Green Room Sessions bring serious funk to NZ souls

For immediate release 28 November 2005

Heineken Music Green Room Sessions brings some serious funk to New Zealand souls

Heineken Music Green Room Sessions introduced New Zealanders to some of the worlds most progressive and cutting edge music this weekend. UK funk heavyweights Quantic Soul Orchestra (QSO) featuring British soul sensation Alice Russell played at two exclusive events at the Union Fish Building in Auckland on Friday 25th November and Basin Reserve in Wellington on Saturday 26th November.

This was the first time QSO and Alice Russell have performed in New Zealand. The Brighton based outfit's soulful blend of afro beat and retro funk, with a dash of salsa thrown in for good measure, resonated with NZ audiences and they received rapturous response at both events. Paying homage to the funk explosion of the early Seventies, QSO treated the crowd to an evening delivered with style, panache and accomplishment.

Alice’s performance struck the perfect balance between diva and band member. Her lavishly soulful voice formed an integral part of the overall sound without ever distracting from the vibe, keeping audiences spellbound.

Heineken Music Green Room Sessions are a fusion of stylish music, art and innovation. Redefining the idea of a traditional ‘gig’, both venues had been magnificently transformed into visual sensations creating a journey for the senses using light, imagery, design and music.

In Auckland designers Mike Hodgson and Jenta Glasgow constructed a number of temporary rooms that led through a constantly evolving environment. From the green room with its quaint wrought iron outdoor setting to inner city surreal video projections that merged with art installations, the whole experience was a visual feast.

Wellington designers Josh Judkins and Mia Arts from Third Drawer collaborated with Mike Hodgson to transform the Basin Reserve Long Room from an old world cricket establishment into a 70’s mystical wonderland. As guests arrived they were offered a Heineken beer from a wall of beige and brown cupboards which opened to heavenly voices and fairy lights. They were then lead down a hallway into a world of Kiwiana complete with a real grass floor, Pohutukawa trees and ferns accompanying a tree-like lamp made with Heineken bottle lampshades.

Heineken Music Green Room Sessions will continue to bring more eclectic funk'd up evenings of entertainment during 2006. To be part of these exclusive events in the future register www.heinekenmusic.co.nz

ENDS

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