Music News

Weekly Roundup: Friday 21st September

Friday 21st September, 2018 3:48PM

The week started with a bang as local music icon Shayne Carter announced he's reuniting his trailblazing groups Straitjacket Fits and Dimmer for a nationwide joint tour in November and September, we recommend you get in quick as tickets are flying out the door. If you thought that was going to be the only huge news of the week you're a straight up fool - the first lineup was revealed for next year's St. Jerome's Laneway Festival returning to Auckland's Albert Park in January, featuring such huge names as Florence + The Machine, Parquet Courts, Mitski, Courtney Barnett, Denzel Curry, Jorja Smith, Jon Hopkins and The Dead C, with more to be announced.

More significant tour news included Tom Scott's hip hop / jazz project Avantdale Bowling Club are embarking on their first ever nationwide tour in October and November, and iconic Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne is playing his last ever local shows alongside legendary metal maniacs Judas Priest in March. To add to the insanity, Unknown Mortal Orchestra are returning to New Zealand in January for three shows with Wellington dub heroes Fat Freddy's Drop for what's likely to be some most mind-blowing summer events of recent times.

Auckland's Audio Foundation got in on the action too, revealing the lineup for their biennial Nowhere! Festival of experimental and outsider sounds, featuring such notables as Divide and Dissolve, Floris Vanhoof, Strange Stains, Campbell J Kneale (Birchville Cat Hotel), Francisca Griffin (Look Blue Go Purple), Bruce Russell (Dead C), Rosy Parlane, Bib Kids and Kraus. To round things off, the annual Girls Rock! Camp Aotearoa announced applications are now open for campers (ages 12 to 17) and mentors to participate in next year's week-long musical holiday programme, which aims to "empower young women, transgender and gender non-conforming youth by giving them practical skills and role models in a safe, supportive space."

We were thrilled to feature a conversation between former Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes and Steve Mathieson (Collapsing Cities, Lunavela) ahead of the Britpop icon's solo Auckland performance on Monday. We were equally stoked to feature the sophomore single and video from Auckland garage rock duo Fever Party, and a no-wave tune plus stylish clip from LA-based ex-pat Vera Ellen.

Local release highlights included the long-awaited self-titled debut album from Dunedin noise-rock trio Bad Sav, a sultry nine-minute slow jam from Connan Mockasin's intriguingly-titled upcoming album Jassbusters, an unnerving single plus video from Auckland iconoclast Ron Gallipoli, the latest tune from Lawrence Arabia's 2018 Singles Club, and a soulful new song from long-running Auckland genre-smashers Hallelujah Picassos, whose limited edition Voices Of One 7" vinyl record is out today.

This week's Caught Live video features awesome Auckland hip hop duo COOL TAN, aka Reem Nabhani (Meer) and Liam Dargaville (Dbldbl), who are sadly playing their final local show together for the foreseeable future tonight at Whammy Bar, as Meer is heading overseas to conquer the world. Here's vintage footage from their 2015 performance under their former moniker as HEAVY for bFM's epic Bombathon fundraiser - wipe away the tears, show your support and catch them tonight while you can with buds Imugi 이무기 and Lion Dixon plus a solo set by Meer...