Niko Ne Zna are excited to announce their return to The Globe Theatre Palmerston North for a special performance, bringing their music back to this treasured Manawatu venue. Niko Ne Zna is a world class world music extravaganza. A staple of the New Zealand festival circuit and frequently selling out shows at home and more recently in Australia. A hot and spicy taste of the old countries right here in the capital of New Zealand. Playing captivating original music as well as classic songs from the Romani-soaked Balkan States, Niko Ne Zna’s hypnotic melodies and wild infectious rhythms will set even the most rhythmically challenged moving and grooving!

Combining driving rhythms, melodic brass and beautifully alluring vocals, Niko Ne Zna creates unforgettable moments for their audiences. The 9-piece band have firmly cemented themselves as one of New Zealand's premiere and sought after world music groups, complete with wonderfully hypnotic melodies and cerebral rhythms that draw from the Balkan region.

Based in New Zealand’s creative and cultural capital of Wellington, all nine members are formidable instrumentalists and composers in their own right. Their current lineup consists of two trumpets, soprano saxophone, bass and tenor trombones, sousaphone, balkan bass drum (tapan) and snare drum, an exotic cocktail of instrumentation and musicianship that creates an atmosphere and vibe like no other. To top it off, their vocalist/percussionist Nikkie Rich sings in multiple languages, including Serbo-Croatian, Romani, Macedonian, Greek and English.

The concert is General Admission and we are removing the front two rows of seats to create a dance floor so you can come on down and get with the rhythm.

“It’s easy to forget where you are when you listen to these hypnotic melodies. It’s like being dropped amongst the hot and spicy lands of a country far away - to a place where you can free yourself with these infectious and wild beats that take their influence from the gypsy-soaked Balkan States.”
— wellingtonlivemusic.com

“The group's jaunty carnival-style sound translates surprisingly well to disc, with trombone, sousaphone, sax and trumpet all vying for attention as the songs spiral riotously outward from a core riff before being reined back in again.”
— Otago Daily Times

“Gypsy good times…”
— Rip It Up Magazine

“… this is straight to the dancefloor”
— Elsewhere

“Driving rhythms an intoxicating effect”
— Taranaki Daily News