Comedian Tom Sainsbury. Photo / Getty Images
It's the final weekend of the Comedy Festival but hold your tears! The Basement has saved (some of) the best 'til last with the very funny Brynley Stent, Kura Forrester, James Nokise and Barnie Duncan, Tom Sainsbury and Ray Shipley all performing this weekend. Is
Stent really a "filthy little goblin?" Has Forrester ever looked as glamorous as she does in her latest head shots? Will Sainsbury cement his growing reputation as one of our funniest people? And if you want to get every last minute of laughs that you can from this year's festival, stick around for the Basement's Another Very Notorious, Very Late Show at 11.30pm on Saturday.
Comedy Festival, Basement Theatre, until Saturday
US folk rock artist Mark Kozelek's project Sun Kil Moon is returning to New Zealand this weekend for shows in Auckland and Wellington. Kozelek will revisit The Tuning Fork on Saturday after selling out the downtown Auckland venue on his last tour in 2017. He will follow up with a show at Wellington's San Fran on Sunday.
Each night fans will be treated to a two and a half hour-long performance, with Kozelek drawing on a wealth of material spanning 10 studio albums, from 2003's Ghost of the Great Highway and the recently released I Also Want to Die in New Orleans.
The singer, songwriter and guitarist's time down under comes after a hectic 12 months which also included the release of a self-titled solo album and an extensive world tour.
Sun Kil Moon, The Tuning Fork, Saturday May 25
The Hollywood Avondale's brilliant retrospective programming continues this weekend, with two very different movies for film buffs to treat themselves to on Sunday. Commencing at 2pm – with a series of shorts from 1.40pm – is Terminator 2: Judgment Day, aka the film almost entirely carried by Linda Hamilton and her biceps. A rare case of a sequel somehow bettering an original, Terminator 2 reunited the powers of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hamilton and James Cameron to produce one of the best action films ever made. Afterwards at 5pm is a screening of Casablanca (1942), the Hollywood classic starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid. The bar is open from 1pm for both features – why not make it a double?
Terminator 2: Judgement Day & Casablanca, Hollywood Avondale, Sunday May 26
Music Month ends next week, but you've got plenty more opportunities to capitalise on the countless incredible gigs taking place across the country to celebrate. This weekend, we've got our eye on SKILAA, Being and Randa at the Wine Cellar on Saturday. It's an eclectic mix; SKILAA blend great beats with neo-soul and hip hop; Being mixes poetry and confessional songwriting, and delivered a beautiful opening set for US singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus last month; while Randa consistently delivers a banger of a live set with top-notch raps and sublime beats.
SKILAA, Being & Randa, The Wine Cellar, Saturday May 25
Molly & The Chromatics have hit the road to promote their new single, In This World. The groovy four-piece finish off the tour at the beautiful Leigh Sawmill Cafe on Saturday, but you'll have to get in quick: first-release tickets are already sold out. The band are known for putting on one hell of a gig – ask anyone who caught them at Galatos a couple of weeks back. In This World will be the first taste of their upcoming second EP Polymorphic, so it's your chance to catch both old and new material from this ruthlessly talented local group.
Molly & The Chromatics, Leigh Sawmill Cafe, Saturday May 25