Top Kiwi bands on road for RWC festival

The best of Kiwi music will sound throughout the country during the Rugby World Cup when 50 top bands play 22 different cities as part of a REAL New Zealand Music Showcase tour.

Sixty concerts will be held in towns from Kaitaia in the north of the North Island to Invercargill in the far south of the South Island - and most concerts will be free or low-priced.

Acts will cover a broad range of genres from Opshop, Supergroove, The Feelers, Fat Freddy’s Drop, The Black Seeds, The Chills, Phoenix Foundation and I Am Giant to blues legend Midge Marsden.

Musical showcase
With an estimated 85,000 international visitors in New Zealand during the tournament, the musical showcase will be an opportunity to show Kiwi talent to the world.

New Zealand music is worth NZ$30 million in annual export earnings and the depth of music being offered on the tour was impressive, said Rugby World Cup minister Murray McCully.

"In between watching the rugby will be the chance to enjoy all the talent and depth of New Zealand music. Not only will it add to the festival spirit it will also showcase the best of our musical talent to our overseas visitors," McCully said.

REAL NZ Festival
The Government’s NZ 2011 office is overseeing the tour as part of the REAL New Zealand Festival and has designed the programme to fit with key moments during the tournament.

"The Rugby World Cup offers an unprecedented opportunity to showcase the best of our country to the world. Over the six weeks of the tournament we will be highlighting the best of our film, fashion, food and wine, agribusiness, ICT and many other sectors.

"The REAL New Zealand Music Showcase provides the platform for contemporary New Zealand music to also be on show," says McCully.

Queens Wharf, Auckland
The REAL New Zealand Festival music programme does not yet include the full Queens Wharf programme in Auckland, which will be the centre piece of the showcase.

Further announcements on the Queens Wharf programme will be made in the next few weeks.

New Zealand music will also be showcased on video to be played on big screens at fan zones throughout the country.