Joan As Police Woman Announces Four NZ Shows In June 2022

Influential New York musician Joan As Police Woman (Joan Wasser) returns to New Zealand in June 2022 - this time with her band, following her sold out solo tour around Aotearoa in 2019.

Plus1, 95bFM and undertheradar proudly present Joan As Police Woman live in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. Dates and venues are:

Wed 8 June: Mayfair Theatre, DUNEDIN

Thurs 9 June: The Piano, CHRISTCHURCH

Fri 10 June: Old St Pauls, WELLINGTON

Sat 11 June: The Hollywood, AUCKLAND

Plus1 and UTR member pre-sale begins 10am today (Monday 8 November) with tickets on general sale via plus1.co.nz at 10am Wednesday 10 November.

What can we expect? Said 13th Floor reviewer Caitlin Smith of Joan’s 2019 Auckland show: “She is the torch bearer… and we all want to be close to that warmth and illumination. As for ‘that voice’: it is exquisitely sensitive, mesmerising, controlled, magnetising, delicate, nuanced and dynamic.”

Despite lockdowns and live music grinding to a halt worldwide over the past two years, Joan has been prolific, releasing three albums since her 2019 Joanthology New Zealand tour; namely, Live (2021), Cover Two (2020) and most recently The Solution Is Restless released digitally Friday November 5 and coming out on LP November 26th, 2021.

The Solution Is Restless is a brand new collaborative album by Joan As Police Woman, Dave Okumu of The Invisible and legendary drummer Tony Allen shortly before he passed away. Damon Albarn also features on the record which was released by PIAS on November 5th 2021, physical release of LP by Rhythmethod is November 26th, 2021.

Joan was invited to Africa Express: The Circus in 2019, where Damon Albarn introduced her to Tony Allen for the first time and they played a version of Nina Simone's 'I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free'. That same year she was invited to the Africa Express in Waltham Forest, where Damon Albarn came to see her collaborate. They got on so well, that besides it being the seed where this record started to grow, it also led to Joan lending guest vocals to the Gorillaz's track 'Simplicity', off their 2020 album Song Machine album. Dave Okumu and Joan have known each other for a few years and worked together on Pieces Of A Man: The Gil Scott-Heron Project in March 2016. When Joan and Tony decided to record together, she invited her longtime friend to join from London and they ended up improvising all night in a Parisian studio. Then when the world shut down, she used those recordings to write the new record, The Solution Is Restless.

Born in Maine, and raised with her brother in Connecticut by adoptive parents, Joan studied violin at school and university. She was drawn to new compositions written for smaller ensembles and performed regularly with local punk bands.

In 1994, she landed in Brooklyn, NYC, and began working as a session musician, playing violin across every genre from Haitian to pop and r&b. She became a member of Anohni’s ensemble (formerly Antony and the Johnsons) and recorded, I Am A Bird Now. In 2002, Joan As Police Woman was born, named in homage to the 1970s television cop show starring Angie Dickinson.

She began touring with Rufus Wainwright for his Want One and Want Two albums, playing in his band and as his opening act. For her EP, Joan As Police Woman played as a simple duo, with Ben Perowsky on drums, and eventually added Rainy Orteca on bass.

Her first record, Real Life, earned the band “Best Rock and Pop Album,” at the Independent Music Awards. Her second album, To Survive, was chosen in 2008, as one of Q Magazine’s “Albums of the Year.”

Joan has spoken often of how vital music and music-making is to her life. “I can comfortably say that music has saved my life. I am a devotee. It’s not something I can even choose or not choose, it’s just what it is.”

Alongside consistent touring and album making, she has worked with a staggering array of co-collaborators, including Tony Allen, Damon Albarn, Lou Reed, Beck, Lloyd Cole, Afel Bocoum, Meshell Ndegeocello, Toshi Reagon, David Sylvian, Benjamin Lazar Davis, Sparklehorse, Laurie Anderson, Sufjan Stevens, John Cale, Aldous Harding, Woodkid, Justin Vivian Bond, RZA, Norah Jones, Lau, Doveman, Rufus Wainwright and Daniel Johnston.

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