Nukes Set To Blast Oyster Festival

MEDIA RELEASE
3 MAY 2010

Nukes Set To Blast Oyster Festival

Get ready for something completely different! Ukelele band 'The Nukes' will end their New Zealand Music Month nationwide tour by performing at the Bluff Oyster & Food Festival in Bluff on Saturday 22 May.

'The Nukes' are an all original ukelele trio who were awarded APRA top uke song for 2008 with 'Peas and Carrots', written by band member Ben 'Country Boy' Collier. Collier is a former drummer from Golden Horse who writes the majority of the original repertoire for the The Nukes. The band also comprises of David Parker who found fame (but not fortune) with the number one hit and gold record 'Tears On My Pillow' in 1991 with his band 'The Parker Project'. In 2004 he founded the Titirangi Festival Of Music where he discovered ukelele music. 'The Nukes' were formed when they got together to perform a short set at the Titirangi event in 2008. David is referred to within the band as "Fingers Of Fire" for reasons which supposedly become apparent when watching the band live.

Affectionately referred to as 'Snapper', David Thiele completes 'The Nukes' line up. Thiele is a Kiwi FM DJ, a writer and house re-piler who plays banjolele, made famous early in the 20th century by Roy Smeck and George Formby, lending a distinctive retro feel to The Nukes sound.

The bands May tour begins in the Coromandel and traverses both North and South Island venues before the climax of the tour - the Bluff Oyster & Food Festival. Their songs draw on styles as diverse as Blues to Bluegrass through to Reggae and Ragtime with a blend of great songs, tight uke arrangements and wonderful three-part harmonies - the perfect recipe for the Festival.

Parker says; "by the time we get to Bluff we'll be red hot!" "We're very much looking forward to tasting some wonderful Bluff Oysters and perhaps washing them down with a cleansing southern ale. Come and see us and discover just what can be done with a ukelele."

The band has put forward Collier as their representative in the Celebrity Oyster Eating race where he will go head to head with Brendan Pongia, Tim Shadbolt plus several other well known New Zealanders.

While 'The Nukes' will be a new feature on the entertainment programme this year watch out for several favourites from past Festivals whose popularity has dictated they should return. Lipstick, featuring the multiple award winning trio of Maria Tipuna, Toni Biddle and Shannon Cooper-Garland, are back along with 8-piece band Rhythmonix with their blend of roots and dub plus a twist of hip-hop and a touch of jazz. Room To Move, winners of the Southland Regional Final of the Smokefree Rockquest in 2008, also return with their blues based cocktail of fresh dub and old school 70's rock to play their second Bluff Oyster & Food Festival.

Contra Band plus the Bluff Drama Club and the popular Bluff Community School Kapa Haka Group will also be a part of a very exciting entertainment programme.

The Festival takes place at the Stewart Island Experience site on Foreshore Road adjacent to the Old Town Wharf in Bluff from 11am on Saturday 22 May.

Tickets are on sale at a cost of $16 each while tickets for children 12 & under will sell at $5 each. The Festival venue is limited to 5000 people on the day so Festival organisers are urging people to pre-book to ensure they gain admission on the day.

Tickets are available from the Invercargill City Council Booking Office in Esk Street, Invercargill, the Bluff Service Centre, Gore Street, Bluff and www.ticketdirect.co.nz Bookings can also be made by phone at 03 211 1692 or 0800 484 2538 or online at service @icc.govt.nz in addition to www.ticketdirect.co.nz

The Festival will feature a mouthwatering array of food and beverage with the Bluff Oyster the star of the show. Other activities include the Oyster Eating and Opening Races plus the Kayes Bakery Creativity Awards.

EFTPOS facilities will be available at the venue as well as at the Bluff Service Centre, 100 metres from the site on Gore Street. Car parking is also available on Foreshore Road within easy walking distance of the Festival site. Bus services will operate from Invercargill on the at a cost of $12 return at 10am, 11am and 12 noon before returning at 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm and 7pm.

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