NZ Music Month lights up Hastings with music trail and pop-up club

Hawke's Bay singer-songwriter Joe Cole. Photo / Charlotte Anderson Photography

Hastings is putting together a golden path of talent through its best venues this NZ Music Month.

From 11am to 8pm on Saturday, May 10, nine local venues and artists are joining forces to create the Heretaunga Hastings Music Trail, and again from 11am to 2pm on Sunday, May 18.

The event is designed to show off the city’s best-kept secrets, expose new local talent and flaunt Hastings’ hospitality, all set to a soundtrack of homegrown grooves.

Each stop along the trail offers a unique sound, story and artist to discover.

Hawke’s Bay singer-songwriter Joe Cole is one of the musicians showing off their chops, showcasing his array of rustic folk, influenced by his rock and blues upbringing.

He said the Bay was always his favourite environment to play in, where his original music was encouraged, and he was looking forward to “jamming” his songs on the trail.

Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said the national celebration was a “fantastic” opportunity to showcase some of the wide-ranging musical talent in Hawke’s Bay, calling the event “a Hastings edition of NZ Music Month”.

Music played in the Laneway by Toitoi: Hawke's Bay Arts & Events Centre in Hastings.

Rounding out the month’s celebrations, Littlestone with Hastings District Council and Toitoi will be reimagining the laneway between the East Block bars and Toitoi on Friday, May 23, transforming the area into a pop-up, open-air club, featuring an all-local DJ lineup spinning everything from house and hip-hop to funk and disco.

Littlestone’s Beth Elstone said the venue had been looking for a chance to dance in the laneways by the Opera House for a while, and NZ Music Month felt like “the perfect excuse”.

Dates, times and locations for all NZ Music Month events in Hastings can be found on the Hastings District Council’s website.