Joan As Police Woman Announces New Zealand Tour

There's been a drought in overseas artists touring Aotearoa since early 2020, which dried out completely in July with the suspension of the Trans-Tasman bubble. That dire scenario's all set to change with today's announcement NYC's Joan As Police Woman aka Joan Wasser is returning to New Zealand for a four date nationwide tour in June 2022. Wasser has been incredibly productive since 2019's sold out Joanthology solo tour of our shores, releasing three albums — the brand new The Solution Is Restless (which launched digitally on Friday), Live (2021) and Cover Two (2020) — and squeezing in a contribution to Gorillaz's latest album Song Machine. Gorillaz head honcho Damon Albarn in turn features on Joan As Policewoman's latest record, a triple headline collaboration between Wasser, legendary Afrobeat percussionist Tony Allen (who passed away in April 2020) and Dave Okumu of The Invisible, including a track inspired by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern 'Take Me To Your Leader'.

The critically celebrated US artist, whose career also includes collaborations with John Cale, Lou Reed, RZA, David Sylvian, Aldous Harding and Rufus Wainwright, will perform with full band at Auckland's opulent Hollywood Cinema, Wellington's Old St. Pauls and Christchurch's The Piano. We strongly recommend you secure your spot while you can...

Undertheradar proudly presents...

Joan As Police Woman

Thursday 9th June - The Piano, Christchurch*
Friday 10th June - Old St Pauls, Wellington*
Saturday 11th June - The Hollywood, Auckland*

*General public tickets available HERE via UTR

Listen to Joan As Police Woman's new album The Solution Is Restless...

Experience the video for Joan As Police Woman x Tony Allen x Dave Okumu's 'Geometry Of You' from the new record...

Press release:

Despite lockdowns and live music grinding to a halt worldwide over the past two years, Joan has been prolific, releasing three albums since her 2019 Joanthology New Zealand tour; namely, Live (2021), Cover Two (2020) and most recently The Solution Is Restless released digitally Friday November 5 and coming out on LP November 26th, 2021.

The Solution Is Restless is a brand new collaborative album by Joan As Police Woman, Dave Okumu of The Invisible and legendary drummer Tony Allen shortly before he passed away. Damon Albarn also features on the record which was released by PIAS on November 5th 2021, physical release of LP by Rhythmethod is November 26th, 2021.

Joan was invited to Africa Express: The Circus in 2019, where Damon Albarn introduced her to Tony Allen for the first time and they played a version of Nina Simone's 'I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free'. That same year she was invited to the Africa Express in Waltham Forest, where Damon Albarn came to see her collaborate. They got on so well, that besides it being the seed where this record started to grow, it also led to Joan lending guest vocals to the Gorillaz's track 'Simplicity', off their 2020 album Song Machine album. Dave Okumu and Joan have known each other for a few years and worked together on Pieces Of A Man: The Gil Scott-Heron Project in March 2016. When Joan and Tony decided to record together, she invited her longtime friend to join from London and they ended up improvising all night in a Parisian studio. Then when the world shut down, she used those recordings to write the new record, The Solution Is Restless.