Primer: Outsider Sounds - Fringe Town 2020

We hit up Outsider Sounds co-curator Matthew Crawley (frontman of Thee Golden Geese) for the exclusive inside word on the (nearly) all-free events programme taking over the upper level of Auckland Town Hall from tonight onwards, as part of Fringe Town 2020. Consider this to be your handy guide to the bountiful feast of performances to check out this week...

Hello! Matthew Crawley here, co-programmer of the Outsider Sounds festival-within-a-festival-within-a-Fringe-Festival. For the second year in a row, I’ve joined forces with the inimitable Bob Frisbee to bring you a week of weird and wonderful music that we think you’ll just lurrrrve. Find us upstairs at the Auckland Town Hall all this week, as part of Auckland Live’s Fringe Town!

Outsider Sounds - Fringe Town 2020, Auckland Town Hall

Tuesday 25th February - Na Noise, The Naenae Express, 8.00pm - 10.00pm (free)
Wednesday 26th February - Phoebe Rings, The Pyramids Were Built From The Top Down, 8.00pm - 10.00pm (free)
Thursday 27th February - Sarah Mary Chadwick, Laura Lush, Jenny + Jade, 7.00pm - 11.00pm (free / Sarah Mary Chadwick is a ticketed event)*
Saturday 29th February - Electric Alchemy, Bill Direen / Ferocious, Jeff Henderson, Ducklingmonster, 12.00pm - 4.00pm
Sunday 1st March - Phil Dadson / Tom Nunn / Paul Winstanley, Gianmarco Liguori / Tom Ludvigson, Sonya Waters, 2.00pm - 5.00pm

Sarah Mary Chadwick tickets available here*
For further details on Outsider Sounds head over here

Tuesday 25th February, 8.00pm to 10.00pm

If you haven’t caught Na Noise live yet, now’s your sweet sweet chance. When we first started dreaming up this programme, this was the first act that sprung to mind as essential on the line-up. Fronted by Yolanda Fagan of Echo Ohs, and Hariet Ellis of Dick Move, this band of my favourite misfits sound like what happens when you go surfing in New York City in 1983, or dance all night in the wild electric swamp... Fuzzed up surf pop wearing sunglasses at night!

Also appearing, the long lost dreamy drone poppers The Naenae Express! Yes!

Wednesday 26th February, 8.00pm to 10.00pm

Headlining the second night of our wonder-fest is the brand new project from the magnificent Crystal Choi, which she's calling Phoebe Rings. It's either the first or one of the first outings for Crystal with this new project, and we're so excited to see what she's come up with! By all accounts it's an off-kilter dream-pop affair, with an incredible quartet of musicians bringing the songs to life!

Opening the evening up is the cosmic jazz outfit The Pyramids Were Built From The Top Down, a must for Sun Ra heads!

Thursday 27th February, 7.00pm to 11.00pm

By now you're probably already locked in to see Sarah Mary Chadwick playing the Town Hall organ at 8pm this Thursday, right? But did you know that at 7pm we've got the excellent Jenny & Jade playing on our little Outsider Sounds stage as a kind of elsewhere-opening-act? Jenny Lange and Jade Farley (Pumice / The Gladeyes) join forces to dish out harmonies and hymns aplenty, so make sure you arrive early enough to catch them too! Then... stick around afterwards for the mystical magic of Laura Lush, showcasing her custom-built P.A. system! Amazing!!!!!

Saturday 29th February, 12.00pm to 4.00pm

Holy smokes, what a lineup! Get there in time for a midday set from the one and only Ducklingmonster! And then stick around for Jeff Henderson parping on his CHARMING CLARINET! And then, holy smokes, and then... the one and only BILL DIREEN! And his two and only other band mates, making up the wild trio FEROCIOUS! We couldn't be more honoured and excited to bring you this wordmaster and his merry men! Stick around afterwards for a sonic blast of spoken word vinyl and wobbly wailing guitar too, courtesy of Electric Alchemy [check out Sam Longmore's in-depth interview with Direen right here too - Ed]!

Sunday 1st March, 2.00pm to 5.00pm

I'm struggling to pick a favourite for our closing day! Sonya Waters is opening the proceedings at 2pm with her brand new ambient synth project... a far cry from her days as an Instigator, and somewhat more calm than Avoid!Avoid's kraut-rock noise! Following that we have an improv duo in Sarang Bang Records boss Gianmarco Liguori and the legendary Tom Ludvigson. We can't wait! Then, to top off the festival, we're trying something truly outrageous... From Scratch's own Phil Dadson is playing live with Tom Nunn and Paul Winstanley. The only catch? Tom and Paul are in San Francisco... It's improv via internet!