Music News

Weekly Roundup: Friday 1st November

C.C. / Friday 1st November, 2019 1:10PM

Announcement highlights for the short and snappy week include California rockers Eagles Of Death Metal are returning to Aotearoa in April 2020 to play a riff-wrangling pair of headline events in Auckland and Wellington, US math / prog masters Chon are making their way to NZ in February, and Canadian contemporary folk stars The East Pointers are heading our way for an extensive tour of our shores in March and April. Local artists making waves in the near future include NYC-based Silver Scroll nominee Miriam Clancy is returning for an extensive homecoming tour in December, celebrating the release of her dreamy third studio album Astronomy, Melbourne-based expat sci-fi sonic adventurers OV PAIN are hitting the North Island in November for a mind-melting run of headline shows, and Tāmaki Makaurau rockers Mini Simmons are presenting their The Rock 'n' Roll Time Machine with support from Smokestack Slim at the Tuning Fork in late November.

We caught up with inimitable Ned Flanders-themed Arizona-based metalheads Okilly Dokilly, who are touring their Simpsons-inspired anthems across the North Island in February – dive into Annabel Kean's in-depth and hugely enjoyable interview with band spokesman Head Ned right here. We were also proud to present Roy Irwin's interview with visiting super catchy US garage punk Sick Thoughts (who is playing throughout Aotearoa this week), and Kermath's insightful conversation with Christchurch digital pop artist Pikachunes, who unveiled his P.E EP yesterday. As we head towards a huge weekend of Halloween parties, cast your eyes and ears upon our latest UTR Caught Live episode, featuring a spookily cobwebbed Hans Pucket busting out their brand new song 'You Must Chill' for a very up for it crowd at Tāmaki Makaurau Whammyfest last Friday.

Our Caught Live video for the week features the skull-crushing riffs of Pōneke's Beastwars, who are not only embarking on an off-the-beaten-track North Island tour in November, but will be co-headlining Upper Hutt's ear-bleeding Obey The Riff festival alongside UK psychedelic blues-doom superstars Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats in March 2020. Experience a taste of the intensity to come with footage of Beastwars tearing up a smaller scale venue than usual, unleashing their anthem 'Damn the Sky' at King Street Live, Masterton...