NZ Music Month: Why these are the country's best songs
There are many claims to Now is the Hour. On one hand, it is – unlike pavlova, Phar Lap and Split Enz – undeniably Australian. The listed composer of a tune called the Swiss Cradle Song, Clement Scott, is a pseudonym for Albert Saunders, who worked for
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
14 hours ago
- Scoop
PAWGUST Heads To Takapuna
Press Release – PAWGUST This August, Kiwis are lacing up their walking shoes and joining Pawgust, a nationwide challenge supporting the guide dogs who help New Zealanders live life without you're walking solo or side-by-side with your dog, PAWGUST invites you to step outside every day in August and help raise vital funds for Blind Low Vision NZ Guide Dogs. Participants commit to walking or running a set distance while gathering sponsorship from friends, whānau and local supporters. All funds raised support the breeding, raising, and training of guide dogs. These incredible dogs give people who are blind or have low vision greater freedom and independence. To celebrate the launch, we're throwing a Pawgust Kick-Off Paw-ty at St Maree Coffee Bar and Bistro, Takapuna, on Saturday 2 August from 10am–12pm. Sign up for PAWGUST on the day to enjoy spot prizes and half-price coffee – or just come along to meet one of our amazing guide dogs, learn more about the challenge, and treat your pup to a free Pics Peanut Butter Pup Cup. Bring your pup. Bring your whānau. Everyone's welcome! Join us, have some fun, and help us change lives – one step (or paw print) at a time.
Scoop
14 hours ago
- Scoop
Jimmy Barnes Celebrates 40 Years Of 'For The Working Class Man'
Mushroom Music are proud to reissue a special 40th anniversary release collection of Jimmy Barnes ' seminal album For The Working Class Man. The offering will be welcome news to collectors and music fans alike. Honouring the formats originally released in 1985 and newly remastered for the anniversary, For The Working Class Man will be released as a double vinyl 'flame' coloured, hand-poured vinyl in a gatefold jacket with exclusive reproduction of the original album poster, the first time it's been on two records since it hit shelves. Also for the first time since 1985, the singles will be available as an exclusive limited-edition boxset of coloured 7"s – 'Ride The Night Away', 'I'd Die To Be With You Tonight', 'Working Class Man' – and a new fourth single which includes a stripped back, re-worked version of 'Working Class Man' and a 10-minute reflection by Jimmy on the creation of the iconic music video. The 40th Anniversary Edition will also be available on CD and cassette. 'For The Working Class Man was such a significant album in my life. I got to make the record with some amazing people, and it really set up the rest of my solo career. I'm so excited to be celebrating For The Working Class Man with some of my dearest friends and favourite artists. And I can think of no better way to mark this milestone than by performing these songs in some of the most beautiful and iconic outdoor venues across Australia.' - Jimmy Barnes For The Working Class Man is packed with classics, including Jimmy's first Top 10 solo single 'I'd Die To Be With You Tonight', the Top 40 smash 'Ride The Night Away', and the beautiful ballad that he wrote for his wife Jane, 'Without Your Love'. And, of course, the album features his signature song, the unofficial national anthem, 'Working Class Man'. For the Working Class Man also includes seven reworked songs from his chart-topping solo debut Bodyswerve, including 'No Second Prize', 'Daylight' and 'Promise Me You'll Call'. The album's cultural impact is undeniable, it continues to hold lasting significance in the DNA of Australian music. Recently included in the triple j Hottest 100 of Australian Songs and ahead of a not-to-be-missed performance of 'Working Class Man' at this weekend's 65th TV Week Logie Awards, the juggernaut that is Jimmy Barnes is showing no signs of slowing down. The documentary based on his best-selling memoir Working Class Man will also be screening at the Melbourne International Film Festival and will premiere exclusively on Seven and 7plus later this year. JIMMY BARNES is the most successful artist in Australian chart history. He's had 16 solo number one albums – no artist has had more – plus six chart-topping albums with Cold Chisel. Jimmy's 21st solo album, DEFIANT, entered the Australian charts at number one in June this year. The anniversary also inherently honours a dear friend who was instrumental in the making of the album. The late-great Michael Gudinski said, 'I'm as proud of For The Working Class Man as any album the Mushroom Group has released.' Michael called the album Jimmy's gift to his fans – 'a record for everyone who's believed in him … For The Working Class Man.'
The Spinoff
20 hours ago
- The Spinoff
Who's who in season six of Taskmaster NZ?
Finally, some good news: Alex Casey introduces the comedians vying for the Taskmaster trophy in 2025. Hold onto your teabags and check the walls for David Correos, because Taskmaster NZ is returning in August with a whole new cast of brave contestants completing absurd tasks in order to win a resplendent Jeremy Wells-shaped trophy. And what great timing it is! In an era where unscripted television is becoming increasingly rare, there's not many chances outside of Scotty Morrison cranking out a Te Karere cartwheel for New Zealanders to be spontaneous, joyful and weird on television anymore. Here are the comedians looking to make us chuckle in season six. Jackie van Beek Barely a day goes by where I don't think about Jackie van Beek in this scene with Jacinda Ardern, from her delivery of 'you do and you don't' to her gnarled airquotes around 'vote on this matter'. A true comedy tour de force, Van Beek has starred in everything from Educators to The Breaker Upperers to Nude Tuesday, and wrote The Office AU, directed Wellington Paranormal, and basically has her face and/or fingerprints on all the funniest stuff Aotearoa has ever made. I cannot wait to see what she does on Taskmaster NZ – if it involves any air quotes, we're toast. Bree Tomasel Here's a huge Spinoff exclusive: ZM drive DJ and Celebrity Treasure Island host Bree Tomasel told us way, way back in 2024 that it is her dream to be on Taskmaster. 'I'm obsessed with that show. I love that you can be as weird as your brain will let you be,' she told My Life in TV. 'I feel like I have the weirdest brain, and I'd love to put it to the test. It would be fun to just see what happens.' Given her predilection for telling dirty jokes and making those closest to her uncomfortable, we also can't wait to see what happens here. Alice Snedden Some really good news from the comedic powerhouse behind our own Bad News. Alice Snedden is a seasoned stand-up and TV writer, formerly commanding the writer's room for Jono and Ben and more recently collaborating with Taskmaster UK savant Rose Matafeo on the BBC series Starstruck. Having taken on gargantuan tasks for The Spinoff such as solving climate change, exploring the morals of meat-eating, and unmasking the toxic side of rugby culture, we anticipate a deeply competitive and hugely ambitious Taskmaster contestant in Snedden. Pax Assadi He's scaled mountains and swam to the depths of the ocean as the co-host of Endangered Species Aotearoa, but can Pax Assadi flip a coin to get five consecutive heads on Taskmaster NZ? The stand-up comedian and creator and star of Raised by Refugees has also been a mainstay on comedy panel shows like Have You Been Paying Attention and 7 Days, while also assessing chocolate eclairs with aplomb in the Great Kiwi Bake Off tent. A multi-hyphenate, a miulti-threat, and likely to be the only comedian to identify a rare frog in the Taskmaster pond. Jack Ansett Given the way he completely derailed Guy Mont Spelling Bee by trying out several new voices, shouting out his geography teacher and then getting a chronic case of the giggles, Jack Ansett is a truly thrilling addition to the Taskmaster NZ line-up. The stand-up comedian once entered and completed the Weetbix Kiwi Kids triathlon as a grown man, so honestly who knows what he will be capable of once he is within the four walls of the Taskmaster NZ manor. Hide your wholegrain breakfast bricks, hide your geography teachers, bring the popcorn.
