Festival day four with tubular bells and whistle-blowers

PRESS RELEASE

Festival day four complete with tubular bells and whistle-blowers

LAKE WANAKA, New Zealand (April 19, 2013) – The Festival of Colour’s Aspiring Conversations series continued today with New Zealand’s Nicky Hager adding a domestic dimension to some of the themes begun earlier by fellow investigative journalist Seymour Hersh. Elsewhere, the music programme took in a remarkable two-man take on the classic 70s album, Tubular Bells.

In ‘Fighting other people’s wars’ Hager focused on his recent work uncovering New Zealand’s participation in US-led conflicts, especially Afghanistan – “a war most New Zealander’s know very little about other than calculated spin,” he said.

Pointing out the ongoing close relationship between this country and the US, he pulled no punches when explaining why our military sometimes withholds information from the government and also the concept of ‘interoperability’ – or compatibility in equipment and strategies – between members of the Five Nation Alliance.

“It sounds like common sense in principle but it is the means by which our military remains ready and oriented for the next American war.”

Prompted by the session’s moderator, journalist Finlay Macdonald, Hager quipped to any GCSB spies in the audience that he’d be outside to meet them after the session and expanded on the motivation behind his work, saying he “believed in the goodness of people” including ex-service personnel who formed many of his key sources.

Earlier, in his second festival appearance, Pulitzer Prize-winner Seymour Hersh presented another fascinating take on the often murky world of investigative journalism. He discussed with Macdonald how autonomous “a little country like New Zealand” could be, explained more about how he came to uncover the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War and shared his own early experiences as a Chicago police reporter.

In Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells for Two just two musicians recreated the multi-layered album live on stage. Running frantically between dozens of different instruments, Australians Daniel Holdsworth and Aidan Roberts’ show was as much a visual as an aural experience for a sold out Central Lakes Crystal Palace crowd.

Also in Wanaka, the big stage production of Dave Armstrong’s comedy Kings of the Gym contrasted nicely with micro-audience piece SALON that appeared three times in the intimate setting of a local hairdressers. Tracing Hamlet continued its popular run at Puzzling World while another Australian multi-instrumentalist, Adam Page closed the evening with a late night mix of humour, crazy energy, beat boxing and loops.

With Black Grace taking their spellbinding contemporary dance show Vaka across the Crown Range to Queenstown, and On the Upside Down of the World completing its residency at Luggate Memorial Hall it was another busy and vastly enjoyable day for festivalgoers.

The 2013 Southern Lakes Festival of Colour runs until Sunday 21 April and is generously supported by Central Lakes Trust, The Community Trust of Otago, Creative New Zealand and Aurora Energy. For further information and ticket sales visit www.festivalofcolour.co.nz.

ENDS

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