Since I wrote about the (possible) end of the world, this column has been cursed.

I'm not sure how it went so wrong. Maybe it was the Trump jokes. Maybe the Orange Ogre set his minions on me. Or got his Russian mate to.

Was I was tempting fate? I feel now I should offer cautionary admonitions to anyone appearing in future columns: acts of God may occur, your gigs may not happen, you have been warned.

In quick succession, several gigs I wrote about at Croucher Basecamp were cancelled when the pub abruptly closed.

Then last week's show from Martha and The Backseat Drivers was cancelled. Perhaps the Drivers went off the road, perhaps they refused to stay in the backseat and staged a vehicular coup.

Whatever the reason, a few hundred innocent words were sacrificed for no good reason.

There are various shows to mention this week; allow me to apologise in advance should any harm befall the performers...

To start, a brief heads-up for three events in August.

And by remarkable coincidence – or an early manifestation of the aforementioned curse – all were cancelled when last scheduled in Tauranga.

Three for August

Firstly, on Thursday August 9, Aussie bluesman Lloyd Spiegel will be playing at The Barrel Room.

Lloyd's last gig in Tauranga at The Art Gallery in 2016 was cancelled due to health problems (or possibly because I plugged it).

Secondly, on Saturday August 18 at Tauranga Boys' College, The Songs Of Bob Dylan concert featuring Kokomo along with Marion Arts and Robbie Laven is on again after a cancelation in May, again due to health problems (probably not my fault, but I did mention it).

More about Lloyd next week, but tickets for both are on Eventfinda.

Finally, the Automatic 80s bash, tribute to mid-Eighties New Romantic and New Wave hits and pretty much the most popular show ever to visit The Mount's Totara Street, is on next Saturday, August 4, again after cancelling in May (it was a power outage and absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with me).

On to shows that have previously neglected to cancel.

Hangar 18

This Saturday, July 28, rock stalwarts Hangar 18 are coming to Vinyl Destination on Devonport Road.

Though maintaining a relatively low-profile in New Zealand, Hangar 18 have been doing great things in Asia, having signed to music giant Universal Music Group MCA in the Philippines on an Asian-wide deal.

This sees the band released and promoted in over 15 countries, including India, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and more.

Their new single, ‘Rainy Day', from a yet-to-be-titled new album produced by legendary UK music producer Steve James is being released in Asia in early September, with the NZ and Australian release later this year.

Check them out via their website and get $20 tickets from Eventfinda. Kick-off is at 8pm.

Space Oddities

And possibly most exciting of the whole lot, especially to dedicated fans of The Man Who Refuses To Slow Down, William Shatner is returning to Auckland in October with a pile of new stories and a pile of new songs. In short, a whole new pile of shat.

Perhaps this time The Shat will favour his 2011 double CD concept album In Search of Major Tom, which saw him joined by 'an all-star cast of music legends” exploring what really happened to the titular astronaut.

It includes The Shat and Ritchie Blackmore performing ‘Space Oddity', ‘Space Trucking' with Johnny Winter, and the magnificent ‘Bohemian Rhapsody'. Trust me, you haven't lived until you've heard ol' Bill sing 'Mama, just killed a man”.

So Mr S, good luck. I know you're 87 and no longer the dapper young space captain, but I sincerely hope no ill-effects caused by this column trouble your return Down Under. If you weren't Canadian I'd suggest you run for US president.

A joint ticket with Arnold Schwarzenegger. You could sort out that slimy KGB operative. And Putin too.