Featured Music Stories
New, loud band Elliot & Vincent drop in ahead of Laneway
The two piece rock ’n’ roll band have been turning heads with their ability to create a huge primal sound with just drums, guitar and a microphone. Audio
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The Mixtape: DJ, engineer and promoter Leesa Tilley
1 Feb 2025Leesa Tilley is a musical polymath who launched and managed the first four years of the Ragamuffin Music Festival as a promoter. Over the years, she has organized and presented numerous events, worked as an audio engineer and with iconic artists such as Fleetwood Mac, The Who, Bryan Ferry, Joan Armatrading, David Byrne, Crosby Stills & Nash, Jackson Brown, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, The Beach Boys, Backstreet Boys, Slash, and Whitney Houston, to name just a few. Video, Audio
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Inside Out: Callum Allardice's Elementa
1 Feb 2025Multi-award winning NZ guitarist Callum Allardice's new album 'Elementa' is a combination of his signature cinematic soundscapes, and a small-group intimacy. Audio
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What happened when The Rolling Stones went to Invercargill?
1 Feb 2025This weekend marks 60 years since The Rolling Stones toured New Zealand. Dave Hogan was there to meet them at Invercargill airport in his school uniform. Audio
RNZ Concert
RNZ Concert is New Zealand’s fine music network. Concert promotes New Zealand music and composition and features live broadcasts of concerts and recitals, as well as international content from other public radio broadcasters, podcasts, and on-demand programmes.
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Southern Stars: The 2022 New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir tour concert
31 Jan 2025Listen to some stellar singing from the 2022 Choir, recorded by RNZ at St Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Ōtautahi/Christchurch as part of their South Island ‘Southern Stars’ tour. Audio
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Writing for children is never child's play
31 Jan 2025As SOUNZ seeks submissions from composers for this year's work for Orchestra Wellington and the children's ensemble Arohanui Strings, we speak to the man who wrote last year's composition: South African-born Keith Moss. Audio
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Hymns on Sunday, 2 February 2025
2 Feb 2025This week’s listener requests include a Brendan Taaffe’s contemporary folk hymn To the hills, a harvest anthem by English composer John Rutter, and Isaac Watt’s well-loved hymn When I survey the wondrous cross. Audio
Featured Music Programmes
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Worlds of Music 26 January, 2025
26 Jan 2025Music from the world, for the world, with Driss El Maloumi, The Bongo Hop, Bela Fleck, and indigenous soul from Moana & The Tribe. Audio
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Worlds of Music 15 December, 2024
15 Dec 2024Music from the world, for the world, with Lila Downs, Bessie Smith, Driss El Maloumi, and English singer-songwriter, author and political activist, Billy Bragg.
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Worlds of Music 8 December, 2024
8 Dec 2024Music from the world, for the world, featuring MOMO, Karim Baggili, The Bongo Hop, and South African choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Audio
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Worlds of Music 1 December, 2024
1 Dec 2024Music from the world, for the world, with Rajery, St Germain, Barbara Dane, and Banjo master Béla Fleck. Audio
Recent Music Stories
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Adam Chamber Music Festival 2024 - The End of Time ... and Beyond
4 Feb 2025Two works from the 21st Century and one of the 20th's most transcendent, Olivier Messian's Quartet for the End of Time. Audio
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Music feature: Immigrant Songs
4 Feb 2025Today we're doing something a bit different for our weekly music feature. If once aspect of New Zealand culture has surprised Afternoons producer and British export Tom Riste-Smith, it's the treasure… Audio
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Alayna & Grammy's Recap
Another Tuesday, Another Episode! So'omalo sits down with alayna to talk about her first single in over a year, Janay discovers she has gone viral on TikTok, and Harry comes to grips with the Luka… Audio
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Grammy Awards 2025 dominated by women
It's one of music's biggest nights of the year - with this year's Grammy's largely dominated by women. RNZ's Tahi presenter Janay Harding spoke to Charlotte Cook. Audio
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Beyonce competes for the big prize - again - at Grammys
The superstar has never won the album of the year award despite winning 32 career Grammys - more than any other musician.
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The day The Rolling Stones invaded Invercargill
2 Feb 2025This weekend marks 60 years since The Rolling Stones toured New Zealand in 1965. Dave Hogan tells Music 101 about meeting them at the airport, their Invercargill concert, and the lasting effects of… Audio
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Bad Bunny has a lot to say (about more than Kendall Jenner)
2 Feb 2025Opinion - Latin superstar Bad Bunny's new album is a love letter to Puerto Rico - not what you'd expect from a gargantuan pop release.
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Worlds of Music 2 February 2025
2 Feb 2025Music from the world, for the world, hosted by Trevor Reekie. Audio
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The Bob Dylan lyric that became a set design mantra on A Complete Unknown
In 'Like A Rolling Stone', Bob Dylan urgently repeats the line "How does it feel?" That question gets to the heart of set design, François Audouy tells RNZ's Culture 101. Video, Audio
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The Bad Fire by Mogwai
2 Feb 2025The always consistent Scottish post-rockers deliver another solid collection. Audio
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DtMF by Bad Bunny
2 Feb 2025The Latin superstar's latest is an album-length love letter to Puerto Rico. Audio
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Boundary-breaking composer and musician Briar Prastiti
2 Feb 2025Among the pieces of music composed by Briar Prastiti for beloved novelist Jenny Pattrick's debut play Hope, which has just opened at Wellington's Circa Theatre, is a track called Dystonia. It's played… Audio
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Jan Gradvall: The Book of ABBA
Renowned music journalist Jan Gradvall gained unparalleled access to ABBA after doing a story for a Swedish newspaper in 2013 and subsequently gaining the group's trust. Audio
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Alien Weaponry: 'We're all kind of nerdy and geeky'
1 Feb 2025Brothers Henry and Lewis de Jong were just kids when they formed the metal band with their childhood friend Tūranga Edmonds. An intimate new documentary gets inside their world. Video, Audio
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Nashville Babylon: 1 February 2025
1 Feb 2025On this week's show there's classic blues from Jimmy Reed, Etta James covers Bob Dylan, a preview of M Ward's forthcoming tour dates plus a birthday tune for Graham Nash. Audio
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Can You Dig It
1 Feb 2025Flutist Herbie Mann gets funky, Thabani Gapara plays the music of Louis Mhlanga, Mike Nock teams up with NZTrio, and Lisa Tomlins recalls Pixie Williams. Audio
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Humanhood by The Weather Station
1 Feb 2025The music on Tamara Lindeman's latest is as tangled and windswept as her inner monologue, but it's always beautiful. Audio
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Alien Weaponry on new doco and taking te reo to the biggest metal festivals
A new documentary about maori metal band Alien Weaponry will be released in cinemas this Waitangi Day. Alien Weaponry: Kua Tupu Te Ara follows brothers Henry and Lewis Te Reiwhati de Jong as teens… Video, Audio
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Review: Bryan Adams makes us so happy it hurts
1 Feb 2025Everything about the veteran rocker's Christchurch show was unexpectedly wild, Dan Buchanan writes.
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Bella Kalolo – Playing Favourites
Force of nature, Bella Kalolo, recently won TV Personality of the Year at the NZ TV Awards. She's also an accomplished vocalist. She joins Mihi and Susie to play some favourites. Video, Audio
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FireAid LA benefit includes everyone from Katy Perry to Green Day
When the first song of the night features record-smashing pop icon Billie Eilish out the front of pop-punk royalty Green Day, you know you're in for something special.
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FireAid benefit concerts rock out in support of LA
The star-studded gigs included surprise appearances from a raft of celebrities, including St. Vincent and Dr. Dre.
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Out Lately with Finn Johansson
He's back, and no doubt ready to inform, educate and entertain us with an array of eclectic music. Audio
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The LA fires benefit has one of the biggest music line-ups you'll ever see
A cavalcade of enormous rock and pop stars, old and new, will perform at a benefit concert in Los Angeles, and streamed around the world.
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