Liam Finn to light up ZooMusic

At Wild Bean Cafe ZooMusic on Friday 1 February Liam Finn will play one of his last New Zealand concerts before heading to the United States. Fans of Finn are encouraged to make the most this gig and show their support for conservation in the Sumatran region.

The front man of Betchadupa, Finn released his solo debut album I'll Be Lightning in July 2007 – which includes the singles Gather to the Chapel and Second Chance – to rave reviews, including being named in Rolling Stone's list of "10 artists to watch in 2008". The magazine is full of praise for his style of performance, calling him "a dynamic performer".

While Finn's star is on the rise, there are no second chances for many of the world's endangered animals. All concerts in the series will be raising funds for key conservation projects. Finn's gig will help to fund a Wildlife Protection Unit in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park, Sumatra. These units help to protect the flora and fauna inside the national park, and prevent wildlife crime.

"We are extremely grateful to Wild Bean Cafe ZooMusic for supporting the units. These units are a collaboration between government, local community groups, and non-governmental organisations, and have proven to be the most effective way of protecting both habitat and wildlife in Indonesia," says Leif Cocks, President of the Australian Orangutan Project.

"The destruction of the Indonesian rainforest accounts for 25 per cent of global emissions of greenhouse gases, making the protection of Indonesian forest the single most effective means to combat global warming."

The opening act (6pm to 6.30pm) will be the Danny McCrum Band, a four-piece group who will perform an acoustic-based set blending rock, funk, blues and pop. Following them will be Odessa (6.45pm to 7.30pm), performing their unique blend of rock and R'n'B from their album The Prize. Liam Finn will take the stage at 7.45pm accompanied by Eliza-Jane Barnes, daughter of Jimmy Barnes.

Your ZooMusic ticket is also your entry to the zoo – so come early to explore the zoo and check out your favourite animals. Please be aware the band rotunda area will closed off in the afternoon to enable safe equipment set-up.

Tickets are available from Auckland Zoo and Ticketmaster.

Wild Bean Cafe ZooMusic Concerts for Conservation series 2008, in association with Juice TV, The Radio Network, Monkey Bay wines, MusicWorks, Millennium Hotels & Resorts, and Vidcom.