Methyl Ethel New Zealand Headline Shows Announced

Methyl Ethel, Daffodils and Stink have been announced for a Laneway-curated and Red Bull-presented North Island showcase, with two shows lined up for early August. Perth alt-pop project Methyl Ethel have been touring so much their feet haven’t touched the ground since the band released their third studio album Triage in February. They’ll be headlining the Auckland and Wellington events, alongside spots from Tāmaki Makaurau grunge-pop four piece Daffodils and Pōneke psych newcomers Stink. Get filled in on the dates and the deets, and peruse the psych-pop sample pack below…

Red Bull Presents Methyl Ethel, Daffodils, Stink 
Friday 2nd August - San Fran, Wellington (RSVP here)
Saturday 3rd August - Galatos, Auckland (RSVP here)

Here’s Methyl Ethel’s Jake Webb performing 'Real Tight' from their latest LP…

Check out Daffodil’s 'A Leo Underwater' soundtracking a sleepy pool party…

Take a listen to the delectable, woozy single from Stink, 'Lollipop'…

Press Release:

In recent years, Red Bull has worked closely with St Jerome’s Laneway Festival to spotlight the vibrancy and creativity of New Zealand’s local underground music scenes and expose them to new audiences, while also introducing those scenes and their crowds to similarly poised talents from Australia and further abroad.

On Friday the 2nd and Saturday the 3rd of August, they’re doing it again with two band shows in Wellington and Auckland, both curated by Laneway and presented by Red Bull. Both dates will see hotly-tipped Australia art-rock outfit Methyl Ethel perform alongside fast-rising local indie bands Daffodils and STINK, making for an exquisite opportunity to check three excellent groups at once.

In the same tradition as fellow Australian Kevin Parker’s psychedelic-pop project Tame Impala, Jake Webb’s Methyl Ethel was born from solitude, bedroom writing and recording sessions, and lonely nights in friend’s studios with only a few tape machines for company. Fittingly, this all played out in Perth; the hometown Methyl Ethel shares with Tame Impala. With a sonorous voice, and an ear for dream pop hooks and buoyant, melody-led backing tracks, his work spoke for itself.

Over the last half decade, Methyl Ethel has expanded into a live band, performed around the world, and released three EPs and three albums, most notably 2017’s Everything Is Forgotten and this year’s Triage, both released through the prestigious 4AD record label, currently home to the likes of Aldous Harding, Beirut, Big Thief and Holly Herndon. “We’ve had our eye on Methyl Ethel for a while now, their latest release Triage has been on a high rotate on the office Sonos,” explains the St Jerome’s Laneway Festival Auckland team.

“We’re so excited to be playing with Methyl Ethel, they’re a band we look up to a lot, and we absolutely cannot wait to do these shows with them,” says Daffodils guitarist and vocalist Theo Spike Salmon. Over the last year, Daffodils have gone from playing small all-ages and bar shows in Auckland, to selling out The Tuning Fork and playing at Laneway Auckland. As Theo puts it, “We feel very lucky to have enough people resonate with our music to be able to do those kinds of shows.” The Laneway team attribute their rise to the strength of their songs and performances and advise that we all keep an ear out for them.

It’s a similar story with the Wellington-based STINK. “STINK is a brand new indie band with a cool single and a cool style,” Laneway explains. “They may be named STINK, but their sound is anything but.” If Methyl Ethel’s sound is art-rock in its most ornate form, and Daffodils make indie rock with a classic melodicism that recalls the 80s, STINKY has a woozy, slightly psychedelic pop edge. Put all three together, and you’ve got a pretty special couple of evenings of music ahead. ‘We can’t wait to see them all in a few weeks,” Laneway enthuses.

Red Bull & Laneway ft. Methyl Ethel, Daffodils and STINK head to San Fran in Wellington and Galatos in Auckland on Friday the 2nd of August and Saturday the 3rd of August. For $10 tickets, RSVP here. $20 without RSVP on the door.