Cringe Worthy show will take audience back to a time when platform soles were high fashion and

Cringe Worthy will take the audience on a musical trip down memory lane. Photo / supplied.

The New Zealand music scene has changed a lot over the years, and it's time to take a trip back to when flares and platform shoes were all the rage, says Andrea Sanders.

Andrea, who as a founding member of NZ's favourite girl group, The Beat Girls, knows plenty about New Zealand music, is hoping to get audiences singing along and enjoying the memories when her show Cringe Worthy comes to Taranaki later this year.

Cringe Worthy is one of the shows coming to the region as part of Taranaki Arts Festival Trust (TAFT)'s Reset 2020 and Andrea says it is a guaranteed great night for all ages.

"While the show itself is all about New Zealand music from the 70s, you don't have to remember the songs from the first time around to be entertained by them."

Andrea says the idea of the show came to her a few years ago.

"Maybe two or three years ago, I was noticing, and actually in awe of, how my teenager accessed her music through so many different outlets."

People now access music from a variety of sources and countries, says Andrea, which wasn't the case back in the 70s.

"Back then, you couldn't look up different music types like you can now. We had one TV channel and not much variety, so the music we heard was the top 40 chart, things like that. Even if you didn't like it, that was the music you were exposed to. Now there is so much more variety, it is really different."

Another difference is the fact New Zealand artists are now getting heard overseas, she says.

"Back then, to make it in music you had to leave New Zealand. You had to go to Australia at least to get a break. Now New Zealand is more present on the world stage, people know about us and our music reaches them as well."

Thinking about how much the New Zealand music scene has changed over the past five decades inspired Andrea to create Cringe Worthy and remind audiences just what New Zealand was like in the 70s.

"I think it is a show that just makes you feel good, it's got lots of great music in it of course, plenty of dancing, references to things any Kiwi who was around in the 70s will remember, and plenty of humour too."

Andrea says she is excited to be bringing the show to Taranaki audiences.

"I have performed as a member of The Beat Girls in Taranaki numerous times, from shows and concerts to corporate and private events. Every time the audiences have been great and so responsive."

Andrea says while this show focuses on the music and fashion of the 70s, she is already working on a new show featuring another decade.

"We have seen a real resurgence of 80s music recently, and I am working on bringing that to the stage, all those songs I hated then but love now. I am scripting Cringe Worthy the 80s as we speak!"

As part of the TAFT's commitment to making arts and live performances accessible for the whole community, Cringe Worthy will be performed in Inglewood and Ōpunake as well as New Plymouth during Reset 2020. General admission tickets are $25 and available from Ticketek.

Cringe Worthy: Inglewood. Friday, November 6. 7.30pm.