Latest news with #Britomart
1News
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- 1News
Lorde holds surprise Auckland performance
Following her chaotically joyful pop-up in Washington Square Park in New York and surprise crashing of a Sydney nightclub on Tuesday, rumours were swirling on Wednesday — would Lorde cross the ditch to anoint the Auckland fans who had controversially been left out of the initial Ultrasound tour dates? Around 1pm on Wednesday when Lorde shared a not-so-cryptic Story to Instagram suggesting an appearance in Auckland, 'Lorde Reddit' and 'Lorde Twitter' were frenzied with speculation around possible locations. Lorde's summer playground Cheltenham Beach, nightlife hub K Rd and Britomart were on the shortlist. Soon after, fans who were signed up to Lorde's text newsletter - an intimate communication channel she initiated for the Virgin album roll-out - received a text: "Auckland I wanna play you something.. Meet me in the city tonight? Message me if you're keen". Watch video from the performance on TVNZ+ Around 3:30PM, fans started to convene in Britomart to await further instruction. A few chosen ones received a follow up text: "Okkkk see you and a +1 tonight *X-ray emoji* Meet me at 8:00. Send me your names and bring id. Location to follow in a bit x x x x". ADVERTISEMENT Multiple texts were sent with different times to arrive at the location, with the first starting at 8pm. Those who didn't receive a text were quick to dismiss them as fake, in disbelief that some could miss out on the event. It was rumoured there were only 40 invites sent. Around 7:20PM the location was sent to those who were invited - the YMCA on the corner of Pitt St and Vincent St. Fans eagerly wait for entry into the mysterious event. (Source: I was lucky enough to claim a friend's plus one and headed up the hill to meet a small line forming outside the YMCA. Within half an hour the line grew to a large crowd of "invite receivers", "plus ones" and "no invites and no plus ones". As it settled in that some would be missing out on whatever was about to happen, the invites became extremely coveted. Girls began silent auctions for tickets, writing "$100", "$150" on their phones in big text and holding it up to their foreheads - hoping to catch the eye of someone who was willing to trade in their once in a lifetime experience for cash. "Big fan" Mitch, who was waiting in line early on, said his friend Sam was "very generous" for giving him his plus one. Kat, who was in the first 8:00pm group to witness the mysterious event, said that her plus one Caitlin would be naming her firstborn after her. ADVERTISEMENT Maddy and Anika, two fans who didn't receive an invite, stood in line hopeful that they were able to get in - "We'll find a way! You only live once." They had already been to Albert Park and Britomart to find Lorde before the location was revealed. At 8pm, the first group were ushered in with strict security. Around half an hour later, they were escorted out the side door of the YMCA, appearing bewildered and elated. Some of the crew from the event came out into the YMCA lobby to debrief - one of those was Terrence O'Connor - a photographer, creative director and digital strategist who is a friend and collaborator of some the world's biggest stars right now - Charli XCX, HAIM, and Benito "Benny Drama" Skinner. It was clear that this was not going to be an off the cuff appearance by Lorde, but one that, like Washington Square Park, has been meticulously crafted by industry masterminds for maximum virality and content extraction. Then it was time for my group. We were escorted into the building, handing over our phones and any recording devices. We were led down a stairwell into a pitch black toilet cubicle. There were a couple of small cameras mounted on the walls. We chattered for a bit, wondering what was about to happen and adjusting our bodies to the small, dark space until one of the toilet doors swung open and Lorde stepped out into the darkness - "hi" she said, in her unmistakable cool register. "I knew Lorde was gonna come out of the toilet!" one of the group laughed. Fans screamed and clapped, and Lorde found her place in the centre of the crowd in the bathroom cubicle. She thanked us for coming and expressed how special it was that she was about to share some of her new album with us. She pulled a lighter out of her pocket and sparked it, throwing shadows on her face and indicating to those behind the scenes to hit play on her single 'What Was That'. She sang and danced to the music amongst the crowd. The speaker was hidden behind one of the toilet doors and the sub-bass rattled the room. One of her team crouched above one of the toilet cubicles filming on his iPhone. Speaking inbetween songs in intimate moments, she acknowledged the importance of performing to the hometown fans, the ones who have been there since Pure Heroine 12 years ago. "We drink the same water, we swim at the same beaches." It felt like an apology for the fumbled tour announcement, and a promise. ADVERTISEMENT Fans lucky enough to attend left with a paper-towel with album artwork and the tracklist (the first instance fans have had to view the complete album). (Source: She pulled out a lighting case from one of the toilet cubicles and stood on it to create an impromptu stage. She played three more songs, all triggered by the spark of her lighter - still the only light in the room. She played her upcoming single, Man Of The Year, another unreleased single titled Current Affairs, Ribs and a fourth single from Virgin, Broken Glass. Deeper into the performance the toilet cubicle transformed into a tiny toilet nightclub with subtle use of laser and haze. By the end of the set, the walls were wet with sweat. After 20 minutes, she left the room to prep for the next group to come through. On exit from the toilet we were given a paper-towel from the bathroom dispenser with album artwork and the tracklist (the first instance fans have had to view the complete album). Each paper towel is numbered out of 96 and signed by Lorde. She revealed during one of the quiet moments that the Royals music video was partly filmed in that bathroom. Many fans will have been left disappointed by not experiencing it, but for those who did pass through, Wednesday's event felt like Lorde's love letter to Auckland. While our proximity to the world means we won't always get the biggest thing, sometimes we get something that is smaller, modest and intangibly special instead. By Sigrid Yiakmis of Watch video from the performance on TVNZ+
RNZ News
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
'We drink the same water': Lorde listening party a love letter to Auckland
By Sigrid Yiakmis , Social Media Journalist Lorde performed a surprise, exclusive gig in the YMCA bathroom. Photo: Instagram / Screenshot Following her chaotically-joyful pop-up in Washington Square Park in New York and surprise crashing of a Sydney nightclub on Tuesday, rumours were swirling on Wednesday - would Lorde cross the ditch to anoint the Auckland fans who had controversially been left out of the initial Ultrasound tour dates? The image and WhatsApp link that Lorde posted to her Instagram stories on Wednesday afternoon. Photo: Screengrab Around 1pm on Wednesday when Lorde shared a not-so-cryptic Story to Instagram suggesting an appearance in Auckland, 'Lorde Reddit' and 'Lorde Twitter' were frenzied with speculation around possible locations. Lorde's summer playground Cheltenham Beach, nightlife hub K Rd and Britomart were on the shortlist. Soon after, fans who were signed up to Lorde's text newsletter - an intimate communication channel she initiated for the Virgin album roll-out - received a text: "Auckland I wanna play you something.. Meet me in the city tonight? Message me if you're keen". Around 3:30PM, fans started to convene in Britomart to await further instruction. A few chosen ones received a follow up text: "Okkkk see you and a +1 tonight *X-ray emoji* Meet me at 8:00. Send me your names and bring id. Location to follow in a bit x x x x". Multiple texts were sent with different times to arrive at the location, with the first starting at 8pm. Those who didn't receive a text were quick to dismiss them as fake, in disbelief that some could miss out on the event. It was rumoured there were only 40 invites sent. Around 7:20PM the location was sent to those who were invited - the YMCA on the corner of Pitt St and Vincent St. Fans eagerly wait for entry into the mysterious event. Photo: RNZ / Sigrid Yiakmis I was lucky enough to claim a friend's plus 1 and headed up the hill to meet a small line forming outside the YMCA. Within half an hour the line grew to a large crowd of "invite receivers", "plus ones" and "no invites and no plus ones". As it settled in that some would be missing out on whatever was about to happen, the invites became extremely coveted. Girls began silent auctions for tickets, writing "$100", "$150" on their phones in big text and holding it up to their foreheads - hoping to catch the eye of someone who was willing to trade in their once in a lifetime experience for cash. "Big fan" Mitch, who was waiting in line early on, said his friend Sam was "very generous" for giving him his plus one. Kat, who was in the first 8:00pm group to witness the mysterious event, said that her plus one Caitlin would be naming her firstborn after her. Caitlin and Kat were in the first group to witness the mysterious event at 8:00pm. Photo: RNZ / Sigrid Yiakmis Maddy and Anika, two fans who didn't receive an invite, stood in line hopeful that they were able to get in - "We'll find a way! You only live once." They had already been to Albert Park and Britomart to find Lorde before the location was revealed. At 8pm, the first group were ushered in with strict security. Around half an hour later, they were escorted out the side door of the YMCA, appearing bewildered and elated. Some of the crew from the event came out into the YMCA lobby to debrief - one of those was Terrence O'Connor - a photographer, creative director and digital strategist who is a friend and collaborator of some the world's biggest stars right now - Charli XCX, HAIM, and Benito "Benny Drama" Skinner. It was clear that this was not going to be an off the cuff appearance by Lorde, but one that, like Washington Square Park, has been meticulously crafted by industry masterminds for maximum virality and content extraction. A message sent to Lorde fans in a WhatsApp group on Wednesday afternoon. Photo: Screengrab Then it was time for my group. We were escorted into the building, handing over our phones and any recording devices. We were led down a stairwell into a pitch black toilet cubicle. There were a couple of small cameras mounted on the walls. We chattered for a bit, wondering what was about to happen and adjusting our bodies to the small, dark space until one of the toilet doors swung open and Lorde stepped out into the darkness - "hi" she said, in her unmistakable cool register. "I knew Lorde was gonna come out of the toilet!" one of the group laughed. Fans screamed and clapped, and Lorde found her place in the centre of the crowd in the bathroom cubicle. She thanked us for coming and expressed how special it was that she was about to share some of her new album with us. She pulled a lighter out of her pocket and sparked it, throwing shadows on her face and indicating to those behind the scenes to hit play on her single 'What Was That'. She sang and danced to the music amongst the crowd. The speaker was hidden behind one of the toilet doors and the sub-bass rattled the room. One of her team crouched above one of the toilet cubicles filming on his iPhone. Speaking inbetween songs in intimate moments, she acknowledged the importance of performing to the hometown fans, the ones who have been there since Pure Heroine 12 years ago. "We drink the same water, we swim at the same beaches." It felt like an apology for the fumbled tour announcement, and a promise. Fans lucky enough to attend left with a paper-towel with album artwork and the tracklist (the first instance fans have had to view the complete album). Photo: Sigrid Yiakmis She pulled out a lighting case from one of the toilet cubicles and stood on it to create an impromptu stage. She played three more songs, all triggered by the spark of her lighter - still the only light in the room. She played her upcoming single, 'Man Of The Year', another unreleased single titled 'Current Affairs', 'Ribs' and a fourth single from Virgin, 'Broken Glass'. Deeper into the performance the toilet cubicle transformed into a tiny toilet nightclub with subtle use of laser and haze. By the end of the set, the walls were wet with sweat. After 20 minutes she left the room to prep for the next group to come through. On exit from the toilet we were given a paper-towel from the bathroom dispenser with album artwork and the tracklist (the first instance fans have had to view the complete album). Each paper-towel is numbered out of 96 and signed by Lorde. She revealed during one of the quiet moments that the 'Royals' music video was partly filmed in that bathroom. Many fans will have been left disappointed by not experiencing it, but for those who did pass through, Wednesday's event felt like Lorde's love letter to Auckland. While our proximity to the world means we won't always get the biggest thing, sometimes we get something that is smaller, modest and intangibly special instead. Lorde is nominated for Single Of The Year for Charli XCX's 'girl, so confusing featuring Lorde' at this year's Aotearoa Music Awards. The awards are streaming live from 6pm this Thursday on
RNZ News
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
'We drink the same water': Lorde listening party a loveletter to Auckland
By Sigrid Yiakmis , Social Media Journalist Lorde performed a surprise, exclusive gig in the YMCA bathroom. Photo: Instagram / Screenshot Following her chaotically-joyful pop-up in Washington Square Park in New York and surprise crashing of a Sydney nightclub on Tuesday, rumours were swirling on Wednesday - would Lorde cross the ditch to anoint the Auckland fans who had controversially been left out of the initial Ultrasound tour dates? The image and WhatsApp link that Lorde posted to her Instagram stories on Wednesday afternoon. Photo: Screengrab Around 1pm on Wednesday when Lorde shared a not-so-cryptic Story to Instagram suggesting an appearance in Auckland, 'Lorde Reddit' and 'Lorde Twitter' were frenzied with speculation around possible locations. Lorde's summer playground Cheltenham Beach, nightlife hub K Rd and Britomart were on the shortlist. Soon after, fans who were signed up to Lorde's text newsletter - an intimate communication channel she initiated for the Virgin album roll-out - received a text: "Auckland I wanna play you something.. Meet me in the city tonight? Message me if you're keen". Around 3:30PM, fans started to convene in Britomart to await further instruction. A few chosen ones received a follow up text: "Okkkk see you and a +1 tonight *X-ray emoji* Meet me at 8:00. Send me your names and bring id. Location to follow in a bit x x x x". Multiple texts were sent with different times to arrive at the location, with the first starting at 8pm. Those who didn't receive a text were quick to dismiss them as fake, in disbelief that some could miss out on the event. It was rumoured there were only 40 invites sent. Around 7:20PM the location was sent to those who were invited - the YMCA on the corner of Pitt St and Vincent St. Fans eagerly wait for entry into the mysterious event. Photo: RNZ / Sigrid Yiakmis I was lucky enough to claim a friend's plus 1 and headed up the hill to meet a small line forming outside the YMCA. Within half an hour the line grew to a large crowd of "invite receivers", "plus ones" and "no invites and no plus ones". As it settled in that some would be missing out on whatever was about to happen, the invites became extremely coveted. Girls began silent auctions for tickets, writing "$100", "$150" on their phones in big text and holding it up to their foreheads - hoping to catch the eye of someone who was willing to trade in their once in a lifetime experience for cash. "Big fan" Mitch, who was waiting in line early on, said his friend Sam was "very generous" for giving him his plus one. Kat, who was in the first 8:00pm group to witness the mysterious event, said that her plus one Caitlin would be naming her firstborn after her. Caitlin and Kat were in the first group to witness the mysterious event at 8:00pm. Photo: RNZ / Sigrid Yiakmis Maddy and Anika, two fans who didn't receive an invite, stood in line hopeful that they were able to get in - "We'll find a way! You only live once." They had already been to Albert Park and Britomart to find Lorde before the location was revealed. At 8pm, the first group were ushered in with strict security. Around half an hour later, they were escorted out the side door of the YMCA, appearing bewildered and elated. Some of the crew from the event came out into the YMCA lobby to debrief - one of those was Terrence O'Connor - a photographer, creative director and digital strategist who is a friend and collaborator of some the world's biggest stars right now - Charli XCX, HAIM, and Benito "Benny Drama" Skinner. It was clear that this was not going to be an off the cuff appearance by Lorde, but one that, like Washington Square Park, has been meticulously crafted by industry masterminds for maximum virality and content extraction. Then it was time for my group. We were escorted into the building, handing over our phones and any recording devices. We were led down a stairwell into a pitch black toilet cubicle. There were a couple of small cameras mounted on the walls. We chattered for a bit, wondering what was about to happen and adjusting our bodies to the small, dark space until one of the toilet doors swung open and Lorde stepped out into the darkness - "hi" she said, in her unmistakable cool register. "I knew Lorde was gonna come out of the toilet!" one of the group laughed. Fans screamed and clapped, and Lorde found her place in the centre of the crowd in the bathroom cubicle. She thanked us for coming and expressed how special it was that she was about to share some of her new album with us. She pulled a lighter out of her pocket and sparked it, throwing shadows on her face and indicating to those behind the scenes to hit play on her single 'What Was That'. She sang and danced to the music amongst the crowd. The speaker was hidden behind one of the toilet doors and the sub-bass rattled the room. One of her team crouched above one of the toilet cubicles filming on his iPhone. Speaking inbetween songs in intimate moments, she acknowledged the importance of performing to the hometown fans, the ones who have been there since Pure Heroine 12 years ago. "We drink the same water, we swim at the same beaches." It felt like an apology for the fumbled tour announcement, and a promise. Fans lucky enough to attend left with a paper-towel with album artwork and the tracklist (the first instance fans have had to view the complete album). Photo: Sigrid Yiakmis She pulled out a lighting case from one of the toilet cubicles and stood on it to create an impromptu stage. She played three more songs, all triggered by the spark of her lighter - still the only light in the room. She played her upcoming single, 'Man Of The Year', another unreleased single titled 'Current Affairs', 'Ribs' and a fourth single from Virgin, 'Broken Glass'. Deeper into the performance the toilet cubicle transformed into a tiny toilet nightclub with subtle use of laser and haze. By the end of the set, the walls were wet with sweat. After 20 minutes she left the room to prep for the next group to come through. On exit from the toilet we were given a paper-towel from the bathroom dispenser with album artwork and the tracklist (the first instance fans have had to view the complete album). Each paper-towel is numbered out of 96 and signed by Lorde. She revealed during one of the quiet moments that the 'Royals' music video was partly filmed in that bathroom. Many fans will have been left disappointed by not experiencing it, but for those who did pass through, Wednesday's event felt like Lorde's love letter to Auckland. While our proximity to the world means we won't always get the biggest thing, sometimes we get something that is smaller, modest and intangibly special instead. Lorde is nominated for Single Of The Year for Charli XCX's 'girl, so confusing featuring Lorde' at this year's the Aotearoa Music Awards. The awards are streaming live from 6pm this Thursday on [ RNZ] .
Otago Daily Times
18-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Taking snow to the city
PHOTO: SUPPLIED Mons Royale creative director and co-founder Hannah Acland checks out the Wanaka-based company's new flagship store in central Auckland. The doors opened to Mons' first North Island retail space on Friday, featuring its high-performance merino wool apparel built for snow sports and alpine missions. In-store updates and snow reports would connect visitors with the slopes of Tūroa, Treble Cone, Whistler and Innsbruck in real time. The Britomart store is Mons' seventh retail location. Last year, it opened stores in Wānaka and Whistler, Canada.
RNZ News
14-05-2025
- RNZ News
Delays as Britomart reopens after evacuation
File photo. Photo: RNZ / Ziming Li Auckland's Britomart train station has reopened after a fire alarm fault. The station was evacuated on Thursday morning, with train services suspended. An Auckland Transport spokesperson said the station is open once again, though delays are expected throughout the morning. "We're asking customers for their patience and to check the AT Mobile app for the latest information about train services and alternative public transport options," they said. "Our train crews will work to get services back running to timetable as soon as possible."
