, outrageous fun, wild fashion and big hair. Rock legend Jordan Luck, frontman for the Exponents and one of New Zealand's finest singer songwriters, will be making a comeback to sing his well-known Exponents hits. Recently, The Exponents 1992 hit 'Why Does Love Do This To Me' and the 1982 classic "Victoria" were both voted into the list of all-time best NZ songs from the past 75 years.

Jordan will be ably supported by class act Club Nerd who will play some great 80s hits guaranteed to get everyone up dancing.

The Auckland City Music in Parks series has plenty of music and plenty of space to enjoy it in this summer, so grab some food and some friends and head out to one of the city's beautiful parks to enjoy some first class music. Check out www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/mips or listen to Solid Gold 93.4FM for more details.

These concerts are produced by Auckland City, with support from Radioworks. They are just some of more than 60 free events provided by Auckland City as part of the Ak@Play summer events programme.

Auckland City - proud supporter of Kiwi music.

* Saturday 21 January, Auckland City Music in Parks, 60s Solid Gold Saturday 6pm-9pm, Tahaki Reserve, Mt Eden Road, Mt Eden Featuring Shane and the Saints, Celine Toner and Tom Sharplin Listen to Solid Gold 93.4FM for details.

* Saturday 18 February, Auckland City Music in Parks, 70s Solid Gold Saturday 6pm-9pm, Tahaki Reserve, Mt Eden Road, Mt Eden Featuring Hello Sailor and Debbie Harwood Listen to Solid Gold 93.4FM for details.

* Saturday 18 March, Auckland City Music in Parks, 80s Solid Gold Saturday 6pm-9pm, Tahaki Reserve, Mt Eden Road, Mt Eden Featuring Jordan Luck and Club Nerd Listen to Solid Gold 93.4FM for details.

ENDS

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