Hollie Smith & Urzila Carlson Headline Tuning Fork Reopening Shows

From Friday, May 29, Together Again, will feature a rotating line-up of local musicians, comedians and performers starting with South African-New Zealander and multi award-winning comedian, URZILA CARLSON alongside Ray O’Leary, Nick Rado (MC) and Ruby Esther at The Tuning Fork in Auckland. The soulful HOLLIE SMITH will grace the stage on Saturday, May 30.

In a statement Live Nation New Zealand Chairman, Stuart Clumpas said: “Live Nation NZ is excited to be welcoming back live events in New Zealand. The Together Again series is an opportunity for us to unite and celebrate the power of live with some of the country’s first socially distanced shows.

The safety of our artists, audience, and staff is always a major focus at Live Nation events and venues, and especially so at this time. Our staff have been working extremely hard to get the doors open again and we aim to deliver not only a great live experience but also one that adheres to all the extra health and safety precautions and measures that line up with the government advice for events at level two.

We thank everyone in advance for making the effort to follow the new rules and guidelines that will be in place for these evolving times.”

Live Nation and Tuning Fork are taking a number of precautions, in accordance with public health and safety advice, which includes measures such as:

• Entry procedures: including temperature screening, contact tracing, changes to conditions of entry and processing times entering the venue.
• Venue procedures: including operating at a reduced 100-person capacity, staff wearing essential Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves, physical distancing of patrons, cleaning procedures and contactless technologies.
• Food and beverage: Drinks and snacks will be available via table service exclusively with ordering from your seat via a mobile phone or other handheld device. No more queues at the bar!

Tickets for Together Again are $25 and go on sale at 12pm NZST – Wednesday May 20. For complete event and ticket information, visit: livenation.co.nz.

URZILA CARLSON is a multi-award winning South African-New Zealand comedian and entertainer. Urzila had a blistering 2019 which saw her NETFLIX debut form part of the streaming service’s unprecedented stand-up comedy event series. Urzila was one of 47 comedians handpicked from around the world and had her first solo full hourNETFLIX special recorded in Melbourne in December 2019.

Urzila also cleaned up the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2019, taking out the MICF People’s Choice Award for most tickets sold across the festival. Carlson is a much-loved series regular on Network Ten’s smash-hit panel show, Have You Been Paying Attention?! in Australia, as well as NZ’s new edition of the show.

Urzila continues to sell out her seasons in Australia and New Zealand, and the awards stack up year after year. Most recently she was awarded the 2019 Rielly Comedy Award by the Variety Artists Club of NZ. In 2018 she was a nominee for Australia’s Helpmann Award for Best Comedy Performer, and she took out the 2017 Sydney Comedy Festival’s Director’s Choice Award. In New Zealand, Urzila has won the New Zealand Comedy Guild’s Best Female Comedian award six times, as well as the coveted People’s Choice Award at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival two years in a row.

HOLLIE SMITH is a prolific hardworking singer, songwriter, and performer who has always maintained a highly respected reputation of creating music with the utmost integrity and passion. Her incredible live performances and powerhouse vocals have made her one of the most sought-after acts in the New Zealand music industry.

After the success of her performance on Don McGlashan’s song Bathe in The River which showcased Hollie’s soulful talent, she has spent over a decade cementing herself as one of New Zealand’s most iconic and top artists.

Settle in for a night of laughter, LOLs and soulful lyrics as we officially celebrate the end of social isolation and welcome the return of live events – Together Again at The Tuning Fork this May.