Connan Mockasin, Riki Gooch & Richard Brimer:

Two Te Awanga locals and heroes in their respective creative fields, Connan Mockasin and Richard Brimer, will come together in a one night show this October. Live music by psychedelic pop legend Connan Mockasin, accompanied by special guest Riki Gooch, will expand the experience of a projected video by visual artist Richard Brimer, as part of his exhibition 40 Vintages: Hawke’s Bay Wine Chronicles.

The exhibition celebrates the region's wine industry and recent ascension to ‘Great Wine Capital of the World’ standing. In addition to the performance, a curated wine match has been selected by the artist from local winemakers Clearview Estate, Craggy Range Winery, and Vilaura, and will be available for purchase on the night, along with Giant Brewing Co beer.

“Connan and I have a long-standing family friendship. We regularly catch up to chat creative ideas, and this just flowed. We can't wait to raise a glass to the many vineyards that make Hawkes Bay so highly regarded in the wine world.” - Richard Brimer

Hosted at the Hastings Community Arts Centre on Saturday 12 October, a strictly limited number of tickets will be available for $30 plus booking fees. Proceeds support local charity Arts Inc. Heretaunga. The following weekend will see a second live musical performance by Jeff Boyle of Jakob.

Don't miss this rare opportunity to feast your eyes and ears on the creative genius of local legends Richard Brimer and Connan Mockasin, with special guest Riki Gooch, while imbibing on some of Hawke's Bay's best. This is your rare chance to catch a stunning performance by Connan Mockasin in his home town.

Connan Mockasin released his first album ‘Forever Dolphin Love’ in 2010, and has gone on to build a devoted worldwide fan base. He has toured with Radiohead, and has collaborated with the likes of Charlotte Gainsbourg, James Blake and MGMT. Earlier this year he released a new single with French electronic music duo Justice.

Riki Gooch Pirihi (Ngāti Wai/Ngāti Māhanga Hourua/Patuharakeke) is a freelance multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, academic and sound artist, based in Wellington. Riki has also recorded alongside a diverse range of artists — Mara TK, Crowded House, Recloose, Leila Adu, Fat Freddys Drop, Seven David Jnr, Bic Runga, Connan Mockasin, and Jeff Henderson. He is presently performing regularly with Cave Circles, Tuone Conduction Ensemble (as conductor), Orchestra of Spheres, Aja, DJ Oboe, and Clear Path Ensemble.

Brimer began working in the wine industry in 1982 as a way of raising money to purchase photography equipment after completing a photographic apprenticeship. He has photographed and published 15 books on wine, food and the arts. This exhibition is a pre-curser to a documentary of the same name set to be released in 2025.


Photo Credit: Richard Brimer

We gratefully acknowledge our Core Funders, Heretaunga Hastings District Council, and Creative New Zealand.