Queens wharf music line-up for finals announced

New Zealand musician Gin Wigmore will return to New Zealand to headline the free finals night concert on Queens Wharf.

Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully today announced the final music line-up for the Main Stage concerts on Queens Wharf as part of the REAL New Zealand Festival during Rugby World Cup 2011.

"These additional bands and musicians add to the impressive line-up of New Zealand talent who will play free concerts during the Tournament. This is an unprecedented opportunity to showcase New Zealand's musical talent to the world," he said.

Supporting Gin for the October 23 concert will be Avalanche City, Cut Off Your Hands and The Checks, with Kids of 88 playing after the match.

Also announced today for the REAL New Zealand Music on Queens Wharf were Shihad and The Datsuns playing a Main Stage concert ahead of the Bronze Final match and Elemeno P have also been confirmed for a Main Stage concert on Friday 30 September, while The Adults and Little Bushman will feature in the intimate Live at The Cloud series.

In total, more than 99 bands and musicians will play concerts on Queens Wharf using the Main Stage, The Cloud and RWC 2011 Fanzone – Shed 10.

Mr McCully said the Queens Wharf music programme is the biggest line-up of New Zealand musicians ever seen in this country.

"It spans four decades with bands like Dragon and Jordan Luck, includes favorites like Opshop and The Black Seeds, and emerging artists. This shows the depth of talent we have in the New Zealand music industry."

Included in the Queens Wharf music programme is the Going Global Music Summit - a one day seminar and showcase programme with delegates coming from the UK, USA and Australia.

"There is considerable international interest in New Zealand music and it is a growing export earner for the country. This year, New Zealand had more musicians than ever perform at the Glastonbury Festival and New Zealand musicians also featured as part of the City of London Festival. Last year the music industry was worth $30 million in export earnings and there is opportunity to grow this exponentially," said Mr McCully

The Going Global Music Summit showcase on Monday 12 September is open to the public and includes a line-up of 10 bands and musicians representing different styles and genres.

The full programme for Queens Wharf including the REAL New Zealand Music on Queens Wharf line-up is available at