Brilliant Things to Do in Auckland this June

June, it’s officially the first month of Winter. While you may be inclined to stay indoors hugging a hot water bottle sipping a warm cup of tea watching local celebrities attempt ballroom dancing on TV, that doesn’t really make for a great conversation around the water cooler come Monday.

There’s plenty of stuff happening this month, including one of Shakespeare's most loved and widely discussed plays, the birthday of a dimly-lit rabbit warren, an artsy conversation series, the coming together of two iconic New Zealand figures, and the Royal NZ Ballet's latest work.

Alison Wonderland: Warehouse Project 2.0

Sydney DJ and classically trained cellist Alison Wonderland last jumped the ditch for a sold show at Auckland’s Studio venue. This time, having spent the last 12 months scouring the country for the perfect space to throw a party, she'll host a gathering at an unnamed, central city warehouse location.

The Auckland date will be Wonderland’s only New Zealand date as part of her Warehouse Project. It also follows the release of her debut album, Run, released in March.

When: Friday, June 5
Where: Secret Location in Auckland
How much: $40

Wine Cellar 11th Anniversary

The dimly-lit rabbit warren beneath shopping hub St Kevin’s Arcade has been the purveyor of intimate and interesting gigs for 11 years now. To celebrate the milestone, the Wine Cellar will present a jam packed night of entertainment in their own lounge-like, couch-filled venue as well as the neighbouring indie-rock hut Whammy Bar.

Playing between both venues will be a wide range of local indie acts, including: ambientvalent four-piece Bespin, guitar wielding pop band The Beths, folk/industrial/no wave five-some Girls Pissing On Girls, cinematic doom folk band Mice On Stilts, Supergroove horn section turned blues duo Hopetoun Brown, plus Ie. Crazy, New Gum Sarn, Oscar Dowling, Last Minute Boys and Platter Pussies DJs.

When: Saturday, June 6
Where: Wine Cellar/Whammy Bar
How much: $10

Anthonie Tonnon

Having hit the road with his trusty band The Successors in March, Auckland-based songwriter Anthonie Tonnon will strip back his live show to perform in the space he first tested the waters with material from his album Successor.

The late addition to the tour schedule will see Tonnon take the stage by himself to perform intimate renditions of album tracks, as well as show off a bit of pedal experimentation and stage tricks he has developed across six months of live shows. The performance also welcomes the 12" vinyl version of the album, which is spearheaded by Tonnon’s trademark wit, almost spoken-word vocal delivery and a lyrical style based around long-form journalism.

When: Sunday, June 7
Where: Freida Margolis
How much: $40

Open Nights at Studio One: Joseph Michael

Open Nights is a free, monthly conversation series at the council-run artist space and outreach centre Studio One. This month's hour-long event will see well-lauded new media artist and photographer Joseph Michael discuss his career as well as his most recent folio of work.

Michael's Dark Cloud / White Light is a fully immersive, installation combining a stunning series of long exposure photographs shot in the Antarctic and the New Zealand landscape, as well as 3D film, and a soundtrack from veteran sound composers and avant-garde sound artists.

Afterwards there will be an opportunity to mingle with the man himself and enjoy light refreshments.

When: Wednesday, June 10
Where: Studio One Toi Tu
How much: Free

Don McGlashan

With his third solo album firmly under his belt, legendary New Zealand songwriter Don McGlashan is hitting the road for a string of tour dates around the country.

Self-described as his “most personal album yet”, Lucky Stars was written with an idea of stillness and isolation in mind at a bach on the Thames Estuary, before being realised at Neil Finn's Roundhead Studios. As well as agreeing that it may be his most personal offering, the NZ Herald went on to call it his "best solo set yet", giving it an unheard of five star rating.

At his Auckland show he will be joined on stage by guitarist Tom Rodwell and Chris O’Connor on the skins for two sets each night.

When: Thursday, June 11
Where: Hopetoun Alpha
How much: $37.50

Aotea Square Ice Rink

Although the Auckland winter is routinely more torrential rain and soggy footwear than snowmen and tabogganing, the folks behind Aotea Square are getting in the winter spirit and doing their best to inject a little bit of seasonal magic in the CBD.

The centre-piece of the wintry make-over is the hugely popular ice rink, returning for its fourth year. The 30 x 16m square metre rink brings a winter wonderland vibe to the central city for nearly six weeks. A weekly programme will see special events and themed weekends, including: K’ Pop night, ice hockey, competitive skating demos and a Friday night DJ – which is sure to bring back memories of high school socials for a lot of people.

When: Thursday, June 11 - Sunday July, 19
Where: Aotea Square
How much: $15 - $20

Tokimonsta

US producer and DJ Tokimonsta was last in New Zealand in 2013, where she performed a sold out show at Bacco Room. This time the Los Angeles native, otherwise known as Jennifer Lee, will appear off the back of critically acclaimed performances at Coachella and SXSW festivals.

Her onstage show is based around new technology with pieces of musical and multimedia gear, while her sound has been described as a ‘mixture of organic and future-minded soundscapes…with a narcotic, detached haze surrounding each song’.

She will be supported by local acts: Randa, Bailey Wiley, Maya Vanya, Jess D and Ash & Arna.

When: Friday, June 12 
Where: Galatos
How much: $34.90

Photo Laundry

Also known as Sooshka (Russian for ‘to dry something’), the world renowned Photo Laundry event welcomes photographers of all skill levels to showcase their work on a set of pop-up washing lines. In return for pegging a piece of their art, participants are encouraged to take home another pegged image that takes their fancy.

More than 90,000 people across the world have participated in the project since its inception in 2010, with over 1000 people attending the Auckland leg last January.

The second New Zealand event will be held as part of the Auckland Festival of Photography.

When: June 13 - 14
Where: The Bridge Gallery Studio
How much: Free

Salute

The Royal New Zealand Ballet’s (RNZB) most recent offering is a compilation of four works, each commemorating the centenary of the Gallipoli landings and World War I.

Backed by the impeccable New Zealand Army Band, the show features: the world premiere of Andrew Simmons’ work Dear Horizon, set against a score from acclaimed local composer Gareth Farr; Czechoslovakian choreographer Jiri Kylián’s Soldiers Mass piece, set to a score from his fellow countryman Bernard Kruysen; Johan Kooborg’s light-hearted work and title piece Salute, and the world premiere of Neil Ieremia’s piece Passchendaele, inspired by Warrant Officer Dwayne Bloomfield's tone poem of the same name.

When: June 13 - 14; 17-20
Where: Bruce Mason Theatre; ASB Theatre
How much: $35 - 110

Marlon Williams

Off the back of releasing his debut self-titled solo album in late April, Christchurch-bred, Melbourne-based songwriter Marlon Williams sold-out a string of shows in London and received praise from high flying publications Rolling Stone and Billboard Magazine, including words like, “captivating” and “the voice of an angel”.

Returning home this month, Williams’ will show off his angelic voice, wonderous guitar skills and knack for writing bonafide modern country hits with a performance at Mount Eden’s historic Crystal Palace Theatre.

When: Friday, June 26
Where: Crystal Palace Theatre
How much: $30

Sam Hunt with David Kilgour & The Heavy 8s

Six years after their first awe-inspiring collaborative album Fallen Debris, iconic New Zealand poet Sam Hunt and The Clean frontman David Kilgour have done it again, this time with Hunt behind the microphone.

After four days of brainstorming, improvising, jamming and recording in Port Chalmers’ venue Chicks Hotel, the pair had the makings of their new 13-track album The 9th. The result has been described as a “bold, sometimes raucous, consistently passionate meeting.”

The supergroup will come together for a performance of their new material at Auckland’s Kings Arms Tavern. The night will kick off with Hunt performing a short solo set, before he is joined by Kilgour & The Heavy 8s for tracks off the new album. After a short break, David Kilgour & The Heavy 8s will perform songs off their latest LP End Times Undone.

When: Saturday, June 27
Where: Kings Arms Tavern
How much: $32

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