Julian Marley is coming to New Zealand for An Afternoon of Reggae by the River.
Taupo will be swaying to the music this summer when top international and legendary NZ reggae stars hit town for a one-off concert at Riverside Park. Headlining the event on Sunday 5 January is Julian "Ju Ju" Marley, son of reggae legend Bob Marley and a Grammy award nominated, roots-reggae musician, producer and humanitarian. Joining him are legends of the NZ music world, Katchafire and Herbs. Up-and-coming young kiwi artist Majic rounds off the amazing bill.
“We are very excited to bring this concert to Taupo” says organiser Jackie Sanders, “It is a beautiful setting in Riverside Park and we hope people bring their picnic blankets, friends and family, chill out and enjoy!” Gates will open at 2pm and the event is family-friendly with Under 12’s able to attend free of charge. A range of food and beverages will be available on site, but concert-goers may bring sealed water and non-commercial food.
Tickets go on sale 9am Wednesday 13 November via Eventfinda, Ticketek and Cosmic Ticketing with a limited amount of Earlybird tickets available for only $39+BF and Earlybird VIP Tickets available for $80+BF. Once these allocations are exhausted General Admission tickets will be available for $45 + BF and VIP for $90 + BF until Christmas Day when prices will increase to $50 and $100 + BF respectively.
About Julian Marley
Growing up as a youth in a musical atmosphere, Julian quickly adopted a musical lifestyle and at an early age and became a skilful, self-taught musician mastering the bass, drums, guitar and keyboards. By the tender age of five, Marley recorded his first demo at the Marley family home in Kingston, Jamaica. Julian moved forward with that musical upbringing and went on to record two successful albums, titled ‘Lion in the Morning’ (1996) and ‘A Time & Place’ (2003). In 2009, Julian Marley's career rose to new heights with the success of his Grammy Award Nominated release entitled, ‘Awake’, blending R&B, hip hop, dancehall and of course the roots-reggae that his father made famous around the world.
About Katchafire
Hailing from Hamilton, Katchafire, have become a global roots reggae phenomenon. The all Maori Reggae band, bring their pure classic sound to music lovers worldwide, delivering one of the most authentic reggae shows around today, which is cemented by four highly successful studio albums, multiple awards, platinum sales, and hit singles. Their sound is built on the foundations of classic roots reggae with an RnB/funk rub, mashing modern dancehall & slinky reggae pop. The band is one of the best live acts you can see in Aotearoa. The momentum just continues to grow; and there is no stopping the fire.
About Herbs
Recent New Zealand Hall of Fame inductees, Herbs are a legendary home grown reggae band formed in 1979 and were once described as "New Zealand's most soulful, heartfelt and consistent contemporary musical voice". They are considered pioneers of the Pacific reggae sound, paving the way for our favourite contemporary bands today. In the 1980s and the first half of the '90s, Herbs had 10 top 20 singles hits. They also worked alongside UB40, Taj Mahal, Tina Turner, Neil Young, George Benson and Stevie Wonder. Though upbeat, Herbs' music is clear in its politically motivated messages. In 1986, "Slice of Heaven" with Dave Dobbyn reached number one on both the New Zealand and Australian charts. In 1989, Tim Finn joined them for "Parihaka" and, in 1992, Annie Crummer fronted the hit single "See What Love Can Do".
About Majic
Majic is a 17year old roots-reggae artist who hails from Aotearoa NZ. Majic stated her quest to become involved in music as a reggae artist shortly after her 16th birthday in 2011. In a short space of time she has achieved things most artists could only dream about. She was the first female NZ artist to record at the legendary Tuff Gong studios in Kingston, Jamaica. The last 12 months saw her tour with all of the major kiwi reggae acts and she also featured in the Aotearoa Reggae All-Stars re-make of the Herbs classic ‘Sensitive to a Smile’. Her debut project is set to be released late 2013, and we can we expect even more big things from this amazing talent in the future!
