Karl Puschmann: Are virtual shows better than the real thing?

Jarvis Cocker and his band Jarv Is perform in Live from the Center of the Earth, which streamed for 24 hours. Photo: Supplied.

I love going to the movies. Spending a couple of hours in a dark cinema in front of a big screen is one of life's small pleasures.

I love damn near everything about the experience. The pleasing aroma of popcorn when you arrive, the anticipation as the lights dim, the huge sound that zips and zaps and booms all around you at truly immersive volumes that you'd never get away with at home.

I also love going to gigs. Spending a couple of hours partying with a big audience while bands or musicians I dig perform songs I adore is absolutely one of my favourite things to do.

I love damn near everything about the experience. The pre-drink catch-ups with the cats I'm going with, the anticipation as the lights dim and the artists take the stage, the good times vibe in the room as a hyped audience comes together, and the huge sound that pumps and booms from right in front of you at volumes that would have noise control knocking down your door with minutes if you tried it at home.

So it's been a downer not being able to do any of this stuff as the global pandemic rages on and does it best to wipe them out. And there's a chance it still might if other countries fail to get their act together in the same way we did thanks to the world class leadership of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

In the grand scheme this is small potatoes when jobs are disappearing and people are losing their livelihoods. So it's a good thing I'm not comparing this, to that.

No. I'm talking about the demise of leisure activities, which everyone, I don't care who you are, need in their lives to de-stress, distract and stay sane. Sports fans, ballet fans, political rally fans, church fans... really just any people who like doing anything with any amount of other people will get what I'm talking about.

All that said, I also really love being at home. It's my favourite place to be. I'm not a misanthrope or recluse, I like people fine and am a fairly personable sort of a fellow, I'm just at my most content muddling about the house doing whatever.

Which is why I've really been loving the ingenuity and artistic resolve on display as artists refuse to yield to the pandemic and have instead experimented with moving their art into cyberspace.

I'm talking internationally here. Obviously, our local muso's are back on tour - go and support them and our venues please! - and most of our cinemas are open - go see a film and support them too please! - but it's still not quite business as usual yet.

But it's getting close.

Earlier this week I saw Jarvis Cocker, the ex-frontman of Britpop heroes Pulp, and his fantastic albeit atrociously named new band Jarv Is performing a blinder of a live show in an underground cave.

And on Thursday night Nick Cave and his grand piano performed a one-off, solo concert at an empty Alexandria Palace, a solemn show I'd been looking forward to for weeks and was very excited about.

Both of these concerts were only streaming for a brief flicker of time before disappearing for good. If you missed out, well, you missed out.

In between those gigs I've been luxuriating in the offerings of the New Zealand International Film Festival, which officially kicks off tonight.

While there are now some select cinema screenings, for the most part the Fest is running online. I've been trialling streaming films on my computer and sending them to the TV via Chromecast and, I have to say, it works brilliantly. And, most importantly, painlessly.

It's also the cheapest Festival admission I can remember. With the NZIFF pricing their films from a mere $10 with 48 hours to view it's exceptional value.

It's been a massive entertainment week is what I'm saying. They haven't captured the same magic of actually being there, live in the room, but it's been a decent enough approximation and a helluva lot easier and, it has to be said, loads cheaper.

Better? I wouldn't go that far. But I would recommend going online and giving a virtual gig or Film Fest screening a shot.

Better yet, assemble your crew, get some snacks, some drinks and get a vibe going. Make a night of it. It'll be a blast and the best part is you won't even have to leave the house.