Sixty years on, there’s still some trouble brewing

Sixty years on, there’s still some trouble brewing

In 1951 the country was at war with itself as 22,000 New Zealanders were affected by the lockouts and strikes of the 1951 Waterfront Dispute.

On February 19 the Watersiders were locked out; February 20 the Watersiders entitlements were stripped from them; February 21 Sid Holland’s government declared a state of emergency; and the next day Holland declared “New Zealand at war”.

That ‘war’ lasted 151 days.

Sixty years on, in 2011, that struggle is remembered in song with a special performance of the award-winning Trouble on the Waterfront in English Flower Garden in Hamilton February 20 -21, as part of the Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival.

Chris Prowse presents a unique production of his album performed by his star-studded band The Waterfront Collective, surpassing traditional boundaries of live music performance. The album won the 2009 New Zealand Music Award for Best Folk Album.

Spanning the realms of folk, blues, pop and soulful rockabilly, Trouble on the Waterfront seeks not to pass judgment on the era but to offer a thoughtful return to the times that many of our parents and grandparents remember.

Appearing with the Collective are Andrew Delahunty (The Windy City Strugglers), Bill Hickman (The Shot Band), Dave Currie, Eva Prowse (Fly My Pretties), Murray Kilpatrick, Tessa Rain (Fly My Pretties), and Chris Prowse.

Chris’s daughter Eva Prowse’s debut album I Can’t Keep Secrets and Tessa Rain’s Dirt Poems were both ranked in the Best Albums of 2010 ranked by the Waikato Times blogger Greg Prebble.

Come relive the event that helped shape modern New Zealand with Trouble on the Waterfront with this special 60th Anniversary performance at Hamilton’s English Flower Garden this February 20-21. Tickets on sale now.

Trouble on the Waterfront: 60 Years On
English Flower Gardens, Hamilton
February 20-21 8pm

www.hamiltongardensartsfestival.co.nz

ENDS

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