Modern Maori Quartet showcase Maori band in the United Kingdom   4 May 2016

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Modern Maori Quartet to showcase hearty Maori showband entertainment in the United Kingdom

Fresh from their sold-out touring season with the NZ Festival in March 2016, the award-winning Modern Maori Quartet has booked a four city tour in the United Kingdom this June, performing in London, Cardiff, Brighton and Salisbury - and NZNewsUK have two double passes to give away.

The quartet of suave crooners – James Tito, Maaka Pohatu, Matariki Whatarau* and Francis Kora, have been invited to perform at the prestigious Salisbury International Arts Festival, an annual multi-arts festival that attracts over 55,000 attendees from across England, alongside some of New Zealand’s best**.

This will be Modern Maori Quartet’s first tour to the United Kingdom, where the self-styled “Maori Rat Pack” will present their signature cabaret show, An Evening with the Modern Maori Quartet, at the exceptional London classical music venue St John’s Smith Square on 3 June, followed by the iconic Norwegian Church Arts Centre in Cardiff on 5 June, and at premier live entertainment venue Komedia in Brighton on 6 June, before heading on to the Salisbury Playhouse for their Salisbury International Arts Festival showcase on 9 June.

The cabaret-style show blends old school charm with modern pizzazz to highlight New Zealand's musical past and present, featuring unique spins on Maori waiata (song), showband hits and pop music, all infused with the multi-talented Maori foursome's irresistible charisma, sublime harmonies and universal humour.

“It’s always a lot of fun to be touring internationally and see how new audiences react to our style,” says Modern Maori Quartet founder James Tito.  “We’re especially excited to be a part of the New Zealand contingent being highlighted by this year’s Salisbury International Arts Festival.  There are heaps of Kiwi expats living there and we’d love to bring them a slice of home, while introducing our unique Maori humour and hearty entertainment to the locals.”

Last year, the contemporary Maori showband toured to Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Hawai’i, Rarotonga and Uzbekistan, where they won an award for the “Most Daring & Emotional Performance” at the 10th Sharq Taronalari International Music Festival in Samarkand, which brought together musicians from sixty-six countries.

“We want to continue showcasing our contemporary spin on classic Maori showbands to the rest of the world,” said founding member Matu Ngaropo, recently returned to the showband as its Music Dramaturg, having completed a two-and-a-half-year stint with the touring production of The Lion King in Australia.  “We’d love to be global cultural ambassadors for Aotearoa New Zealand, representing our proud heritage of world-class Maori showband entertainment.”

Modern Maori Quartet’s UK Tour will be bookended with a stopover in South East Asia, where they will once more perform at the PJ Live Arts performing arts centre in Malaysia on 12 June, before wrapping up at Hard Rock Cafe Sentosa, Singapore on 13 June.

NZNEWSUK have two double passes to give away to your choice of city to see them perform! Please visit our Competitions page for more details...

"Billed as the new face of Ma¯ori showbands, handsome, hilarious and harmonious, The Modern Ma¯ori Quartet is entertainment at its best." ­— Theatreview

“It’s not surprising that the members of MMQ are all, first and foremost, brilliant actors. Coincidentally, they happen to be amazing musicians that explode with chemistry whenever they’re in the same room.” — Regional News (Wellington)

"Without exception, all their voices show a fine degree of honing and a wide range of good sound, including universally strong falsetto. The show was superbly polished while the presentation retained the air of being improvised." — Otago Daily Times

“These men are a showband through and through – their ability to entertain really shined.” — The Daily Seni

* Matariki Whatarau will be replaced by Matu Ngaropo in London and Cardiff.

** New Zealand is the central focus of the 2016 Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival. Other New Zealand acts and companies being presented at the 2016 Ageas Salisbury International Arts Festival include: Thom Monckton (The Pianist), Bullet Heart Club (Daffodils), Trick of the Light Theatre (Beards! Beards! Beards! & The Bookbinder), chef Peter Gordon, visual artist Benjamin Work (The Glorious Children of Te Tumu), violinist Benjamin Baker, Corey Baker Dance (Kapa Haka Tale), writer Fiona Farrell, stand-up comics Jarred Christmas and Javier Jarquin, bass Jonathan Lemalu and the New Zealand String Quartet. 

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