The Tuning Fork Birthday Series Announced - Arab Strap, Methyl Ethel, Tiny Ruins + More

Occupying a cosy nook in downtown Tāmaki Makaurau next to Spark Arena, The Tuning Fork are celebrating their ninth birthday in early June with a jam-packed lineup of international and local music and comedy mega-talents. A five course banquet of headline events, the Birthday Series stars Scottish indie icons Arab Strap, Tiny Ruins with special guest Finn Andrews (The Veils), Perth producer / multi-instrumentalist Methyl Ethel (solo), rising Aotearoa groups There's A Tuesday & Daffodils, and live comedy trio Frickin Dangerous Bro — the rib-tickling team of Pax Assadi (whose TV series Raised By Refugees is a must-watch), James Roque and Jamaine Ross. Grab tix for these special events while you can...

The Tuning Fork Birthday Series 2022

Wednesday 1st June – Tiny Ruins with special guest, Finn Andrews

Friday 3rd June – Methyl Ethel (solo)

Saturday 4th June – There’s A Tuesday, Daffodils

Sunday 5th June – Drunken Piano presents Arab Strap

Monday 6th June – Frickin Dangerous Bro and Friends

Tickets available via Moshtix

Watch the video for Arab Strap's 'The Turning of Our Bones' from their 2021 album As Days Get Dark...

Check out Methyl Ethel's 'Neon Cheap' from new album Are You Haunted?...

Press release:

After what’s been a tumultuous few years for Aotearoa’s live scene, The Tuning Fork is beyond excited to announce a stellar series of music and comedy shows to celebrate the venue’s 9th birthday.

This birthday series is The Tuning Fork’s annual flagship event and will be held across five nights at the beginning of June, featuring Tiny Ruins and Finn Andrews, Methyl Ethel, Arab Strap, Fricken Dangerous Bro & Friends, Daffodils and There’s A Tuesday.

The celebrations kick off on Wednesday June 1 with a show by New Zealand’s much loved Tiny Ruins, with special guest Finn Andrews.

A rare blend of eloquent lyrical craft and explorative musicianship, the songs of Tiny Ruins have been treasured by crowds and critics for over a decade. Via an eclectic raft of influences, the musical world of Hollie Fullbrook and band spans delicate folk, lustrous dream pop and ebullient psychedelia.

Renowned for their magical live shows, Tiny Ruins will be joined by Finn Andrews who took time out from fronting The Veils, to release his 2019 solo record ONE PIECE AT A TIME. The album was met with critical acclaim and has been described Andrews’ most profound and intimate pieces of work.

On Friday June 3, the Tuning Fork welcomes indie Aussie act Methyl Ethel (solo). The brainchild of Perth musician, Jake Webb, Methyl Ethel has long been a fixture on the coveted Triple J’s Hottest 100. This performance follows the release of the album ARE YOU HAUNTED, which the Guardian describes as “richly arranged” with songs that “bog with confidently delicate funk. Each strong section, synthesiser gurgle and bass kick has room to breathe’.

Saturday evening June 4 sees two of NZ’s finest indie acts - Daffodils and There’s a Tuesday - going back-to-back.

Hailing from Christchurch, There’s A Tuesday are a loveable group made up of alternating front-women Natalie Hutton and Minnie Robberds, with band members Angus Murray and Joel Becker on drums and guitar. Having gained a solid reputation for their live set, There’s A Tuesday make their audience feel all the feels. They’ve mastered the perfect blend of indie-pop-rock with their beautiful harmonies and soundscapes as seen in their latest singles ‘Bus Stop’ and ‘Baby Blue’, alongside fan favourite hit ‘Amsterdam’ from their debut EP DANCE WITH ME BEFORE WE CRY. Daffodils are one of those bands that everyone thinks they discovered first. Since emerging in 2016, the project of Isaac Keating, Jade Bryham, Louis Graham and Theo Spike Salmon has won hearts and warmed-up stages for international artists Foals and Orville Peck. Their new EP, STAY THE NIGHT, is set for release on June 17 and features new single ‘How Do You Know?’.

Daffodils and There’s A Tuesday have both just returned from Australia where Daffodils played shows in Sydney and Melbourne supporting The Lazy Eyes; while There’s a Tuesday opened for Benee, whose label they’re also signed to.

On Sunday June 5, The Tuning Fork plays host to Scotland’s finest, Arab Strap. Presented by Drunken Piano, Arab Strap promise to deliver a night to remember with their signature tunes of sex and drugs, sung in thick Scottish brogue, set to electronic beats.

A major part of the Glasgow music scene that spawned Belle and Sebastian and Mogwai, Arab Strap are one Scotland’s most acclaimed bands of the 1990s and 2000s. They have toured the world extensively and released their seventh album, AS DAYS GET DARK, in 2021 to critical-acclaim, featuring the single ‘Fable Of The Urban Fox’.

Frickin Dangerous Bro are New Zealand's funniest and cockiest live comedy trio, and they're coming to The Tuning Fork on Monday June 6 for their first Auckland show in two and a half years. And what better way to commemorate such a significant event, than to celebrate the Queen's Birthday at the same time. So come along for some of Frickin Dangerous Bro's signature mayhem, some special guest comedians, and a little bit of cake.

Frickin Dangerous Bro consists of members Pax Assadi (7 Days, Have You Been Paying Attention, 60 Seconds, Raised By Refugees), James Roque (7 Days, Have You Been Paying Attention, Masked Singer) and Jamaine Ross (Auckland Council's 'Think Before You Throw' recycling campaign). The will end The Tuning Fork’s birthday series with a bang on Monday June 6 with special guests also joining them on stage.