The Search For Te Ika-a-Māui Tour Announced ft. Sunfruits, The Oogars, Joe Ghatt and Michael Llewellyn

Sydney / Wollongong-based imprint Third Eye Stimuli Records are treating Aotearoa gig-goers to a sizzling selection of psych-infused sounds from both sides of the ditch this summer, announcing this morning The Search For Te Ika-a-Māui Tour. Travelling in what we can only presume to be a convey of magic buses across the North Island during the month of January, Australia's Sunfruits and The Oogars will join forces with our very own Joe Ghatt and Michael Llewellyn for a seven date showcase of the Third Eye Stimuli roster (in various configurations) — wrapping up with performances by the Oz contingent at Hawkes Bay's Nest Fest. Find your favourite crystal and get amongst at the following gigs...

The Search for Te Ika-a-Māui New Zealand Tour 2023

Wednesday 4th January - Smash Palace, Gisborne (excluding The Oogars)
Thursday 5th January - Totara Street, Mount Maunganui (excluding The Oogars)
Friday 6th January - Whammy Bar, Auckland
Saturday 7th January - Eggsentric Cafe, Coromandel
Sunday 8th January - The Yard Music Cafe, Raglan
Thursday 12th January - New Plymouth, Eight Ball
Friday 13th January - San Fran, Wellington
Saturday 14th January - Nest Fest, Hawkes Bay (excluding Joe Ghatt & Michael Llewellyn)*

Tickets on sale HERE via UTR
*Nestfest info HERE

Watch Sunfruits' brand new video for 'Believe It All'...

Buzz out to The Oogars' 2021 clip for 'Rapids'...

Experience Joe Ghatt's visuals for 'Mammon', from his 2019 debut album Banana Sludge...

Here's Michael Llewellyn's video for 2021 single 'Time it ain't easy'...

Press release:

Australia's purveyors of weird and wonderful sounds, Third Eye Stimuli Records, in collaboration with BirdsNest Entertainment (responsible for Nest Fest), is proud to bring you The Search for Te Ika-a-Māui — a musical journey through New Zealand’s beautiful north island (Te Ika-a-Māui). The tour features a unique lineup with Australia’s psych-pop and garage rockers, Sunfruits and The Oogars, touring New Zealand for the very first time alongside Auckland’s lofi psych-surf groover, Joe Ghatt and Wellington’s charming indie rocker, Michael Llewellyn.

The four artists will be heading on a 7 date tour across the north island from January 4th, performing under the summer sun in Auckland, Wellington, Gisborne, Tauranga, Coromandel, Raglan and New Plymouth. Rounding out the tour, both Sunfruits and The Oogars will be appearing at Nest Fest on January 14th. The tour brings a special opportunity for locals to see two Australian bands currently exploding in the global psych-garage-rock scene, as well as two of New Zealand’s most exciting artists from the same musical sphere. The tour has been curated by Third Eye Stimuli to help bridge the gap between the two countries and bring like-minded bands and fans together.

Third Eye Stimuli invites you to join them for an unforgettable musical experience for everyone who digs psychedelic rock, fuzzed-out garage, surfy jams, freaky grooves and other genre-bending sounds. The Sydney/Wollongong-based record label is known for exposing some of the freshest Australian rock artists and sharing them with the world, with an eclectic roster including The Uplifting Bell Ends, Sunfruits, The Oogars, Joe Ghatt, The Laurels, Rosa Maria, Luke Spook and Stephen Bailey to name a few.