Covid-19 social distance gigs: Urzila Carlson, Hollie Smith headline Together Again shows

Gig lovers who are missing their live music and comedy fix are in luck - a series of shows have been announced in Auckland.

The series of shows, named Together Again, will feature a rotation of local music acts and comedians.

The gig series will be held at Auckland's Tuning Fork, a venue next to Spark Arena. Comedians Urzila Carlson, Ray O'Leary, Nick Rado and Ruby Esther will kick off the gig series on May 29. Hollie Smith will play a show the following night on May 30.

Carlson has won multiple comedy awards, including Melbourne International Comedy Festival's People's Choice Award. Last year saw the release of her Netflix comedy special.

The show's promoter says they are focused on the safety of artists, audience and staff present at the events.

To keep in line with the Government's guidelines under level 2 and public health advice, the venue and the promoter will take a number of precautions. The venue will limit entries to 100 people, staff will be required to wear PPE.

The promoter says their entry procedures will include temperature screening, contract tracing, and changes to conditions of entry.

Gig goers will have to order drinks and snacks from their phones or other handheld devices and they won't be able to queue up at the bar.

Full event guidelines are available on Live Nation's website.

Live Nation New Zealand chairman Stuart Clumpas said: "The Together Again series is an opportunity for us to unite and celebrate the power of live with some of the country's first socially distanced shows ... Our staff have been working extremely hard to get the doors open again and we aim to deliver not only a great live experience but also one that adheres to all the extra health and safety precautions and measures that line up with the government advice for events at level 2.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow.

The announcement comes after other Auckland venue The Wine Cellar announced their own gig under Level 2.

The Wine Cellar announced yesterday that it will host its first post-lockdown gig with Reb Fountain and Dave Khan on Friday. The capacity at the show is capped to 30 people and patrons are required to fill out a contract-tracing application upon arrival, and must remain in their seated area.

A team of music venue owners, artists and industry officials launched Boosted campaigns to keep their venues open after Covid-19 lockdown guidelines meant gigs were not able to go ahead because of public gathering rules. The fundraising campaign aims to raise $500,000 for venues across the country.