Weekly Roundup: Friday 1st June

This week was the last of the 2018 iteration of New Zealand Music Month and boy it was a big one! Auckland songwriter  Reb Fountain cleaned up at this year's New Zealand Country Music Awards, taking away Recorded Music NZ Best Country Music Artist and APRA Best Country Music Song at the ceremony in Gore - she celebrated by sharing a video for her winning tune ‘Hopeful & Hopeless’. Northland thrash metallers Alien Weaponry dropped their long-awaited debut album Tū, and we were proud to premiere Christchurch-based singer and producer Richard Dada's (aka Richard Larsen of Glass Vaults) debut ten track album 001.

Significant show announcements included Hamilton art-pop superstar Kimbra will be playing two homecoming shows in July, Britpop icon Gaz Coombes of Supergrass announced he will be visiting New Zealand in September, and US RnB singer Miguel will be heading our way for a headline Auckland show in July. Heavy music fans were treated to tour announcements from Norway symphonic metal legends Dimmu Borgir and Canada's Archspire, while Wellington's Symbiotic Metal Fest announced three nights of extreme metal mayhem to take place at Valhalla in October. Fans of crunchy pop guitars can catch Christchurch / Auckland dark pop unit Decades touring the nation this winter, and Canterbury indie-pop artist Jed Parsons is heading out a four date album release tour in late July.  

Local hip hop has been off the chain for collaborative efforts lately with Onehunga badasses SWIDT assembling a super strong squad for their latest video ‘Off The Top’ featuring Diggy Dupe, Melodownz, JessB and Rizvan, while nine piece collective Fanau Spa’s vibing track ‘Leather And Wood’ bought together Coco Solid, Queen Kapussi, Big Fat Raro, Hamishi, Brown Boy Magik, Yumgod, Manu, Joe Kori and TH1R§T3EN. Auckland rapper Meer followed through on her excellent debut collection Kushari with a powerful video for her single 'Rotten'.

More local highlights included Wellington post-metal group Spook The Horses embracing the future in refined splendour in their 360 VR video ‘Made Shapeless’,  Melbourne-via-Auckland duo Kosmetika made their fuzz-pop debut, Leonard Charles (aka Jeremy Toy of She’s So Rad) teamed up with Team Dynamite for funked-up track ‘It’s All Over Now’, and Career Girls dropped a raging banger titled ‘Naughty Boy’.

This week's Caught Live video features Wellington psychedelic travellers Orchestra Of Spheres, who'll be knocking punters' socks off this weekend at Auckland's multi-venue Borderline Music Festival 2018. Check out recent footage of the group tearing a hole in reality alongside UK saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings at last year's Wellington Jazz Festival...

WEEKEND GIG PICKS:

Friday

Auckland: Borderline - Coco Solid, Bad Corporation + More - Wine Cellar, Whammy Bar+Backroom
Auckland: Meer, Dbldbl - Portland Public House
Wellington: Destroy Wellington - Unsanitary Napkin, Pvnisher + More - Valhalla
Wellington: Pale Lady - Caroline
Christchurch: Cash Guitar - Hell Fire Club 
Dunedin: Julian Temple Band - The Cook

Saturday

Auckland: Borderline - Solid Gold Hell, Polyester + More - Wine Cellar, Whammy+Backroom
Auckland: Melodownz, Illbaz, Tom Scott - Neck Of The Woods
Wellington: Destroy Wellington - Ghidoragh, Piggery + More - Valhalla
Wellington: Emily Fairlight - San Fran
Christchurch: Adam Mcgrath - Blue Smoke
Dunedin: Death and The Maiden - Port Chalmers Pioneer Hall
Dunedin: Summer Thieves, Mako Road - Fifty Gorillas

Head over to our Gig Guide for more listings!!!

NEW TRACKS: