Category Archives: Media coverage

CubaDupa 2016 – day 1

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Drumming in my skull – Day of the Dead stylee

There’s something about Cuba Street that brings out the best, and the coolest, and the weirdest, and the most magical, and the most creative, and the downright awesomest. That’s why CubaDupa is so blimmin’ wonderful, and why it’s one of our favourite weekends of the year.

Day of the Dead Wellington Batucada team photo. By Alan Shuker

Once again we brought our fellow sambisatas from around the country to join us for the weekend. We were thrilled to share Wellington’s funkiest street with AKSamba (Auckland), Bay Batucada (Hawkes Bay), Sambatron/Tauranga Samba (Hamilton/Tauranga), and Samba del Sol (Nelson) – and this year for the first time we also hosted members of our extended family from across the ditch – O’Zirigidum from Melbourne. Welcome, sports!

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We’re performing at WOMAD next year!

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Wellington Batucada wins the 2015 WOMAD Performer Competition

Busking for WOMAD votes on Courtenay Place

Busking for WOMAD votes on Courtenay Place
Photo by Alan Shuker

Check out the WOMAD website!!!

Dear Batucada friends and family, Bat-members past, present, and future…

It’s been one heck of a ride.

Over the past 8 weeks we have worked together on an awesome common goal – to win the opportunity to perform at WOMAD next year – a festival that we love and admire.

We’ve asked pretty much everyone we know to vote for us, and then we’ve asked a whole bunch of people we don’t know to vote for us too – through our regular gigs and special vote-collecting busking sessions all over Wellington and beyond.

It’s been a heck of a busy and full-on 2 months for all of us, and I think what has impressed me the most is the huge amount of original effort, creativity and sheer guts and determination that so many people have shown. Continue reading

2014 Soccer World Cup – opening game

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Brazil v Croatia

Soccer World Cup - Batucada and friends - photo by Karina ShawOur lovely friends at the Brazilian Embassy invited us to make some noise before and during the opening game of the 2014 Soccer World Cup. As the match was between host nation Brazil and Croatia, it was bound to be a bit of a spectacle, and we were very happy to oblige.

It was a crazy early morning start (and on a schoolday too!), but a bunch of hardy drummers and dancers gathered at Queen’s Wharf to dance and play for the fans, and then to watch the game on the big screen in Shed 6 (and provide suitable accompaniment to any exciting on-screen events). Continue reading

Wellington Sevens Parade 2014

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Newbies, busted heads and a new ending…

At the Wellington Sevens 2014 - photo by 111 Emergency
Looking at the long-range forecast for Sevens Week a couple of weeks ago, one could be forgiven for feeling somewhat disappointed in Wellington’s upcoming weather. Wind, rain, cloudy and cold… except of course that the Welli Weather Gods have now realised their error and sorted it out for us.

Wednesday dawned sunny and calm (of course it did! This is the Sevens!), and we had a great parade. Continue reading

DANZdance20 – celebrating 20 years of Wellington dance

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Opera House, 16 November 2013

DANZ poster featuring Wellington BatucadaWe were quite honoured to be invited to close the show at the DANZdance20 celebration concert at the Opera House. I think they were looking for a crew that could get the audience up and dancing, and we were certainly able to do that.

We did a technical rehearsal in the early afternoon (I assume it’s the first time any of us have ever been on stage at the Opera House!) and then we headed off to the waterfront to do a bit of a warm-up / ninja gig / live rehearsal before our proper stage appearance at just after 5pm. Continue reading

Whanganui Festival of Cultures

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Batucada goin’ up-country… and staying over…

Performing at the Whanganui Festival of Cultures - photo by the Wanganui ChronicleWe were really honoured to have been invited to feature at the Whanganui Festival of Cultures this year. I think it’s the first time we’ve been up to Whangers as a band, and we had a completely brilliant weekend.

It’s quite a drive from Wellington, so we booked a couple of mini-buses (with trailers) to take the majority of the band up there together. Just like a school trip! Fun! Especially when you get to play “Boat, goat, float” (with a side order of “Horse”) on the journey. Continue reading

Batucada play Open Street Sunday

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We run wild through the streets of Wellington!

Batucada at Open Street Sunday - click to see a larger version

Oh wait… we do that all the time (run wild through the streets of Wellington, that is…)

Bikes and skateboards, rollerblades, scooters and pedestrians will take over Dixon and Lower Cuba Streets as part of Wellington’s – and the country’s – inaugural Open Street Sunday on 22 September.

The event, being run by Greater Wellington Regional Council in partnership with Living Streets Aotearoa and local businesses, coincides with International Car Free Day.

Open Street Sunday is modelled on Open Streets held around the world, where vehicles are excluded from suburban and CBD streets to enable people to enjoy car-free streets.
Scoop, 13 September 2013

We’d been asked to open Open Street Sunday (for want of a better phrase!) and so an enthusiastic group of us showed up at the appointed hour to play. It had been a big weekend – the massive gig at The Grand was the night before, but you can’t keep a good drummer down, so here we were once again. Continue reading

Live on TVNZ's Seven Sharp – Wellington's Not Dead gig

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Surprise gig!

Tonight at 7pm Wellington Batucada will be taking part in Seven Sharp‘s live TV broadcast from the St John’s Bar in Wellington.

The gig starts at approx 6:30pm, and we’ll be joining heaps of other creative performing types to show John Key that Wellington is still New Zealand’s most vibrant city – and that we’re certainly Not Dead.

Come and join us!