Musical worlds collide in returning Matariki show

Star qualities... Helium Project’s Matariki show offers storytelling, rap and vocals over synthesisers, strings, guitars and hip-hop beats

After successful debut shows last year, Helium Project returns with an extended and updated edition of their Celebrating Matariki show –this year at Devonport’s Victoria Theatre.

Inspired by the stories of Matariki, Helium Project blend vocals and synthesisers with the delicacy of a string quartet and driving guitars – all over intricate hip-hop beats.

Showcasing the compositions of bandleader Nick Edgar is a 13-piece group of multi-instrumentalists, with lead vocals and storytelling from Ash Patea (Te Āti Haunui a Pāpārangi), an experienced educator of tikanga and te reo Māori, to thread the theme of Matariki through the show.

Edgar says to expect a mixture of emotive, sonic landscapes and participative education to transport the audience into the stories behind the star cluster.

“Composing this suite of music has provided an exciting te ao Māori and Matariki journey over the last few years, with generous guidance from Patea and Apera Woodfine (Te Ātiawa).”

Edgar says Rangi Matamua’s book Matariki: The Star of the Year has also been a helpful resource, “which I’ve read about 16 times”.

New additions to this year’s show include Mama Patea joining her brother on stage to add haunting vocals, and local actor Niwa Whatuira (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa) with rap vocals on tracks co-written by Woodfine and Edgar.

The show includes tracks composed for each star in the Matariki cluster and delves into the stories of Taramainuku, (the captain of ‘te waka o Rangi’), Hinetakurua (the winter maiden) and Hineraumati (the summer maiden).

Helium Project is oozing with talent, says Edgar.

“I feel so grateful to be working with such an amazing bunch of multi-instrumentalists who all have busy musical schedules”.

For this performance, the band includes Edgar (Wonderfish Collective, Hoop) synthesiser,

Local novel on awards roll

Devonport author Simon Lendrum’s debut novel The Slow Roll is in contention for the Ngaio Marsh Awards, which recognise the country’s best crime, mystery and thriller writing.

International judges are now whittling down the longlist of 14 New Zealand books to the finalists for each award.

Winners will be named in late August at the Word festival in Christchurch, hometown of Dame Ngaio, who penned bestselling mysteries from her house in Cashmere last century. guitar, flute and vocals; Apera Woodfine (Love in Motion, Apera) guitar, bass, synthesiser, drums and vocals; Helen Crook (Wonderfish Collective, Devonport Chamber Orchestra) lead violin; Cameron McLean (Wonderfish Collective) keys and trumpet; Tom Taylor (Cardinal Sleepdog, Molly and the Chromatics) guitar, synthesiser and vocals; Ollie O’Loughlin (Fazerdaze, Molly and the Chromatics) drums and saxophone; Natasha Wesbonk (Isla) violin; Charlotte Lamb (Auckland Symphony Orchestra, Devonport Chamber Orchestra and St Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra) violin / viola; and Tim Shacklock (Those Lethals, Mice on Stilts) cello.

The Slow Roll, set in Auckland, was a lockdown project for Lendrum.

First published in late 2022, it has since been reprinted and won the NZ Booklovers Adult Fiction award this year.

• Helium Project, 22 July at 8pm, The Victoria Theatre. Tickets from thevic.co.nz.

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