Upcoming Events

Celebrating Five Years of Hilltop with Turkey the Bird!
Gate opens 6.30pm
Music Starts 7pm
Saturday 16 May 2026
This May marks five years of house concerts at Hilltop.
Yahoo Serious!
Turkey The Bird is one of New Zealand’s fabulous folk trios. They remind you of the famous Margarita cocktail infused with a hint of “Simon & Garfunkel”, two ounces of “Mumford and Sons”, a splash of banjo, and served on ice on a sunny day.
Catchy folk songs with stunning rich melodies and effortless smooth lyrics. Songs that tell uplifting stories about love and life. Check out their video ‘Everybody Needs A Little Sunshine‘ here, and with NZ Sign Language – it’s so cool!
This uplifting band hits you with beautiful three part harmonies and toe tapping rhythms. The bearded trio features Andre Manella from Switzerland on guitar, bass and percussion, Adrian Whelan from Ireland on guitar, mandolin, bass and spoons, and Sol Bear Coulton, the token Kiwi, on Banjo and slide guitar.
“injects hoedown-showdown fun, fun, fun and the harmonies shine like diamonds.”
Paul Cook, Joyzine UK
“That’s Turkey The Bird, great band, just love them”
Jesse Mulligan RNZ
“This is simply divine”
Jack from Flash-Trax com
“These guys are unpretentious, fun and very good at what they do” Winston Watusi,
The Weekend Sun
“This is not sad cowboy Americana neofolk, this is refreshing Kiwiana newgrass” … “Bouncing jokes off each other like Forest Gump playing table tennis” … “The charisma is infectious, the fun is contagious” Patrick Loughran from Muzic net nz

The Wooden Box Band
Gate opens 6.30pm
Music Starts 7pm
Saturday 13 June 2026
Winners of the NZ Folk Alliance “Best Original Album” 2025 for “Broken River” The Wooden Box Band blend rich harmonies, acoustic warmth, and electric flair. Heartfelt NZ storytelling, layered vocals & dynamic live performance steeped in craft & connection.
The band comprises singer songwriter Jessie Moss (late of Jessie James and the Outlaws) on vocals and guitar. Alongside is Emily Clemmet/Show Pony from the Balkanistas, Cumbrio Bros and other bands on trumpet, fiddle and singin’ and writing.
Also making a noise is Paddy Burgin who strums and picks a cedar topped jumbo guitar, blows strange harmonica notes and plays slide guitar too. He also sings, sometimes his own songs and sometimes other peoples’. Anchorman is Murray Costello on bass who used to do this job in the Mockers and a hundred bands since then. Lead guitar duties are taken by Jeremy Desmond who sandwiches the band in with Newtown Rocksteady commitments and a growing family. The drumming stool is usually personned by Olivia Campion.
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Rag Poets Matariki Gig
Gate opens 6.30pm
Music Starts 7pm
Friday 10 July 2026
The Rag Poets are back to celebrate Matariki. The band features Carl Evensen – vocals and percussion (Fourmyula), Rob Clarkson – drums, Alan Norman – accordion and 12 string guitar, who along with Rob played for many years with NZ’s seminal Country band The Warratahs, and Gary Creary on guitar. Gary hails from Toronto and has extensive experience including a stint in the fabled Hawks Nest Band. George Barris, on bass, was a member of The Underdogs, Jigsaw, Fresh Air, Highway, Blerta, and now also plays with Laura Collins and the Back Porch Blues Band.
The Rag Poets play many of those ‘heady’ Wellington hits from the 60’s & 70’s era, as well as new material they’ve written and a bunch of covers from the likes of John Prine, Boz Scaggs and Neil Young.
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