Québec Music Fans Enjoy Neil Finn’s Summer Set
Neil Finn performed at the recent Festival d’été de Québec (FEQ) playing a mixture of Split Enz and Crowded House favourites, as well as some of his own tracks, “in smooth style” according to…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Getting to Know Thomston
Auckland-based musician Thomas Stoneman, aka Thomston, 20, is gearing up to release his highly anticipated debut album, which is “shaping up to be a really interesting, emotive release”, according to Australian entertainment site Howls…
How Flight of the Conchords Outlasted the Hipster
“Despite breaking out at a specific cultural moment – an era during which America, at any rate, was seething with ironic hauteur and fetishised authenticity – penchant for loving…
Te Reo Hit Topples Justin Timberlake
Pop tune Maimoatia, sung entirely in Te reo and released for Maori Language Week, shot straight to the top of the iTunes chart in New Zealand, knocking Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop the Feeling from…
Yumi Zouma on Album Release Tour in US
New Zealand band, Yumi Zouma, performed recently in McAllen, Texas as part of a US tour promoting their latest album Yoncalla. “Even though it’s our third release, this is the first full-length release we’ve done,…
Broods “I Think We’ve Become More Determined”
New Zealand duo Georgia and Caleb Nott, known as Broods, are back with “a more defiant record Conscious”, which is “concise, somewhat introverted and, thematically, very closely interlinked,” writes Alim Kheraj in an article…
Conchords Kick Off US Tour on High Note
Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie have begun their highly anticipated Flight of the Conchords Sing Flight of the Conchords Tour in the United States with a sold-out gig in Cleveland. “The duo kicked off their…
Ladyhawke Back with Vibrantly Glam Wild Things
“In 2016, when pop has never sounded moodier or more austere, Ladyhawke an unabashed explosion of colour and…
SLSO Appoints Gemma New As Resident Conductor
“The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra has announced the appointment of resident conductor Gemma New, originally of New Zealand,” as reported in an article on St. Louis Post-Dispatch. New stands “out as a musician…
Connan Mockasin Joins Big Lineup at Meltdown
New Zealand musician Connan Mockasin joins Elbow frontman Guy Garvey’s Meltdown festival – in a lineup which includes Femi Kuti, Laura Marling and Howe Gelb – playing at the Royal Festival Hall on 15…
Marlon Williams: Americana Doesn’t Belong Just to America
“If you don’t know you’re listening to a 25-year-old New Zealander, you might think you’re listening to an old recording of a crooner from the American Midwest,” writes Kierran Petersen for PRI. “The…
Singer Tiny Ruins Earning Noted Admirers
Since alternative-folk singer-songwriter Hollie Fullbrook’s debut as Tiny Ruins in 2010 with the Little Notes EP, the Aucklander has forged both an identifiable sound and a career built on faithful and growing followings in…
From Koi Boys to Rat Pack
“Practising their Rat Pack posing, as well as their swingin’ harmonies is all part of the preparation for The Voice favourites the Koi Boys” – New Zealand-born trio Kevin Keepa, Danny Faifai and Nuz…
Ten Things You Never Knew About Ladyhawke
Synth-pop singer Pip Brown, aka New Zealand-born Ladyhawke, tells Spin magazine about her love of sci-fi, UFOs, and Disneyland. Turns out Brown – who will release her third record, Wild Things, on 3 June has…
Moody Electropoppers Broods Virtually Famous
As Broods, brother and sister Caleb and Georgia Nott were initially known for who they know, now they’re stepping out on their own with their music, London’s Evening Standard reports. “They share a producer, Joel…
Bianca Andrew Wins London Song Prize
Wellington-born mezzo-soprano Bianca Andrew, 26, has won the Ferrier Loveday Song Prize for her performance of Hugo Alfvén’s “Skogen sover” and Hugo Wolf’s “Nimmersatte Liebe”. According to the Independent’s Michael Church, who attended the…
Violinist Amalia Hall Wins Young Artists Comp
Auckland violinist Amalia Hall, 27, has won the Tunbridge Wells International Young Concert Artists Competition, taking both the string section and the overall award. Hall received cash prizes of £2500, and concert opportunities with the…
John Metcalfe Assembles Talent for Live Shows
Visionary composer, producer, violist, guitarist and arranger New Zealand-born John Metcalfe will perform a series of live shows, coming to Stroud’s SVA in Gloucestershire on 21 May. For these shows Metcalfe has assembled an incredible…
Keeping up with Broods
Life is moving fast for Nelson sibling duo Broods, Georgia, 21, and Caleb Nott, 23, whose popularity seems to be gaining momentum daily. Recently, they’ve been selling out headlining tours and sharing stages with…
Annea Lockwood River Installation Flows to Glasgow
New Zealander Annea Lockwood, who grew up with nature thanks to her father’s love of mountaineering, brings her aural installation Sound Map of the Housatonic River to Glasgow on 7 May, reports UK arts…
Nicholas Afoa Joins Lion King in West End
Aucklander Nicholas Afoa will join the cast of the West End Lion King production in the role of “Simba” from 10 May at the Lyceum Theatre in London. Afoa made his stage debut as Simba…
Iron Maiden Release All Blacks T-Shirt For NZ
Iron Maiden have released a special edition All Blacks t-shirt as a tribute to their Rugby World Cup victory. Fans will be able to purchase the shirt during the band’s tour in New Zealand. “The…
Lorde Magnetic with Disclosure at Coachella
Lorde surprised festival-goers as she joined English group Disclosure on stage on Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California performing the hit Magnets, the most successful song from Disclosure’s album Caracal in Australia…
8 Incredible NZ Artists
When “Lorde and her minimalist pop masterpiece ‘Royals’ gradually conquered the world in 2013, fans and critics alike in the US and Europe – and to a lesser extent in Australia – declared it…
1080p Founder Richard MacFarlane Taped
Founder of Vancouver-based cassette label 1080p, New Zealander Richard MacFarlane is making a name for himself for a brand, which “uniquely inspires producers while consuming the attention spans of aesthete trend-seekers in electronic music,”…
Peter Bruntnell an Alt-Country Genius
Album after album, the Kingston upon Thames solo artist, Wellington-born Peter Bruntnell produces rich and refined song-craft, yet hardly anyone has heard of him. Could this be his time? The Guardian’s Angus Batey considers…
David Bowie Saw Lorde As ‘the Future of Music’
David Bowie believed the young New Zealand singer Lorde was “the future of music”. “David really liked Lorde. They had a few wonderful moments together,” said Mike Garson, Bowie’s longtime pianist. Lorde was chosen to perform…
Introducing Bollywood-Potential Shirley Setia
Shirley Setia, a 22-year old Aucklander whose family hails from India, has attracted a large Indian and international following singing cover versions of Bollywood hits, Forbes contributor Rob Cain reports. The diminutive mezzo-soprano, who calls…
Ladyhawke Is Back with Wild New Album
Pip Brown, better known as Ladyhawke, ARIA-winning maker of synth-pop hits such as Paris is Burning and My Delirium, is back with a new album. Wild Things was created in Los Angeles and is…
A Gemma New Deal Might Be Hard to Pass Up
“The orchestra scene in Southern California is keen for refreshment,” according to classical music critic Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times, who reviews the 29-year-old New Zealand conductor Gemma News’ recent “speed date”…
Flight of the Conchords Announce US Tour
The Flight of the Conchords return to stages in the United States playing at nearly 30 locations across the country in June and July, the first time the duo has toured since co-headlining 2013’s…
Ulster Orchestra Welcomes New MD Richard Wigley
Former artistic manager at the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra and BBC Philharmonic boss, New Zealander Richard Wigley, 55, is the new managing director of the Ulster Orchestra. Wigley talks about “channelling the energy” of the orchestra…
Lorde Delivers Powerful Tribute to David Bowie
Lorde’s tribute to her hero David Bowie at this year’s BRIT Awards has been called “dignified”, “powerful” and “heartbreaking”. Singing Life on Mars with Bowie’s own backing band, Lorde’s was an “acid, disaffected take…
Meeting Marlon Williams
“It seems as though Marlon Williams is a storyteller, first and foremost. There’s a character who lives within the fluidity of each song he sings, driven by every cord he strums,” writes Daniel Harris…
Standing Ovation for Gemma New in Ontario
Conductor Gemma New made her long-awaited mainstage debut in Ontario as the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra’s new music director, receiving a standing ovation from a huge crowd. Classical music writer for the Hamilton Spectator Leonard Turnevicius…
Gin Wigmore Making Music at Home in California
“There are singers, and there’s Gin Wigmore,” according to Billboard. “The New Zealand-born, Los Angeles-based artist’s raw, bluesy voice is so distinctive, some pundits are convinced it’s only a matter of time before the…
Guardian Rates Uplifting Marlon Williams Debut
Marlon Williams’ self-titled debut album is described as “delicious, oddly uplifting misery”, in a review written by Michael Hann for the Guardian. “It’s hard to work out quite how the album from the young New…
Marlon Williams Brings Honey Back to the Bees
“If there’s anyone who proves that singer-songwriters don’t need a Nashville or Memphis address to make authentic, arresting country music, it’s 25-year-old crooner Marlon Williams,” Village Voice music editor Lindsey Rhoades says. “Growing…
Ukulele Orchestra Strums up Fans in US
Andy Morley-Hall is a member of the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra, an eight-piece band that combines high-energy ukulele covers of classic pop and rock songs by the likes of Blondie, Cyndi Lauper and Salt-N-Pepa…
Marlon Williams takes on North America
In July 2015, Marlon Williams made his Vancouver Folk Music Festival debut stunning the crowd. The 25-year-old New Zealander is a revelation, according to the Vancouver Sun. Williams’ voice is riveting, a cross between…
David Bowie Changed Geeling Ching’s Life
In 1983, Aucklander Geeling Ching was 23 years old and waiting tables at a Sydney café when she was chosen to play the lead role in David Bowie’s “China Girl,” Associated Press…
Everyone’s Listening to Nadia Reid’s Debut
Singer Nadia Reid’s highly rated debut,Listen to Formation, Look for the Signs is included in the Guardian’s annual roundup of “The Albums We Missed” column. Reviewer Michael Hann says: “It took 24-year-old New Zealander Reid seven…
Marlon Williams Debut a Rolling Stone Favourite
Marlon Williams’ solo debut was one of the albums that defined the year, according to Rolling Stone Australia, which includes the self-titled debut in their 50 Best Albums of the Year list. Rolling Stone writes: “The…
Kiwi Band ‘No Tag’ Reissue Classic 1982 Album ‘Oi, Oi, Oi’
Thirty years after its initial release, No Tag’s album ‘Oi, Oi, Oi’ – three tracks of burly and meaty street punk, has been re-issued by New York City label Radio Raheem. “Guitarist Andrew Boak, singer…
Ed Sheeran Pays Touching Tribute to Jonah Lomu
“Ed Sheeran has paid a touching tribute to All Blacks great Jonah Lomu by taking to the stage at his concert wearing the late rugby legend’s number 11 jersey”, writes Jenny Awford for
John Metcalfe Blends Influences on Sycamore
One-time member of post-punk band the Durutti Column, composer, arranger and viola player New Zealand-born John Metcalfe has written “Sycamore,” which draws on the disparate influences of minimalist composer Steve Reich and the electronic…
Compliments on Nadia Reid’s Extraordinary Debut
New Zealand singer-songwriter Nadia Reid’s Look for the Signs is an “extraordinarily assured debut”, Guardian reviewer Kitty Empire writes. The track Call the Days “suggests an Antipodean Laura Marling, a talented 24-year-old with a preternatural…
NZ Dancers and Choreographer Open AMAs With Jennifer Lopez
“Jennifer Lopez has blown away music fans and fellow performers with a show-stopping dance medley at the American Music Awards – and a Kiwi is getting the credit,” as reported in an article on the…
Fat Freddy’s Drop Go Techno on New Album
“Cult” New Zealand neo-dub outfit Fat Freddy’s Drop have released their fourth studio album, Bays, and according to News.com.au reviewer Cyclone Wehner, it is “more of an underground Berlin than Detroit vibe.” The septet, who…
Lorde Joins Disclosure For Saturday Night Live Performance
Together with Disclosure, Sam Smith and Lorde turned the Saturday Night Live studio “into an electric, colorful stage” when performing tracks off Disclosure’s latest album Caracal during last night’s episode hosted by Elizabeth Banks. Sam Smith…
The Chills Return with Melodic Gifts Intact
“It’s taken 19 years for Martin Phillipps to get round to releasing the fifth Chills album (and the previous four took 16 years to make), but his manifold troubles in the years since Sunburnt haven’t diminished his melodic…
Marlon Williams Earns ARIA Nomination
Marlon Williams is not the first New Zealander Australia has adopted and he won’t be the last, according to Simon Collins reporting for the West Australian. The charismatic 24-year-old country, blues and soul singer’s self-titled…
Farmer Plays Lorde’s Royals till the Cows Come Home
An American farmer and YouTube sensation plays a mesmerising video version of Lorde’s 2013 smash hit single “Royals” on his trombone whilst sitting in a deckchair overlooking a vast pasture. Soon, a herd of…
Fis Mixes an Eclectic Set for FACT Mag
New Zealand producer Olly Peryman aka Fis features in UK-based online music blog FACT Magazine’s regular “Mixes” category with one of the year’s weirdest picks, according to the site. “With his early releases on Samurai and…
Lorde’s Little Sister India Has Dreams of Her Own
In the past couple of years, India Yelich-O’Connor went to both her high school ball in Devonport and the 2014 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles – not the average itinerary for a 16-year-old, but…
The Chills Release First New Album in 19 Years
The Chills spearheaded by Martin Phillipps will release their first full length album – Silver Bullets, in 19 years on October 30. A full band tour is planned for 2016 and Martin Phillipps reportedly…
