16 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2006

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live Shifting celtic After numerous New Zealand tours, a couple of trips across the Tasman to play, Runrig and more than four years together, Hamilton band This Night Creeps is set to PROTERRA (Ridge/Yellow Eye) strum its last collective note. The four-piece gained a coveted spot in the Times Those familiar with Runrig will recognise Proterra’s end-of-year best-of selection last year, veteran local music critic Kerry Cooper opening track, The Old Boys, as a mournful reworking describing the band’s The Noise of Music album as “2005’s best Waikato release” of a 1981 track. The old soldier at the end of the and that it “takes its music in directions you don’t expect and covers loads of track speaking Gaelic adds a depth to the song. The territory doing it”. The group’s album release show was also one of the top local title track does not disappoint. How could it with gigs of 2005, and such has been This Night Creeps’ plethora of live performances lyrics like “Over land and sea, I’ll come fighting for you”. Just what the they’ve been mentioned in The Times a staggering 41 times since September band is on about in Gabriel’s Sword will have me wondering for countless 26, 2002. But this is the end, and your last chance to see them perform — listens, but sometimes it’s good to not have the message handed to you tomorrow night at Castle (Ward St), with support from The Mint Chicks, The on a plate. The mysterious From The North quickly became a favourite, Vacants, White Birds and Lemons and The New Caledonia. $10 on the door, through with the music evoking images of a Scottish warrior emerging from the 9.30pm start. fog. Perhaps inspired by that freedom fighter William Wallace, immortalised by Mel Gibson in Braveheart? An Toll Dubh (The Dungeon) serves as a counterpoint, revealing how “The Gael has gone to bed, the Gael is asleep”, perhaps after the execution of Wallace at English hands. Proterra Arguably New Zealand’s most-loved drum ’n’ bass outfit, gets better with repeat listening. Available through www.runrig.co.uk. Shapeshifter, are storming into the Waikato next week. Chris Gardner Jeff Neems talks to the group’s MC P Digsss. folk Various Artists PIRATE BALLADS, SEA SONGS AND CHANTEYS (Rogue’s Gallery, Shock) Avast there all ye landlubbers! Two discs and 43 waikato songs of the life at sea in-a-sailor-stylee may not be FRIDAY your cup of rum. But I’m going to go overboard on this haul, under the sails of Hollywood pirate Johnny Depp and steered — This Night Creeps’ final show (see above). by Hal Willner, who has assembled a swashbuckling crew. Folk legends — James Bailey Trio at Golden Cross Hotel, Waihi. like Martin Carthy and Richard Thompson, lovable eccentrics like Van — Matt at Sekure, Charlie and guests at The Loft. Dyke Parks and Loudon Wainwright III, and big notes Nick Cave, Bono and Lucinda Williams combine to give this wee treasure more kick than SATURDAY a wooden leg. Willner spent months collecting and narrowing down the — Two shows as part of the latest A Low Hum Tour. An all-ages show at choice of songs and assigning them to the artists in his endeavours to Upsett Records at 2pm, and an R18 event at Castle from 9pm. Performances make this more than a motley collection. “I’m from the era of Blonde by So So Modern, The Lookie Loos, Collapsing Cities, Frase + Bri and on Blonde, Sketches of Spain and The White Album where records were Alps. $10 entry, $15 with a CD and magazine. like little movies, cohesive works. I think we pulled that off here.” Agreed — Release show for Area 07 — a new compilation of Hamilton music, — if I was to walk the plank, I’d be happy to get as my send-off any of produced to coincide with the Tempo: Music and Making It series of the following on this album: Bonnie Portmore by Williams, A Dying Sailor industry seminars. Performances by The Shrugs, The Deadly Deaths, to his Shipmates by Bono, Greenland Whale Fisheries by Van Dyke Parks Venomous Mic Technicians, Dynamo Go and Gadget Goose; all-ages event or Jolie Holland’s The Grey Funnel Line. Four staaaaarrrrrrrrrrsssssssss, at The Meteor, $15 entry with CD, or $5 without. Free entry with a Tempo: yaaaaaarrrrgggghhh! Music and Making It “season ticket”. Ian Anderson — Luke Thompson, Kimbra Johnson, Simon Hurst and Hannah Fryett at Sohl. 8pm start, $5 entry. pop — Madball and Damaged, plus guests at Ward Lane Tavern, R18, $25. — Danley at Sekure, Charlies and guests at The Loft. Christina Aguilera MONDAY BACK TO BASICS (Sony-BMG) Sweet, dirty and now she’s gone back to the basics. — Madball and Damaged, plus guests, Upsett Records, all ages, $25. Christina Aguilera has yet again reinvented herself WEDNESDAY with new bleach blonde locks, red lips and cleaner — Shapeshifter at Altitude (see this page). clothes. Dedicating Back to Basics to her new husband, taking inspiration from 1920s to ’40s artists auckland (internationals) (Billie Holiday, Etta James etc) and collaborating with producers such as DJ Premier, she has constructed an album full of emotional lyrics THURSDAY with a vintage blues, jazz and soul feel. All this has been mixed with — Michael Franti and Spearhead, St James. modern beats, so like a lot of overly manufactured pop music, it does — Meat Katie, UK breakbeat artist, at Fu Bar. get stuck in your head. Even with her reinvented look she has not left her dirty ways far behind, with songs like Still Dirty and Nasty Naughty Boy. Aguilera is another pop princess we love to hate, and hate the fact television we know all the lyrics to her songs.

— Fans of black music will want to be seated comfortably in front of their Deanna Harris TVs on Sunday night, when Prime TV premieres its new documentary series Soul Deep. The six-parter has been produced by the same BBC team which electronica made the Lost Highway (on American country music), Walk On By (on the history of pop music) and Dancing In The Streets (on the history of rock ’n’ DJ Krush roll), and the first episode looks at the birth of soul, with a strong focus on STEPPING STONES: THE SELF-REMIXED BEST the late great Ray Charles. We will certainly not be adjusting our sets from (Sony-BMG) 8.35pm every Sunday for the next few weeks.eks. A hot new live set is reason a Shapeshifter sing-song seem to The popularity of electronica Four Tet/Various Artists Email event info to [email protected] enough to check out be young ladies, who make up a and dance music culture DJ KICKS (!K7) Lovers of left-field/non-American hip hop and beat Shapeshifter’s gig in Hamilton good chunk of the band’s fan continues to grow in New soundscapes will already be familiar with the work next week, says P Digsss. base and like to get down to the Zealand, both in a live of Japanese artist-producer DJ Krush. His releases “It’s our first tour in about six Shapeshifter sound. on the Mo’Wax label are the stuff of legend, perfectly winnerss environment and through the crafted downtempo grooves into which you either months, so it’s good to get back “Yeah, that’s a good thing, eh?” efforts of DJs. P Digsss has a melt, or raise your fist in conjunction with his various Winners of last week’s The Wild merchandise on the bike again. We’ve kinda chuckles P Digsss. “We come to theory on why. rap collaborators. Some of those rap allies — Aesop giveaway were: made people wait for a while, lay down the law when it comes Rock, Mr Lif, CL Smooth and The Roots’ Black “A lot of it is to do with the Thought — are included on this, a two-disc set of some of his best work, Jaxon Rudd, Hamilton and now we’re back out there to shaking booty,” he quips. all remixed for 2006, some given a more uptempo twist. Faves Only The Pam Devlin, Hamilton G Williams, HHamilton ilt fact NZ has always had good people are hanging out for it.” While some forms of drum ’n’ Strong Survive and Meiso are among the offerings on an album with a Dayna East, Waihi Arden family, Paeroa outdoor parties,” he muses. The band’s new album, bass are reminiscent of a dark yet embracing feel — fans will certainly not be disappointed, but Your prizes are in the mail. “Festivals like The Gathering despite the new compositions it doesn’t feel as crafted as Meiso. Four Soulstice, has gained a jackhammer on full throttle, P introduced people to dance Tet’s offering to !K7’s DJ Kicks series is one of most diverse selections widespread thumbs-up from the Digsss says “musicality” is vital in the chain of DJ-friendly releases, covering rap (Madvillian, Group music, whether it’s techno, house media — including the to what Shapeshifter produce live Home, Showbiz and AG), funk (Curtis Mayfield), wild experimental jazz or whatever...I love it how into (Heiner Stadler) and electronica of all flavours (Cabaret Voltaire, David maximum five stars from ent.’s and in the studio. Behrman, Syclops, Gary Davis, So Solid Crew, Autchre). It’s all over the reviewer — and has rumbled “Drum ’n’ bass is quite hard; drum ’n’ bass New Zealand is.” place, but a highly interesting listen. Judging by this, were Four Tet to The love, it would seem, is very host a party at his place, the soundtrack would be quite a trip. into the top 10 of New Zealand’s we wanted to take that on, and (both releases) album chart. bring in the more musical and much mutual. Jeff Neems Punters attending the shows organic side of it. We’ve grown so far are lapping it up, reports up listening to a lot of different Shapeshifter perform at Altitude next Wednesday P Digsss. “It feels good. We put music, and we want that to reflect (September 20). Tickets are a lot of effort into it, and we really in our live set. We just try to play available from Ticketek. movie enjoy it — and other people seem everything we’re feeling — some www.shapeshifter.co.nz, or to be feeling it,” says P Digsss. hip hop, funk, soul, jazz, as well www.myspace.com/shapeshifte Clerks II — R16 (Village) Plenty of those people enjoying as the drum ’n’ bass.” rlive Kevin Smith is fond of the Daoist proverb “to be great is to go on; to go on is to go far; to go far is to return”. With that (and the perceived failure of his last film Jersey Girl) in mind, the film maker has finally made free stuff a sequel to his first movie: the grungy, self-financed Clerks. It’s 12 years on and Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randall (Jeff Anderson), now well into their 30s, WeW have two prizes, each PLEASE NOTE; because the gig is have moved to fast-food joint Mooby’s after the containingc a copy of the Soulstice next Wednesday, there is a shorter destruction of the Quick Stop store that was the setting for Clerks. Dante albuma and a double-pass to next time period to enter than is usual is set to move to Florida with fiancee Emma (Jennifer Schwalbach) — Wednesday’s show. for ent. competitions. Entries must but complicating matters is his relationship with Becky (a vivacious, be from people aged over 18, and irresistible Rosario Dawson). Add to the mix teen Jesus freak/Lord of To enter, put your name, address must be in by next Tuesday afternoon. the Rings fanatic Elias (a scene-stealing Trevor Fehrman) and the inevitable and a daytime contact Winners will be called by an ent. Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith), and you have a springboard telephone number on the back staff member, so the daytime contact for a slew of filthy — but Coke-coming-out-of-your-nose funny — gags. And of an envelope, and send it to. telephone number is ESSENTIAL. at the end, Clerks II takes an unexpectedly touching turn. If you’re a Winners will need to collect their Smith fan — and I’m a big one — this will be your favourite flick of the ShapeshifterSha Giveaway prizes from the Waikato Times office year. Non-fans can remove a star from the rating below — but rest c/-c/ ent. on Foreman Rd, Te Rapa, during assured, you’ll still have a hell of a time. For what it is, Clerks II is Ent. has secured some tasty Waikato Times office hours on Wednesday. Names completely and utterly perfect. Shapeshifter goodies which should Private Bag 3086 will be published on page three of enable you to get your groove on. Hamilton next Wednesday’s paper. Arran McNicol