Support local music this May! The Central Library will host live performances (details coming soon), as well as a screening of NZ Music gig photographs on the big screen in Sound & Vision.

If you’re a local musician and would like your music video featured on our big screen, please get in touch! (All necessary clearances must be provided.)

Thanks to our awesome partners Manawatū People’s Radio and Radio Control 99.4FM, not only will the live performances sound great, they will be recorded too.

Local music legend DFresh has collaborated with Hamilton music legend Dujon Cullingford on this special funk, soul and disco playlist on Spotify. It will also be playing in Central Library’s Sound & Vision area during May. Chock full of retro NZ sounds!

Were you part of the music scene in the 70s, 80s or 90s? We need your help! Manawatū Heritage is adding some band photos from newspapers from those decades, and would love it if you can provide information about them. Perhaps you were in one of the bands, or you know who the people are. What genre did they play? Where was the photo taken?

Here’s an example: this gig poster from The Stomach‘s collection doesn’t say the year it happened – maybe you know? We can extrapolate from some clues. Radio Control was called Radio Massey, and the band Rungled was still around, so perhaps late 90s? For images like this which are already loaded into Manawatū Heritage, you can use the comments field to add detail, or simply email us, quoting the digitisation ID (or just copy us the link).

Other ways you can get involved in NZ Music Month:

• Catch a gig at Snails Artist Run Spaces or The Stomach
• Listen to great music on MPR or Radio Control
• Show your library card at the Central Library and borrow an acoustic guitar to use within the building
• Join in with the waiata group – Tuesdays at 12, on the Mezzanine Floor. Lyric sheets provided!
• Find a new favourite artist on Muzic.net.nz or NZMusician.co.nz
• Support an artist from Palmerston North directly on Bandcamp.com