Niko Ne Zna- NZ's 9 piece Balkan Brass Extravaganza at Porridge Watson (Whanganui)
Event description
Niko Ne Zna: Wellington’s Balkan 9 piece extravaganza are hitting the road again bringing their special infectious party music to the beautiful river city of Whanganui.
If you haven’t heard of or seen Niko Ne Zna live you are in for a treat!
Bring your dancing shoes and tell your friends as this will be a night to remember!
Ticket details:
Presales $25 + Booking fee
On the door $30
Niko Ne Zna is a staple of the New Zealand festival circuit and frequently selling out shows at home and also in Australia. A hot and spicy taste of the old countries right here in the capital of New Zealand. Playing captivating original music as well as classic songs from the Romani-soaked Balkan States, Niko Ne Zna’s hypnotic melodies and wild infectious rhythms will set even the most rhythmically challenged moving and grooving!
Combining driving rhythms, melodic brass and beautifully alluring vocals, Niko Ne Zna creates unforgettable moments for their audiences. The 9-piece band have firmly cemented themselves as one of New Zealand's premiere and sought after world music groups, complete with wonderfully hypnotic melodies and cerebral rhythms that draw from the Balkan region.
Based in New Zealand’s creative and cultural capital of Wellington, all nine members are formidable instrumentalists and composers in their own right. Their current lineup consists of two trumpets, soprano saxophone, bass and tenor trombones, sousaphone, balkan bass drum (tapan) and snare drum, an exotic cocktail of instrumentation and musicianship that creates an atmosphere and vibe like no other. To top it off, their vocalist/percussionist Nikkie Rich sings in multiple languages, including Serbo-Croatian, Romani, Macedonian, Greek and English.
In addition to creating a strong back catalogue of original music, they have become notorious for their immense live shows that display undeniable passion, fuelled by their adoration for bringing people of all walks of life together. Choreographed dance moves and captivating theatrics fuse in harmony with their music, regardless of whether they’re performing impromptu on the streets, doing roaming/acoustic shows or letting loose on the big international stage.
Over the last decade or so they have regularly toured their home islands of New Zealand, and have performed multiple sold out shows in Australia. They were showstoppers at the WOMAD Festival NZ in 2019, have had three of their original songs featured in the internationally-acclaimed film 'What We Do In The Shadows', and have released two well-received full albums.