Music News

Weekly Roundup: Friday 24th May

Friday 24th May, 2019 7:08PM

What a wild week! Lovers of in-the-red guitars have a tonne of shows to look forward to in the near future – Belfast punk legends Stiff Little Fingers are heading back our way in early 2020 for a three date tour celebrating the 41st anniversary of their debut album Inflammable Material, Sydney guitar wizard Plini is bringing his band across the ditch for three mind-melting NZ shows in October, Tāmaki Makaurau alt-rock supergroup City Of Souls will be steamrolling across Aotearoa in July, Auckland heavy rockers Hunt The Witch are playing a North Island release tour for their brand new record Strange Gods this June, and Brisbane death metal bruisers Disentomb will be pummelling local punters with their brutal riffage in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch this August.

More exciting events on the horizon include Lyttelton songwriting icon Aldous Harding will be touring her universally acclaimed latest album Designer across Aotearoa in August, and a mouthwatering selection of international hip hop and electronic superstars are converging upon Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium for October's Listen In festival, featuring Flume, Diplo, ScHoolboy Q, 6LACK and rising UK rapper Slowthai.

Brooklyn songwriter and actor Sharon Van Etten is returning to Aotearoa this June, bringing songs from her rapturously received first album in five years Remind Me Tomorrow to Auckland's Powerstation with full band. Jerri-Rae Leef spoke with the multi-talented artist ahead of her visit about her new record, her current studies to become a mental health counsellor, balancing family life with touring and more in an insightful interview you can read here. We also caught up with NZ punk pioneers The Terrorways, who are playing at Saturday's Punk It Up IV festival at legendary Auckland venue Zwines and also dropping a five-track vinyl re-issue of their classic tunes to boot. Read guitarist Dean Martelli's (fka Justin Sane, also of Rebel Truce) no-holds-barred convo with Melbourne's Rinse Dream over here. While you're at it, why not dive into Chris Cudby's interview with Anna Loveys, founder and operator of Tāmaki Makaurau-based independent music and entertainment PR company Saint Lachine, who is appearing on the Marketing & Promoting Live Shows panel at this Saturday's 2019 Official NZ Music Month Summit? We highly recommend you read her insightful words on the subject over here. It wasn't all interview features this week though, we also had the privilege of premiering the summery new single and video from Tāmaki Makaurau guitar / electronics duo Surf Friends, who are releasing their third studio album Doing Your Thing in mid-2019, courtesy of the fine folk at Flying Nun Records.

This week's Caught Live video features New Jersey punks Screaming Females, who are touring Aotearoa in May and June, celebrating the success of their critically lauded 2018 seventh studio album All At Once. Get hyped for the shows with spine-tingling recent AVC Sessions live footage of the trio ripping through 'Black Moon' from All At Once...