CULTURE CLUB
SYMPHONY OF SPRING
Liam Stretch Culture Editor
T
here is something strangely sacred about September. It’s a month where life leaps back into action after months of hibernation. Swathes of colour are employed by Mother Nature as daffodils and tulips fill the spaces that were relegated to muted tones over the winter – we’re an audience to this spring symphony. With our winter coats left by the door, there’s a whole new range of events to be experienced this month – both within and outside the theatre walls. Perfect for getting your dancing shoes on, and a recent discovery of mine, is local band Yurt Party. These boys play some rousing Balkan beats, and I last saw them at Ferrymead’s Nostalgia Festival. They’re performing at Level One Craft Beer Bar in New Brighton on September 11, which I encourage you all to go along to and unleash your inner Zorba.
DOLLY IS BACK!
FACE VALUE
The queen of country has returned with single Sent From Above. The track, which has been released in celebration of her new fragrance, has a 2021 melodic backing beat, but it has kept the essence that has made the 75-year-old singer’s sound so iconic. With 2021 seeing a shift in music to the melancholic, this is an antidote to a down buzz. This is one that both you and mum are going to enjoy – dad might also bop along.
Perhaps one of the more bizarre shows to hit Netflix in recent times, Sexy Beasts, puts a spin on the dating show model. On the show, contestants are done up in masks and costumes – think baboons, devils, rhinos, and birds – to see if a date can go well just based on someone’s personality, though most seem to be lacking one. It’s an entertaining watch, albeit a little disturbing. And, surprise, surprise, every single person behind the mask is attractive.
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CHEAP EATS Michael Van de Elzen and Ganesh Raj, hosts of the TVNZ hit show Eat Well For Less NZ, bring the eponymous cookbook to shelves. It features around 70 recipes from the show – everything from Karaage Chicken Schnitzel through to Smoked Fish Pâté. It has certainly given me an option or two to make on a budget. This could be the perfect gift for your student child who is eating a few too many packets of twominute noodles – or maybe for your Auckland friends paying rents through the roof?
