Noema!!! Hello!!! Thanks for doing this interview. How are you?
Kia ora!!! I’m good! Stoked to be here!
.
Big Fan’s first birthday! Let’s start with a bit of an intro and your role at Big Fan.
Yass! My name is Noema Te Hau III and I am the Studio & Venue Production Manager at Big Fan. But you’ll also catch me producing, engineering, and performing for all kinds of projects around our facilities.
.
I don’t know about you but it actually feels like Big Fan has been around longer. How has the year been for you?
Yeah it actually does feel that way! Hopefully someone gets us a birthday cake haha. For me personally, it feels like the year has quickly flown by. It’s been a hectic “thrown in the deep end” kind of year, but I’m so grateful for the support from the rest of our awesome team. I feel like we’ve all leant on and championed each other throughout the year and we wouldn’t be here without them. The same can be said about everyone else in the Aotearoa music industry who has supported us. Can’t help but feel very grateful overall.
.
.
From when you started at Big Fan until now, has Big Fan been what you expected or has it done more than you thought?
It’s a been a bit of everything haha I guess I have very high expectations for Big Fan and we’ve definitely met most of them already. There’s still a lot that the team and I want to achieve at Big Fan, but I think we’re all very proud of how much we’ve done so far. Hopefully the rest of the local music community feels the same.
.
So I have been lucky enough to hang out at Big Fan myself both in the studios and the music venue. They are incredible spaces. What is something that may surprise someone visiting Big Fan for the first time? Mine was the basketball setup in the back of the music venue haha.
Hahaha yeah that hoop has had a lot of action and a surprising amount of competitive gameplay between artists lol I’ve seen Muroki with his shirt off trying to dribble past and score on Djeisan Suskov (Leisure – very tall) during a soundcheck. So I’d have to agree with you on the hoop haha. We’ve actually got Scotty Pearson (Elemeno P) fixing the hoop at the moment because of all the intense dunking happening.
The only other thing I could think of that surprise people would be how homely the studios and social spaces feel upstairs. People always buzz out over the natural light and buzz even more over the couches(especially studio 1). Gemma Little handpicked all the couches so we can all thank her!
.
The venue is used for a range of different events. There have been seminars there, songhubs, gigs etc. Is there and event that has happened at Big Fan that you didn’t expect?
There’s been a quite a few venue usages that I wasn’t really expecting.We’ve had a lot of video content recorded in there like Stan Walker’s recent live videos on YouTube, “The Hui” shot content for Reo Māori artists, and also there were scenes shot for an upcoming TV show called “Miles From Nowhere”. We’ve also had Morning People turn the venue into a 6am rave cave. But the most popular non-show or seminar requests we get are for production rehearsals from local and international acts before going on tour. There are plenty of other things too, but overall, I’m just glad people are seeing the venue space as something useful to them.
.
.
How did you and the team decide to celebrate the birthday with multiple events? Obviously you are a music venue but you’ve got a range of events happening. And is there one in particular you are excited about?
It was mostly our GM Savina Fountain who lead the birthday series planning and the rest of us were here to support and make it all happen on the ground. It was planned early to host a variety of events. Obviously, we’re always eager to have music and it’s great to have Molly Payton and WHO SHOT SCOTT headline our two music events,but we’ve also got a studio open day on the 11th of Nov and our first ever comedy show on the 8th of Nov!!! I can’t help but be super excited for our first comedy show. So many iconic kiwi comics are going to perform in our venue that night and it means the world! There’s a few really cool things we didn’t manage to get sorted in time for this birthday series, but you can bet they’ll be at our 2nd birthday!!!
.
Most venues and studios are very central-based and I suppose Morningside is close to the city. But what are some notable mentions for being based in Morningside that you enjoy?
Overall, I would say it has to be the community. The locals are great and have been super supportive. There are so many great spots to hang out to eat and drink. You’ll rarely catch me eating at Big Fan because of places like Crave, Kind, The Morningside Tavern, Mustard Kitchen, Kita Cafè, Beer Spot, Morningside 605, Urbanaut… It’s brutal on the bank account, but I love getting out and getting a feed or beer at the neighbours haha I always try to encourage our visitors to do the same.
.
What is one of your favourite moments from the past year at Big Fan?
There’s been a lot of special memories at Big Fan so far like; hosting APRA’s Ipukarea and Songhubs, seeing Leisure and Goodnight Nurse perform in the venue, hosting our own initiatives like Ignite, Fan Camp, Summer/Winter residencies and Big Fan Live. But my personal favourite moment would be the listening party for Alayna’s debut album “Self Portrait Of A Woman Unravelling” which I executive produced. A lot of work went into that album and most of it was done in the studios at Big Fan. The album also features some of if not the very first music ever made at Big Fan – see “Cherry Tree” and “If You Want My Love”.
.
Do you have a funny or just fun story that you can share from the past year?
This was in the very early days of Big Fan – It’s no secret that none of our Big Fan staff have had any previous barista experience, so our milk steaming skills are amateur at best. Anyways, a certain high-profile artist asked for a coffee whilst having lunch in the kitchen at Big Fan. One of our staff members went to make the coffee and steamed the milk so loudly, that the high-profile artist left the room and their food behind. It was a semi-traumatic for said staff member, but now their milk steaming skills are on point and the high-profile artist still expressed enjoying their time at Big Fan #SteamOrScream
.
What do you hope for Big Fan in the next year? Or is there something exciting developing that you can share with us?
My main hope is to have Big Fan busier than it already is. I want it to thrive with events and creativity almost every day. The more in demand we are, the more we can give back to the music community. On that notewe still have more initiatives to announce so make sure your follow us on all the socials and sign up to our mailing list!
.
.
.
PRESS RELEASE
.
BIG FAN is thrilled to celebrate its first year since opening with their first birthday series to mark this special milestone. They have put together an incredible local lineup of artists and comedians as well as a studio open day set for November 8-11.
BIG FAN: FIRST BIRTHDAY SERIES
Wed, Nov 8: COMEDY NIGHT Dai Henwood + Guy Williams + Liv McKenzie + Tim Batt + Hoani Hotene
Fri, Nov 10: Molly Payton + Judah Kelley + Lucian Rice
Sat, Nov 11 (AM): Studio Open Day (free & open to all)
Sat, Nov 11 (PM): WHO SHOT SCOTT + Fable + CRYSTAL.
TICKETS FROM www.bigfan.co.nz
Incorporating comedy, music and a public studio open day, really embodies what BIG FAN is all about. The series will showcase some of Aotearoa’s finest established and upcoming artists and comedians, as well as continue to deliver opportunities for the public to check out their world-class recording facilities during the studio open day. The series will kick off with BIG FAN’s first ever comedy event, as they expand their offerings beyond just live music. Throughout the series, the team will be giving insights and background into the creation of BIG FAN, from first steps to the day they opened the doors, all the way to the celebration of their first birthday.
Since opening, BIG FAN has consistently hosted a diverse range of shows, studio sessions as well as initiatives that break down the barriers and help people fulfill their ambitions through music. The world-class recording studios have been used by over 550 creatives to write, experiment and record music – some for the very first time – and the venue has played host to more than 100 shows and events featuring nearly 300 artists – collectively involving almost 900 creatives performing on stage and drawing an impressive 8,500+ fans through the doors. As a multi-purpose not-for-profit music space, it has also successfully delivered four key programmes with 31 core participants and engaged a further 45 creatives. Inspiring both emerging and established artists, BIG FAN provides a safe space for people to hone their musical crafts through a number of workshops and seminars.
Joel Little, Grammy Award winner and founder of BIG FAN, says: “I couldn’t be prouder of our team and everything we’ve managed to achieve at BIG FAN in our first year, and I’m so excited to build on that success in the years to come. I also want to say a huge thank you to everyone in the community that has supported us and helped make this first year such a special one, we couldn’t have done it without you.”
Over the past year, the team at BIG FAN have helped to create a community that brings people together, supports the role of music in the betterment of people’s lives, and fosters the talents of musicians, songwriters and those who make it happen behind the scenes, regardless of experience level.
BIG FAN’s journey began with the BIG FAN launch series, offering a first taste of what BIG FAN had to offer. The series included a studio open day, and performances from the likes of There’s a Tuesday, Church & AP and LEISURE. Following this, BIG FAN announced their Ignite Programme, a music industry specific training programme designed to develop and engage rangatahi passionate about music and events – continuing intakes into 2024. BIG FAN’s Summer and Winter Residencies offered creatives the chance to flex their inspired muscles in the professional grade recording studios that boast world class, top-of-the-line equipment, all free of charge for five days.
BIG FAN have also hosted multiple songwriting camps including APRA SongHubs, bringing together APRA members and international songwriters and producers to write collaboratively, followed by APRA Ipukarea, bringing together Māori, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander songwriters. BIG FAN’s own initiative Fan Camp also brought together producers, vocal performers, instrumentalists, and songwriters to write collaboratively with access to professional-grade recording studios for a week. They are now curating their second volume of Fan Camp – where musically minded creatives of Pasifika descent will be given the opportunity to attend the immersive 5-day collaborative songwriting camp in November.
The most recent addition to BIG FAN’s initiatives is BIG FAN LIVE, a programme designed to break down the traditional financial and access barriers when putting on a live show. It provides the music venue and covers associated costs free of charge, with all ticket sales going directly to the acts/event organisers. With 18 opportunities from now through to October 2024, BIG FAN LIVE aims to encourage and support creatives looking to grow their live audience in Tāmaki Makaurau.
The team at BIG FAN look forward to providing more opportunities for music lovers and future industry professionals around Aotearoa to progress in their musical journey with tutoring, experience and minimal barriers.
“It’s been an incredible first year for BIG FAN. We’ve welcomed people from across Aotearoa and around the globe, come to create, collaborate, learn, and perform in this space – whether it was for the very first time or for the thousandth time! These creatives, along with the fans who have come to enjoy live music, have come together to create this amazing community, here in the heart of Morningside. As we look forward to an exciting year ahead, we wanted to take the moment to mark this special milestone with some amazing local talent, as part of our birthday celebrations.” says General Manager, Savina Fountain.
Tickets for the BIG FAN 1st Birthday Series are on sale now at www.bigfan.co.nz
Recording Studios | Live Music Venue | Community