We're returning to Meow with another of our annual Twisted Frequency pre-parties. This time, we're transporting you back to the paddock by bringing you four epic bands who we've been lucky enough to feature on the Beat Bach stage in recent years. This show lies on the darker, moodier, heavier end of the spectrum with musical influences drawn from Post-Rock, Electronica, Metal, and Progressive sub-genres.
We believe that each of these bands are currently pushing boundaries within, and outside of, their primary genres, and all are creating strikingly unique music within the New Zealand music scene. We're thrilled to host them all together at Meow for one very special night of live music.
NO BROADCAST // [chch]
No Broadcast emerges from Christchurch, New Zealand, shaped by its history, environment, and people. Their music blends atmosphere and intensity, drawing comparisons to Jakob, Mogwai, Radiohead, Sigur Rós, HDU, and The Veils. Known for immersive and powerful live performances, the band has been a fixture of the New Zealand music landscape since 2007.
At the core of No Broadcast is Josh Braden — songwriter, producer, and creative vision behind the band. While Braden has self-produced all releases to date, No Broadcast has evolved into a collaborative project, with numerous musicians contributing across recordings and live shows.
Their catalogue has steadily built both critical and audience recognition. Lie in Orbit (2021) expanded on the band’s layered, atmospheric soundscapes, earning airplay and critical acclaim. The Common Thread (2023), written largely during the 2020/21 lockdowns, captured themes of loss, isolation, duality, and resilience, resonating deeply with listeners and climbing into the Top 7 of the New Zealand Music Charts. Its success reinforced the band’s reputation as one of the country’s most compelling acts.
Now in 2025, No Broadcast is writing and recording a new body of work, already testing songs live in inventive arrangements that reveal both atmospheric weight and intimate depth. With a proven live reputation, chart success, and a loyal following, the band continues to grow its profile, pushing creative boundaries while staying true to their distinctive sound.
SHEEPS // [wgtn]
Though Sheeps was born from writing sessions between brothers/guitarists Dean & Simon Blackwell in an Oriental Bay basement in 2015, the band didn’t begin in earnest until the addition of third guitarist Grace Baker, drummer Thomas Friggens, and bassist Blain Fitzpatrick the following year. The band quickly amassed a cult following and began to draw comparisons to the shifting, evolving art rock structures of Radiohead, the affecting and often bleak lyricism of The Smiths, and the grandiose atmospherics of post-rock bands Jakob & Mogwai.
Having signed with Auckland’s AllGood Absolute Alternative Records (AAA Records), Sheeps released their debut album Working The Machine in April 2024. The album debuted at #18 on the Top 20 NZ Albums Chart. Their music video for Generation I went on to win awards for Best Rock Music Video at the Prague International Music Video Awards 2024 and Best Low Budget Music Video at the Nottingham Music Video Awards 2024. It was a quarter finalist in the Best Indie Rock Video category at the International Music Video Underground 2024 and received an official selection at both the Third Culture Film Festival NZ 2024 and the Europe Music Video Awards 2024.
Sheeps supported Japanese post-rock band Toe on the Wellington leg of their Oceania Tour in October 2024. The band are now writing material for their second album, and kicked off 2025 by headlining the Constable Street stage at Wellington’s Newtown Festival, and performing on the Valhalla Stage at Wellington’s CubaDupa street festival.
FVKVSHIMA // [wgtn]
A progressive, driving, mechanical powerhouse surfacing from the shores of Wellington, NZ. Gargantuan, lurching drop-tuned phrases, layered with soaring apocalyptic textures. Resurrecting members from Shakahn, Backyard Burial, Planet of the Dead, and Diecast, FVKVSHIMA has collective decades of songwriting experience across a variety of genres, now condensed into its menacing live set.
THE SHOCKING AND STUNNING // [wgtn]
The Shocking and Stunning are Jack Hooker (synths/sampler/effects) and Sam Lovrich-FitzPatrick (drums). Described by Martyn Pepperell in VanguardRed Magazine as “emotive, physically propulsive and above all, fucking epic”, they combine densely layered synths and heavy live drums to make wall-of-sound music that sits between dance, trance, noise and drone.
The Shocking and Stunning were most active in the early 2010's. In that time they released six EPs, a music video, scored a documentary, collaborated with rappers Tourettes and Name UL, toured numerous times throughout New Zealand and Australia, performed at festivals such as Camp A Low Hum & Rhythm and Alps, and played many house parties.
Since 2014 the band have made sporadic appearances, playing at festivals such as Twisted Frequency, Chronophonium, The Performance Arcade and A Gathering in the Forest. In 2019 they made a surprise one-off return, releasing their long-overdue debut full-length album. The self-titled album contains new works, as well as older pieces that have been reworked and rerecorded with James Goldsmith at Bluebarn Studios.
