Music News

Weekly Round Up: Friday 15th December

Friday 15th December, 2017 5:25PM

The holiday season is so close we can almost taste it, as Christmas draws near and the beaches beckon once more. We were still recovering from our office party as this week’s exciting tour announcements and musical releases rolled in, including news that Atlanta hip hop superstars Future and Young Thug will be joining the already mega Auckland City Limits lineup for 2018. This week’s big news also included Connan Mockasin will be touring throughout Aotearoa in February, The Datsuns will be headlining Hamilton’s Future City Festival, Kerikeri cosmic funk/soul artist Troy Kingi is heading around the country in February, and hip hop/jazz virtuosos BADBADNOTGOOD are playing a special Auckland headline show this January.

We chatted with Kody Neilson who lifted the lid on his upcoming album Birthday Suite, and talked with US punks Rise Against about making music in Trump’s America. Out team of ace photographers brought back amazing snaps from US post-metal outfit Rosetta’s show at Wellington’s Valhalla, !!! (Chk Chk Chk)’s show with Miss June at Auckland’s Kings Arms Tavern, Yusuf’s (Cat Stevens) Spark Arena performance, and indie-pop artists Alt-J’s Auckland Town Hall performance, which reviewer Paul Larson gave “5 ∆‘s out of 5.”

Local release highlights included the summery debut single from Wellington duo Bright Music, turntable master Alphabethead’s cosmic new album, the reemergence of Collapsing Cities frontman Steve Mathieson’s solo project Lunavela, and the debut techno release from Auckland dance label Haven. Sonic traveller Stefan Neville released a collaborative record with Lyttelton avant-guitarist Greg Malcom titled A Nuisance, he also helped facilitate a new compilation of spontaneous sounds Māpura Music which features recordings created at Auckland's Māpura Studios creative space & art therapy centre.

This week’s Caught Live video features Taite-nominted songwriter Anthonie Tonnon, whose latest single ‘Two Free Hands’ has been an office hit. He’s heading out this summer for a run of shows in New Zealand and Australia, here’s great footage of the artist performing his aforementioned single live on RNZ…