What’s on in town
People and events in Newcastle City
Complete guide to events and ‘gigs’ in the Hunter region: visit the comprehensive Newcastle Music Directory
** City Venue location maps below events **
| What: | Vanilla Ice Vanilla Ice + Special Guests live now at Panthers Newcastle (has been moved from King Street Hotel) For one night only - strictly limited tickets so dont miss out!! Tickets purchased for King St Hotel remain valid for Panthers. Alright stop-?¦ collaborate and listen. Ice is back with his brand new revelation. Celebrate your New Years with a blast from the past as Vanilla Ice sets his sights on an Australian East Coast Tour. All of us will remember the days when Ice Ice Baby was at the top of our charts back in the 1990s. It was a Top 10 song for three months from December 1990 until March 1991 which gave plenty of time to get the lyrics down pat. Things were a bit quiet from then on. A whole string of TV appearances including a -"huge– supporting role in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2nd movie kept Ice in the scene, somewhat. And so, almost 17 years later to the day we can all relive our days trying to be the coolest dude on Earth as Vanilla Ice does his thing over the New Years holiday. over 18s King St (Cnr Union St), Newcastle, NSW 2300 |
| When: | Friday, December 28, 2007 8:00 PM |
| Where: | Panthers Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales NSW 2300 Australia
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| What: | Grinspoon New Years Eve spectacular at the Queens Wharf Brewery! The Brewery and New World Artists have delivered yet another all Australian, all rock line up to bring in the New Year celebrations for 2007. We are pleased to announce that Grinspoon will headline NYE 07 at Queens Wharf Brewery, with support from The Butterfly Effect and Mammal. Grinspoon are back in a big way, with the release of their much anticipated 5th Album Alibis and Other Lies, just finishing an east coast tour with sold out gigs, along with headlining both Groovin the Moo Albury in November and Pyramid Festival Phillip Island in December. Grinspoon are on a comeback, and it would seem that they are warming up to give their fans in Newcastle a performance that will have them remembering NYE 07 for years to come. Special guests, The Butterfly Effect have also been touring and promoting their album IMAGO playing to sold out crowds across the nation. Similarly, Mammal have released Vol 1: The Aural Underground and are quickly becoming known for their range of punk and raw rock orientation. 150 Wharf Rd, Newcastle, NSW 2300 |
| When: | Monday, December 31, 2007 8:00 PM |
| Where: | Queens Wharf Brewery
150 Wharf Rd
Newcastle, New South Wales NSW 2300 Australia |
| What: | Spicks and Speck-tacular Adam Hills, Myf Warhurst, Alan Brough If you only see one stage show loosely based on a comedic music quiz then this is it! Spicks and Specks has been a runaway hit for the ABC with more than 1.2 million Australians tuning into ABC-TV every Wednesday to unleash their inner music nerd. Each week Alan and Myf do battle, amazing audiences and sometimes themselves with the obscure and bizarre music facts that dwell in the back of their brains. Alan learnt his music skills working behind the counter of a New Zealand record store. Myf got education more formally as a music student and informally as the little sister of a family of brothers who were all in bands. Adam thought he knew a thing or two about music until he met these two - he prefers to see himself as a specialist rather than a generalist (his speciality is Adam Ant). Now the three of them are going to bring their stories (both from their past and the Spicks and Specks greenroom) and their skills (from stand-up to ivory tinkling) to the stage for the ultimate Spicks and Speck-tacular. Some games from the show will be ramped up for the stage and the whole show will be rocked along by a live band led by Myf’s big brother Kit (from Rocket Science, Manic Suede). And for all of you out there who think you can stump Alan or Myf, this could be your chance! So if the idea of a summer without the music trivia stylings of Hills, Brough and Warhurst is too much to bear then get yourself to the Spicks and Speck-tacular. 375 HUNTER STREET, NEWCASTLE, NSW 2300 |
| When: | Tuesday, January 8, 2008 7:00 PM |
| Where: | Civic Theatre
375 HUNTER STREET
Newcastle, New South Wales NSW 2300 Australia |
| What: | The Winner’s Journey Natalie Gauci, Matt Corby For the first time in the history of Australian Idol there will be a "Winner’s Journey Tour" at the completion of this year’s series. The tour will take this year’s winner of Australian Idol to every state and major regional area of Australia, bringing to each city and town the live spectacle that we have all enjoyed on our TV screens for the last 3 months. The Winner’s Journey Tour will feature the key songs and performances that made Natalie a star. From the soaring ballads to the "touchdowns" the live show will focus on those songs that made this year’s journey so special. On top of this a few brand new songs from the winner will be previewed so fans can get an immediate taste of what is forthcoming from their Idol. There will also be the opportunity during post show signing sessions to get up close and personal with your Idol favourites and enjoy all over again the excitement that is Australian Idol. The tour kicks off in Wollongong on January 2nd 2008 and crosses the country before ending in Cairns on the 24th February. Tickets are on sale through the usual outlets at 9am on Monday 26th November, the morning after the winner is crowned at the Opera House. This is the Idol tour you have been waiting for - don’t miss out! 375 HUNTER STREET, NEWCASTLE, NSW 2300 |
| When: | Wednesday, January 16, 2008 8:00 PM |
| Where: | Civic Theatre
375 HUNTER STREET
Newcastle, New South Wales NSW 2300 Australia |
| What: | Vital, Australian Chamber Orchestra Energy and optimism abound in the first ACO concert program for 2008. Opening the concert, Haydn’s Symphony No.47 smarts with joyful string accolades and emphatic horn writing. The structure of its third movement, where the first half of each section is played in mirror image in the second, has led to the Symphony’s nickname, -’The Palindrome’. Ever the entrepreneur, Mozart wrote his Piano Concerto No.19 just before Christmas to perform in a highly lucrative series of concerts. This vivacious work is a perfect fit for our first guest soloist of the year, that master of Mozart and much, much more, Melvyn Tan. A new arrangement of Franz Schubert’s last quartet completes the program. It was written in 1826 and published posthumously. Drama and sweetness combine to create a profound beauty, which elevates this music beyond the boundaries of his earlier works. 290 King St, Newcastle, NSW 2300 |
| When: | Thursday, January 31, 2008 7:30 PM |
| Where: | Newcastle City Hall
290 King St
Newcastle, New South Wales NSW 2300 Australia |
| What: | Joe Cocker Joe Cocker is a once-in-a-lifetime artist - one who has an unerring ear for songs that fit him best and the transcendent power to transport us to a place in our collective imagination where familiar sounds glow with a new light. Instantly recognizable for his unique & oh so sensational guttural growl of a voice, Cocker has the uncanny gift of taking well-known songs and recrafting them to instantly make them his own. It’s that voice that powered his show-stopping performances at the Woodstock Festivals of 1969 and 1994, the same voice that took Lennon & McCartney’s A Little Help From My Friends and turned it into a Cocker classic and which, cracked and broken, made You Are So Beautiful such a raw and soulful performance. Whether its his funk, soul, guts & grit rendition of Bob Marley’s Could You Be Loved, the ever so soulful Have A Little Faith or his raunchy reading of Randy Newman’s You Can Leave Your Hat On, one of Cocker’s greatest strengths is his ability to interpret other people’s songs, usually transcending the original. Don’t miss the unmistakable voice that is Joe Cocker live in concert this summer! 375 HUNTER STREET, NEWCASTLE, NSW 2300 |
| When: | Tuesday, February 5, 2008 8:00 PM |
| Where: | Civic Theatre
375 HUNTER STREET
Newcastle, New South Wales NSW 2300 Australia |
| What: | James Morrison & Deni Hines The Other Woman tour In conjunction with the release of the Jazz Duet album The Other Woman, James Morrison & Deni Hines announce their national tour commencing in January 2008. Taking a minimum 9 piece band on the road, Deni and James will perform the entire 16 track album with some special interludes and commentary for over 2 hours featuring such tracks as "I Only Have Eyes For You", "Summertime", "God Bless the Child", "Strange Fruit" and their two originals "(tired of being) The Other Woman" and "Wake Up". The recent preview shows in Sydney and Melbourne were near sell outs and overwhelmed the audience. Jaws were dropping, feet were tapping and more encores that you can poke a trumpet at. By all accounts this national tour will be one not to be missed. 375 HUNTER STREET, NEWCASTLE, NSW 2300 |
| When: | Friday, February 8, 2008 8:00 PM |
| Where: | Civic Theatre
375 HUNTER STREET
Newcastle, New South Wales NSW 2300 Australia |
| What: | Goldner String Quartet & Steven Osborne, Musica Viva Australia Musica Viva’s year opens with the dynamic musical partnership of the Goldner String Quartet and acclaimed Scottish pianist Steven Osborne. The Quartet’s past collaborations have always been highlights of our concert seasons and Steven’s previous appearances in Australia were critical and audience successes. This electrifying combination performs two of the most popular piano quintets, Schumann’s surging Romantic masterpiece written for his pianist wife Clara and Shostakovich’s neo-classical response to his first denunciation by the Stalinist regime. The Quartet commences our year-long focus on the music of Richard Mills with performances of his first String Quartet while Steven explores the sensual world of Debussy’s best-known Préludes. Newcastle Conservatorium of Music, Auckland St (Cnr Gibson St) Newcastle, NSW 2300 |
| When: | Saturday, March 1, 2008 8:00 PM |
| Where: | Concert Hall
Newcastle, New South Wales NSW 2300 Australia
|
| What: | The Black Crowes The Black Crowes are one of the few contemporary bands who have also shared the stage with Jimmy Page, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Neil Young, The Grateful Dead and many other legendary artists. They are without doubt one of the greatest American rock roll bands of all time and they are touring Australia in March/April 2008. From the beginning, when they roared out of the gate with their 1990 multi-platinum debut album "Shake Your Moneymaker", The Black Crowes have played by their own rules. They’ve gone against the grain and formed an intimate connection with their audience, while maintaining their independence and creative freedom from standard industry practices. This has earned them the title of -"The Most Rock -’N Roll Rock -’N Roll Band In The World.– Chris and Rich Robinson have never veered from their mission of creating rock and roll that is fierce and genuine, with a sound that doesn’t conform to easy categorization. You can hear it in the band’s six studio albums–which have racked up worldwide album sales exceeding 19 million–and in their panoramic live shows. After a hiatus of 4 years, on January 11, 2005, The Black Crowes announced their highly anticipated and long-awaited return to the live concert stage with five special shows…..all five shows sold out instantly, marking the fastest New York sell-out that The Black Crowes have experienced to date. The story continues. The Black Crowes have returned in full force to share -"15 Years of Cosmic Rock-n-Roll– with this highly anticipated and long awaited return of a -"-?¦thoroughbred American rock -’n’ freakin’ roll band–. 375 HUNTER STREET, NEWCASTLE, NSW 2300 |
| When: | Thursday, April 3, 2008 8:00 PM |
| Where: | Civic Theatre
375 HUNTER STREET
Newcastle, New South Wales NSW 2300 Australia |
| What: | Jason Alexander’s Comedy Spectacular Tickets Jason Alexander, Kitty Flanagan, The Umbilical Brothers, Mick Molloy, Peter Helliar, Russell Gilbert Join the 7-time Emmy nominated star of "Seinfeld" as he hosts an evening of hilarious stand-up, sing slongs and improvisational comedy with special guests Kitty Flanagan, Scared Weird Little Guys, The Umbilical Brothers, Peter Helliar, Russell Gilbert and Mick Molloy. JASON ALEXANDER’S COMEDY SPECTACULAR is the must see show for 2008 Nine seasons as hapless shlep George Costanza on NBC’s ‘Seinfeld’ was a high point in a career on stage, screen and television. For his portrayel of George, Alexander earned six Emmy and four Golden Globe nomination, an American Television Award and two American Comedy Awards for ‘Best Supporting Acotr in a Television Series’. The Screen Actors Guild went one step higher and knighted him ‘Best Actor in a Comedy Series’, despite his role as a supporting actor. 375 HUNTER STREET, NEWCASTLE, NSW 2300 |
| When: | Wednesday, April 30, 2008 8:00 PM |
| Where: | Civic Theatre
375 HUNTER STREET
Newcastle, New South Wales NSW 2300 Australia |
| What: | The Chaser’s Age Of Terror Variety Hour After heeding Today Tonight’s complaints about the outrageous waste of taxpayers’ money on their show The War On Everything, the Chaser team has decided to take some time off from TV in the first half of 2008. The Chaser will adopt a purely user-pays approach next year, mounting a national tour of a new live production, The Chaser’s Age Of Terror Variety Hour. Like The War On Everything, the Variety Hour will include a diverse range of short segments, some of which will be kind of okay-ish. It will combine sketches, songs, presentations and interactive audience segments ranging from the satirical to the just silly, and be constantly updated to incorporate up-to-the-minute insensitive gags about the latest celebrity deaths as they happen. War On Everything co-conspirators Andrew Hansen, Chas Licciardello, Julian Morrow and Craig Reucassel will appear in the show. Chris Taylor has opted not to tour while under the cloud of a fatwa issued by the Irwin family, and will remain in an undisclosed location developing new television projects for the team. His irreplaceableness will be demonstrated by the inclusion of Dominic Knight, one of The Chaser’s founders and a writer for the War. |
| When: | Tuesday, July 1, 2008 7:00 PM |
| Where: | Civic Theatre
375 HUNTER STREET
Newcastle, New South Wales NSW 2300 Australia |
| What: | Vivacious, Australian Chamber Orchestra Russian violinist Alina Ibragimova, one of the world’s rising stars, directs an inspirational program featuring a perennial favourite. Bach’s -’The Art of Fugue’ doesn’t actually indicate what instruments it should be played on. In recent years string players around the world have been exploring the fascinating sound world of these pieces, which are most often played by a keyboard instrument. Kurtág’s -’Signs, Games & Messages’ includes an Homage à J.S.B. and three pieces from Alban Berg’s deeply introspective and emotional Lyric Suite complete the first half of this program. The second half of the program takes us away and to Venice to revel in the vivacity and charm of one of the best-known and well-loved works of all time — Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. 290 King St, Newcastle, NSW 2300 |
| When: | Thursday, August 28, 2008 7:30 PM |
| Where: | Newcastle City Hall
290 King St
Newcastle, New South Wales NSW 2300 Australia |
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Newcastle Entertainment Centre
Address: Brown Rd, Broadmeadow, 2292
Directions: Park in streets closest to eastern showground gates in Brown Street or attempt on-ground parking from northern entrance off Griffith Road
General: About 10 minutes from Newcastle City Central (East End). Drive west along King Street through Hamilton - no turns required. Showground on left immediately after crossing Donald Street railway bridge (only such bridge)
Civic Theatre
Address: Hunter Street, Newcastle, 2300
Directions: Civic Centre about 3 minutes from East End, 200 metres from Harbour, next to City Hall.
General: On-street parking. Get there early for close parking and enjoy a meal at the restaurant in the theatre.
