Cat Power 'The Greatest' New Zealand Shows Announced

An artist adored for her unforgettable live performances and enduring songbook, Cat Power aka US songwriting star Chan Marshall electrifies local fans with news of a long overdue visit back to Aotearoa New Zealand. Last here a dozen years ago in 2014, Cat Power will perform at Auckland's Bruce Mason Centre and Wellington's The Opera House at the tail end of November, opened for both events by special guest Lawrence Arabia, the multi-award-winning project of James Milne (Half Hexagon, Split Enz).

Chan Marshall will be down under celebrating the legacy of her 2006 studio album The Greatest — Cat Power's seventh long player — a soulful twelve song collection fêted by the critical cognoscenti of the era and hugely popular globally, which catapulted the Atlanta, Georgia artist into the upper heights of the Billboard 200. Performing The Greatest in full plus selections from a songbook spanning a dozen long players thus far, Cat Power fans are recommended not to dawdle when tickets go live later this week, brought to you by Banished Music, Strange News, and Love Police...

Cat Power
The Greatest. On Tour.
with special guest Lawrence Arabia

Thursday 26th November - Bruce Mason Centre, Auckland
Friday 27th November - The Opera House, Wellington

Banished Music presales from 9am, Wednesday 17th June HERE 
General onsale from 9am, Friday 19th June via banishedmusic.com

Watch the video for 'Lived In Bars' from The Greatest, featuring members of the Memphis Rhythm Band...

Here's Cat Power performing the title track to The Greatest, live with band on Later With Jools Holland in 2006...

Experience Lawrence Arabia's classic 'The Beautiful Young Crew', from 2010's Chant Darling...

Press release:

Twenty years on, Cat Power’s The Greatest is still one of the most astounding records ever to be heard, a late-night classic that still feels as intimate two decades after it first blew our minds and broke our hearts.

This November, Cat Power returns to Aotearoa, New Zealand for the first time since 2014 for two special shows on Thursday 26th November at Auckland’s Bruce Mason Centre, and Friday 27th November at Wellington’s Opera House. Cat Power will be performing her seminal album The Greatest in full, alongside songs spanning one of the most singular songbooks of the last three decades.

Tickets will be available to purchase in an artist presale on Wednesday 17 June at 9:00am local time from Banished Music. The General Public will then be able to secure their tickets from Friday 19 June at 9:00am local time - also from Banished Music.

Recorded in Memphis with members of the legendary Hi Rhythm section, The Greatest saw Cat Power aka Chan Marshall step into the warm glow of Southern soul and make it entirely her own.

The album drifts through heartbreak, survival, longing and grace with the kind of restraint that only makes the emotional weight hit harder. From the slow-burn sway of “Living Proof” to the bruised beauty of the title track, these songs endure because they tell the truth softly.

Support for these shows will be Lawrence Arabia - the acclaimed musical project of Christchurch-born singer-songwriter James Milne, one of New Zealand’s most celebrated and influential contemporary artists. Across a career spanning nearly two decades, Milne has released a string of critically acclaimed albums, earning an APRA Silver Scroll for his song "Apple Pie Bed," the inaugural Taite Music Prize, and multiple Aotearoa Music Awards.

Known for his sophisticated songwriting and distinctive blend of indie-pop, chamber-pop and psychedelic influences, Lawrence Arabia has toured extensively throughout New Zealand, Europe and North America, sharing stages with artists including Feist, Beach House, Crowded House and Flight of the Conchords. Beyond his solo work, Milne has collaborated with some of New Zealand’s most respected musicians and contributed to a wide range of film, television and theatre projects, cementing his place as a singular voice in New Zealand music.

There are few artists who can hold a room the way Cat Power can. Experience the magic of The Greatest and re-enter the orbit of the early millennium in these raw, hypnotic shows in November.