Music News

Weekly Roundup: Friday 13th July

Friday 13th July, 2018 4:33PM

The winter chill has crept back in this week, but Thursday's unveiling of the top twenty finalists for the 2018 Silver Scroll Award has been heating up conversations across the nation, with reactions ranging from "wow!" to "meh!". Notable announcements included Karangahape Road's multi-venue extravaganza The Others Way festival will be returning in late August, preceded by the return of the Going Global Music Summit and industry showcase - Auckland music aficionados will be cramming a tonne of local sounds down their ear-gullets that weekend. Super city experimental hub The Audio Foundation also announced a very rare performance by Francisca Griffin (fka Kathy Bull) of Look Blue Go Purple alongside her live group The Bus Shelter Boys in July.

Aotearoa will be treated to a slew of sludgy riffs later this year, with Japan’s heaviest doom metal crew Church Of Misery making their debut appearance here in October, as well as the double-headed aural assault of UK bruisers Conan and US spellcasters Bell Witch, who'll be crushing skulls in Auckland and Wellington this November. Hip hop heads were also well-catered for by the announcement that Compton rap superstar YG will tearing up Auckland’s Logan Campbell Centre, also in November.

We were thrilled to premiere the snazzy latest single from Dunedin trip-pop duo Jaggers x Lines, and chatted with member Eliana Gray about their forthcoming album, her contribution to Girls Rock! Camp Aotearoa, and more. We also had the privilege of premiering the pounding lead single from Wellington genre-destroyers The All Seeing Hand's forthcoming album Syntax Error, as well as a meticulously crafted video for multi-instrumentalist A.U.R.A.'s recent song ‘G.I. Wonder’. Auckland synth-jangle crew Polyester had an in-depth yarn with Hex’s Kiki Van Newtown about their self-titled debut album that you can read here, and on top of all that, we touched base with Nashville grunge rockers Bully, ahead of their Auckland shows this Saturday at Whammy Bar and the Flying Out store.

If it's great local releases you're after, we've got you covered. Grow Room affiliates Shiraz & LSJ dropped a sublime mixtape titled AkL Maverickz, which boasts according to one wag “the most beautiful album artwork of 2018." Street Chant’s award-winning creative force Emily Edrosa lifted the lid on a mega-catchy demo of her track ‘Gemini Riding’, and psych-pop posse The Naenae Express returned with a DIY clip for their tune ‘Vegetables’, which was created by sadly departed Auckland musician David Adison. Wellington songwriter Finn Johansson wore his heart on his sleeve with his latest single 'Love Bomb', Sjionel Timu of legendary noise punks the Coolies reignited her solo project CUTSS with a killer four song collection, and Christchurch guitar innovator Roy Montgomery joined forces with US sonic traveller Liz Harris of Grouper, for the haunting and mysterious lead single to his forthcoming album Suffuse.

Our Caught Live video for your Friday 13th July features the iconic visage of legendary Norwegian black metal and dungeon synth figurehead Mortiis, who'll be lurking in the shadows of Auckland's Whammy Bar, Wellington's Valhalla, and appropriately enough, Christchurch's darkroom in late July and early August. Here's vintage footage from 2009 of the artist unleashing his classic song 'Parasite God' from 2001's The Smell of Rain...