The Runaways’ Cherie Currie arrives in New Zealand this month for her first ever shows Down Under.
The original Cherry Bomb, Cherie Currie plays Auckland’s Kings Arms on Friday May 20; Bodega in Wellington on Saturday May 21; and Churchills in Christchurch on Sunday May 22; before heading over to Australia to continue the tour. Tickets are selling fast from www.ticketmaster.co.nz, don’t miss your chance to see one of rock music’s original stars.
The Runaways burst onto the scene in 1975 with a 15-year-old Cherie Currie out front screaming the instant classic, ‘Cherry Bomb’! The Runaways were five teenage girls creating a sensation wherever they appeared and quickly catapulted from playing small clubs to selling out major stadiums – headlining shows with opening acts like the Ramones, Van Halen, Cheap Trick and Blondie.
The band’s second album featured the call to arms hit ‘Queens Of Noise’ and Currie’s bandmate Joan Jett’s ‘I Love Playin’ With Fire’.
The Runaways were riding a wave of out-of-control international touring, hit singles (including ‘Heartbeat’ and Lou Reed’s ‘Rock and Roll’), and platinum albums. But the rollercoaster started moving too wildly about on the rails for Currie who departed the band and released her first solo album at the age of 18.
Currie recorded a number of albums with her twin sister Marie and later embarked upon a film career including roles in Foxes (alongside Jodie Foster), Parasite (which featured a young Demi Moore in a supporting role), and Steven Spielberg’s Twilight Zone, The Movie.
In 2010 Dakota Fanning portrayed Currie in The Runaways, a biographical drama film executive-produced by Joan Jett and based on Currie’s own memoir, Neon Angel, which recounted life in the band and Currie’s traumatic experiences with drug addiction, sex abuse, and her broken family. Currie also appeared in the documentary Edgeplay, a documentary on her former band, produced by former The Runaways bass guitarist Vicki Blue.
As well as performing on stage, Currie is also a wood-carving artist, using a chainsaw to create her works. She opened her own gallery in California in 2005.
Currie released a new solo album, REVERIE, in 2015 which features appearances from ex-The Runaway’s bandmate, Lita Ford and the final production work by former manager, Kim Fowley.
Currie and her new band recently popped their proverbial “Cherry” with an exclusive eight-show tour of the U.K. which earned ecstatic reviews for Currie’s powerful performances and saw shows selling out in many of the major markets including London. There’s no doubt whatsoever that Cherie Currie is still the Bomb!
Recent live set-lists include ‘American Nights’, ‘Is It Day Or Night’, ‘Heartbeat’, ‘Queens Of Noise’, ‘California Paradise’, ‘Midnight Music’, Lou Reed’s ‘Rock and Roll’, ‘Do You Love Me’ by Kiss and David Bowie’s ‘Rebel Rebel’.
The Runaways never made it Down Under, so don’t miss seeing the original “Cherry Bomb” for Cherie Currie’s first ever Australia and New Zealand tour.
NEW ZEALAND DATES
AUCKLAND – Kings Arms – Friday May 20
WELLINGTON – Bodega – Saturday May 21
CHRISTCHURCH – Churchills – Sunday May 22
Tickets available from Ticketmaster here.