BIOGRAPHIES
Julian Temple
For the last 20 years Dunedin-based Julian Temple has led his band through a number of line-ups, across seven albums, touring and receiving positive mentions in national and international media. Along the way they have played in Mexico, Australia and on the West Coast of the United States, where Temple was raised, and recorded two albums as part of graduate and post-graduate studies at the University of Otago. Two of the band's songs have made the finals of the International Songwriting Competition judged by the likes of Tom Waits and Frank Black of the Pixies. At home they have frequented the top 20 NZ album charts, held the number one spot on BFM student radio for multiple weeks and their latest album Tunnels, a mature and challenging collection of songs, even featuring horns by legacy act Don McGlashan, is their best work yet.
The Clean's David Kilgour went on to say of Tunnels - "A fine craftsperson of song at work, a hot band, surprising arrangements and cool production."
Happy Mag in Australia muses - "Julian Temple Band creates sprawling landscapes with their songs, their tunes are like sweat-soaked fever dreams; surreal hallucinations that leave you feeling as though you're staggering through a slice of vast and desolate desert. There's a coldness in their songs but an equally powerful warmth to counteract."
Amber Gabrielle Stephens
Amber’s dance journey began at 4 years of age with ballet. Amber initially studied Contemporary Dance at Auckland's Unitec Performing Arts School then completed her degree in Performative and Visual Arts at The Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. Amber returned to NZ in 2010 and did a Post Graduate Diploma in Choreography at Auckland's Unitec Performing Arts School.
During her studies in Vienna Amber started her own dance company and performed with Tosca's Rupert Huber. Performances in Vienna include festivals such as Stadfest, Cityfestwochen and The Vienna Art Fair. Amber produced, choreographed and danced in her feature length show entitled The Beggar & The Bird, with Opera singer/composer, Natalie Jean Marain. Amber choreographed and performed with technical designer Martin Rille in Coded Sensation in an audio kinetic suit. The show was selected by Brazil’s CESC organisation and toured the CESC venues in Sao Paolo. Later in NZ Amber started Sugar Kicks Dance company. Shows include the opening performance at NZ Fashion Week, BBC’s People in Your Neighbourhood, a music and dance show that included artists and musicians from the UK and NZ. In 2019 Amber was choreographic director for LUMA Light Festival in Queenstown. Most recently Amber has embarked on a collaborative music and dance venture with Julian Temple in Dunedin, performing across NZ with his band and featuring in the music video for “Head In The Clouds” off their latest album Tunnels.