Fringe Town presents Outsider Sounds, Music on the Fringe

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For one week only, the mezzanine above the Auckland Town Hall will be transformed into an alcove of sonic delights for Outsider Sounds, an eclectic, curated offering of free live music as part of Auckland Live’s Fringe Town.

Handpicked by Matthew Crawley and Bob Frisbee, thirteen of Aotearoa’s most intriguing artists and their collaborators will offer free intimate shows, performing across six days to create a festival within a festival. From fuzz-pop to indie folk, from space jazz to the fantastical experiments of Arts Laureate Phil Dadson, these rulebreakers and tastemakers promise sounds from the outside that cut to the musical core.

Tuesday 25 February:
Impressive indie live acts The Naenae Express and Na Noise kick off Outsider Sounds from 8pm. Masters of the unpredictable, The Naenae Express line-up ranges from the solo spectacle of core member Scott Kendall up to a ten-piece indie drone orchestra. They are followed by new fuzz-pop duo Na Noise, aka Yolanda Fagan and Hariet Ellis.

Wednesday 26 February:
Things get out of this world on night two, with space jazz from The Pyramids Were Built From The Top Down at 8pm before the new project from Crystal Choi, aka Phoebe Rings, playing previously unheard cosmic concoctions.

Thursday 27 February:
With a delectable offering of indie folk, Jenny Lange on piano, vocals, and accordion, and Jade Farley on violin, guitar, and vocals team up for a rare live performance from 7pm. Taking us into the night, DJ Laura Lush creates a vibey live mix of experimental soundscapes.

Saturday 29 February:
The weekend brings a stacked four-act bill of experimental and spoken-word wonders over four brilliant hours. Kicking off at 12 noon, audio-visual artist Ducklingmonster utilizes hand-built and broken electronics, field recordings, presets, drum machine, keyboard, and vocals to create her soundscapes. Jeff Henderson follows with clarinet, but not as you know it – this mysterious yet friendly minstrel breaks all the rules. Kiwi indie hero Bill Direen (Flying Nun) joins forces with Mark Williams and Johannes Contag to form super-group Ferocious – with spoken word interjected by a timely keyboard and Jazz-o-matic guitar. And rounding things off, Electric Alchemy’s spoken-word DJ set takes us smoothly into the summer evening.

Sunday 1 March:
Reinvention expert Sonya Waters leads the final day of Outsider Sounds with her solo ambient synth from 2pm. With a sound inspired by wind turbines, weather, Debussy piano music and modular synth, Sonya’s impressionist indie-pop leads perfectly into the experimental sounds of Gianmarco Liguori + Tom Ludvigson. Rounding out the 2020 programme, 961@Townhall create an hour of long-distance sonic magic! Legendary instrument inventor/performer Tom Nunn with electric bassist Paul Winstanley perform live from San Francisco, while renowned New Zealand instrument inventor/performer Phil Dadson and friends (sonicsfromscratch) collaborate with them from the lofty heights of the Town Hall balcony foyer.
Leading the charge of the musical programme for Fringe Town are full-noise concerts from
Sarah Mary Chadwick on Thursday 27th and Alien Weaponry on Saturday 29th. Taking over the Great Hall downstairs, these one-night-only ticketed shows from two of New Zealand’s premiere live acts are simply unmissable this Fringe.

OUTSIDER SOUNDS

Tuesday 25 February
The Naenae Express | 8pm – 9pm | Indie
Na Noise | 9pm – 10pm | Indie

Wednesday 26 February
The Pyramids Were Built From The Top Down | 8pm – 9pm | Cosmic Jazz
Phoebe Rings | 9pm – 10pm | Dream Pop

Thursday 27 February
Jenny + Jade | 7pm – 8pm | Folk / Indie
Laura Lush | 9pm – 11pm | Electronic

Saturday 29 February
Ducklingmonster | 12pm – 1pm | Experimental
Jeff Henderson | 1pm – 2pm | Experimental
Bill Direen / Ferocious | 2pm – 3pm | Spoken Word / Indie
Electric Alchemy | 3pm – 4pm | Spoken Word / DJ

Sunday 1 March
Sonya Waters | 2pm – 3pm | Ambient / Electronic
Gianmarco Liguori + Tom Ludvigson | 3pm – 4pm | Experimental / Improvised
961@TownHall: Long-Distance Music  (Phil Dadson) | 4pm – 5pm | Experimental

PLUS

Sarah Mary Chadwick
Thursday 27 February
Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall
8pm – 9pm Tickets: $15-35 (+ fees)
Indie / Singer/Songwriter – Performing The Queen Who Stole The Sky

Alien Weaponry
Saturday 29 February
Doors open: 6.30pm; Support Act – Shepherds Reign: 7.30pm; Alien Weaponry: 8.30pm
Great Hall, Auckland Town Hall
Tickets: $20-35 (+ fees)
Thrash metal
Fringe Town plays 25 February – 1 March as part of the Auckland Fringe Festival 2020.

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