Ben Harper adds Queenstown date to his upcoming New Zealand tour, Aussie award-winning artist Matt Corby joins the bill + The Black Seeds join Napier line-up

Great news for Ben Harper fans with the legendary US singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist adding a new show to the 2020 New Zealand tour – he’ll now play Cargo Brewery in Queenstown on Sunday, February 23.

Ben Harper and his band will play TSB Bowl of Brooklands in New Plymouth on Friday, February 21; Electric Avenue Festival in Christchurch on Saturday, February 22; the newly added show at Cargo Brewery in Queenstown on Sunday, February 23; Logan Campbell Centre in Auckland on Thursday, February 27Church Road in Napier on Friday (with The Black Seeds)February 28 and Mount Park in Tauranga on Saturday, February 29.

Presented by Neptune EntertainmentThe Rock and More FM, tickets are now on sale from www.neptuneentertainment.co.nz

It has also just been announced that award-winning, multi-platinum-selling Australian musician Matt Corby will join Ben Harper on his upcoming New Zealand tour. 

For a decade, Matt Corby has been pushing his own boundaries. With two ARIA Song of the Year awards on the shelf, and a #1 debut album, TELLURIC, behind him, he’s now drawing critical acclaim for his new album RAINBOW VALLEY.

Written and recorded in a period that also saw the birth of his first child, Corby’s second full-length release is brimming with a new-found vitality and joy, a fresh energy that finds perfect expression in a kaleidoscopic reimagining of the sound he has honed for the last ten

years. From the surreal, dreamlike splendour of first single ‘No Ordinary Life’ – which was on high-rotation on triple j – to the soulful majesty of the title track, ‘Rainbow Valley’ reveals an artist who seems both more aware of what he wants and why he wants it.

As one of Australia’s most acclaimed singer-songwriters, Corby is a natural fit to share the stage with Ben Harper, who is without question one of the most celebrated singer-songwriters of our generation. 

The Californian-born artist has traversed a myriad of musical landscapes in the three decades that he’s been making music, from blues, rock and reggae; to soul, funk and folk.

He’s released 14 studio albums, including BURN TO SHINE (1999); DIAMONDS ON THE INSIDE (2003); THERE WILL BE LIGHT (2004); CHILDHOOD HOME (2014); and most recently in 2018, NO MERCY IN THIS LAND with blues legend Charlie Musselwhite.

Harper’s trusty band The Innocent Criminals have been with him for much of the journey. Tracing their roots back to 1993, The Innocent Criminals (percussionist Leon Mobley, bassist Juan Nelson and drummer Oliver Charles) have been involved in most of Harper’s projects. The band has toured the globe nonstop, earning legions of fans thanks to explosive live performances. 

With tickets selling fast, make sure you get in quick to secure your spot at what promises to be one of the best shows this summer – Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals and Matt Corby live!

Ben Harper 

Supported by Matt Corby 

New Plymouth – TSB Bowl of Brooklands – Friday 21 February 

Christchurch – Hagley Park (Electric Ave Music Festival) – Saturday 22 February 

Queenstown – Cargo Brewery – Sunday 23 February 

Auckland – Logan Campbell Centre – Thursday 27 February 

Napier – Church Road – Friday 28 February (with The Black Seeds)

Tauranga – Mount Park – Saturday 29 February 

Full show and ticket details from www.neptuneentertainment.co.nz

Leave a Reply