When it comes to listening to music, I’m usually more of a Rock fan than Hip-Hop. I do like the genre though, and one of the things I find exciting about it is the relevance the artists bring with them, with regard to what surrounds us all in this currently malfunctioning, dysfunctional world we inhabit…

I know Andy Kerr well. We go back a long way in the Wellington live music scene on the Golden Mile area of Courtenay Place, Cuba Street and surrounding environs. I remember first hearing and seeing Jacky Tar at the sadly missed Molly Malones and equally missed Kitty O’Shea’s, and catching the energy and slightly…

Hamilton’s rising alt-pop-rock duo Bird Machine (Luke and Jenna Grbin) release their eagerly awaited new single ‘Hellos and Frowns’ today. And if you grew up at a time when Grunge and its sub-cultural anti-vibe appeared, you’ll want to know about these guys. The band explains the meaning of the song in that it provides a unique viewpoint into…

Yay! I get another Nova single to review. Eliza and Bryn have followed up Temple with an absolute belter. See You Dancing is about, in the bands words “coming into a grounded, confident version of yourself and allowing that to be expressed through movement and sharing the dancefloor through the night with people who have…

Say Or Do, the brain-child of well travelled Kiwi guy Sam French, has already made a splash around the country with its first release, the EP Watching The World Pass By, ten years ago. Sam certainly didn’t live by the title, subsequently getting on his bike and seeing the world. The time spent overseas, and…

A bit of melodic rock! Oh yeah! This Silent Divide has delivered us a touch of punky, up-tempo indie/hard rock with their latest release Morning. Lyrically, it raises the subjects of vulnerability and how one tightrope walks through the personal relationships in an uncertain life that we all experience. Recorded in Wellington at Surgery Studios,…

Annnnd he finds his metal lady for the 2020s! I am, and always have been (thanks to sitting with my older brother in the mid 1970s, aged 6, being introduced to Black Sabbath and Deep Purple) a huge fan of the sound of Metal from the 70s and 80s. Newzerror isn’t from those decades, and…

Oh my word, Michèle Ducray is surely bonkers? I LOVE her! What a wondrously dark, out there single this is! “‘Psycho’ describes someone who’s sick of the world’s restrictions and doesn’t really care anymore,” explains Michèle. “It’s based on self-expression; we’re all on this giant rock heading into oblivion, so who cares – just be your most…

The new single from Haast Hunter, Sunshine, is about coming through Depression. This is a subject close to me in a number of ways, and I listened to the lyrics for this one and they resonate. Recorded at Lab Studios in the City of Sails, with renowned engineer Olly Harmer, guitarist/vocalist James Harper elaborates on…

Nova, a.k.a Bryn Van Vliet and Eliza Pickard, bring a smooth groove to their sound. It’s a jazz-esque vibe, one to get you swaying gently as they deliver it in a wine bar, in an open air festival, or anywhere. This kind of music fits anywhere, and that’s not easy to capture. Now personally, I…