Photo: Supplied
After a quiet few years with no live shows, and some notable weather-related cancellations, it's starting to feel like Aotearoa's music scene is back in fighting form.
The Weeknd is doing back-to-back stadium concerts, Simple Minds are heading over next year and Laneway tickets have gone on sale. Music fans are once again spoiled for choice, so to help you decide what's worth your dollars, we asked some RNZ music enthusiasts what they were most looking forward to this spring.
Kevin Morby, Meow, Wellington, Thursday 28 September: I'm really interested in the way he bends popular folkloric storytelling, stirring together different styles and personal images with such alive musicality - Mark Amery, Culture 101 co-host.
Dick Move, Whammy Bar, Auckland, Friday 6 October: This is gonna be mean. Melanie are also performing, and I love those guys. Will I be marginally older than everyone there? Maybe. But will I still have fun? Definitely. We're so lucky we have fun gigs for punks at our fingertips. - Evie Orpe, TAHI presenter.
Yurt Party are playing a range of dates and locations around Te Waipounamu in spring. Photo: Adam McK
Yurt Party, The Loons, Christchurch, Friday 6 October (and other dates around Te Waipounamu): After having been at the seminal party in a yurt from which Yurt Party drew inspiration for their name, I have enjoyed many of their legendary shows; from their first appearances in 2017 (including in my own packed lounge for my 30th birthday) to seeing them playing in 2023 as a seven-piece, through the dust and heat of the heaving summer festival crowds at summer's apogee. I cannot recommend highly enough the life-affirming experience of seeing this band. - Alex Harmer, RNZ studio operator, Christchurch
Homebrew Crew, San Fran, Wellington, Monday 23 October: I'm itching to see the hip-hop crew Homebrew back in Wellington again. I was lucky enough to see Tom Scott, Lui Silk and Haz Beats perform on stage when I first moved to the city. After a lengthy hiatus, many fans are feeling nostalgic. Homebrew were so good at holding up a mirror to Aotearoa. I remember the hunger of other young people to hear their unabashed honesty. Sometimes even listening felt like an act of rebellion. At the height of their popularity, it felt like their music followed you around every corner of Wellington. The Home Brew crew love a hot political take, so I'm curious to hear how the results of the election will infiltrate their on-stage commentary. - Maggie Tweedie, RNZ Music.
The Nomad (aka Daimon Schwalger) plays in Lyttelton on 10 November. Photo: Supplied
The Nomad, The Loons, Lyttleton, Friday 10 November: Daimon Schwalger's The Nomad (last caught hustling as a multimedia whiz on the West Coast) is one of those local producers who paved the way in the late-'90s/early-aughts, a space shared with dubbed-out collectives Salmonella Dub, Pitch Black and other beatsmiths who were reacting to soundsystem culture. Celebrating a double vinyl retrospective release, capping 25 years and featuring some of his best tunes, Schwalger will get behind the boards out in Lyttelton. Adding to a prevailing sense of nostalgia, several local veterans of Te Waipounamu's bubbling scene of yesteryear, MC Antsman (Pacific Underground, Rhombus), Lotus and Camo MC will join him on the mic, with Rachael Travaille on live sax. - Adam Burns, RNZ Christchurch reporter, music reviewer for Afternoons.
Robbie Williams is playing at Mission Estate's 30th anniversary concert on 11 November. Photo: Supplied / Farrel Music / Leo Baron
Robbie Williams, Mission Estate, Napier, Sunday 11 November: The Mission concert is turning 30, and what better way to celebrate than with British pop star Robbie Williams? While it's a centrepiece in the Hawke's Bay events calendar (previous acts have included Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton and Sting), this year's one is my first rodeo. I'm heading along with my mum - we have such great memories tied to Williams' 2001 Swing When You're Winning cover album. It featured regularly on long road trips when I was a kid (one of the few my brothers and I could agree on) and remains a mainstay on our family playlist. - Lauren Crimp - RNZ Hawke's Bay reporter
Kristin Hersh is touring Aotearoa in November. Photo: Pete Mellekas
Kristin Hersh, Meow, Wellington, Thursday 16 November: The frontwoman for New England alternative rock band Throwing Muses returns to Aotearoa in November for a solo tour, including a stop-off at Meow in Wellington. Hersh has been making music since 1981, both solo and with her band, and her work ranges from wall-of-noise guitar screech, to soft, reverberant, acoustic folk. Possessing a unique voice (both physically and metaphorically), Hersh is an inimitable songwriter and musician with an incredibly rich catalogue to draw from. Don't miss out on seeing a pioneer of indie-rock perform in an intimate venue. - Elliott Childs, RNZ Music.
Kelly Rowland @ Fridayz Live, Spark Arena, Auckland, Thursday 16 November: I put myself on a gig spending lockdown after getting carried away last summer, and I've been trying to make sure any discretionary concert spending goes on local acts. Then I saw that Kelly Rowland is coming to Aotearoa. Sure there are other acts like Boyz II Men, Flo Rida and Jojo, but for me it's all about the artist formerly known as part of Destiny's Child. She's an icon and I have to be there to see her live. - Josie Campbell - RNZ publicity manager.
Larry June, The Studio, Auckland, Tuesday 21 November: Larry June is an artist who oozes vibes and has such a mellow yet confident delivery. Whereas many others on the scene may choose to brag about fast cars, jewellery and women, Larry June chooses a different route. His braggadocious lyricism focuses on his organic lifestyle of fresh sea moss juices, drives to the beach and his decision to live low-key and out of the way. I'm excited to see what he can provide for a live experience considering he has such a subdued delivery on records, also whether or not he will wear an Auckland Blues jersey. - So'omalo Iteni Schwalger, TAHI presenter.
The Others Way, Karangahape Rd, Auckland, Friday 1 December: I'm SO excited about this - without a doubt one of my favourite local music festivals. K Rd becomes electric with music lovers racing around to see their new favourite band - or their longtime favourite band who has not played in years. The line up always has so many bands and musicians I want to see, I have learnt over the years to keep my schedule loose over the night to discover new ones. - Charlotte Ryan - Music 101 host
Mā performing live Photo: Fire Fire
MĀ @ The Others Way, Karangahape Rd, Auckland, Friday 1 December: MĀ's 2021 album Breakfast With Hades is infuriatingly good. It's the only publicly listed full-length record from the musician, and it's fantastic: rich, layered, groovy. The tracks glitter with birdsong, curious percussion, and MĀ's warm vocals. Two years later, and not a dint on its freshness. MĀ is Pōneke-based and gigs only occasionally, so her appearance at The Others Way festival may be the only chance for Aucklanders for the rest of the year. MĀ, alone, may just be worth the price of admission. - Bonnie Harrison - The Detail producer.
Alex G, The Powerstation, Auckland, Tuesday 12 December: I was extremely late to this particular party, so I missed Alex G's performance at Laneway in 2018. His last album God Save the Animals completely floored me; gorgeous, occasionally provocative and always forward-thinking, it's staggeringly good. If, like me, that was your entry point, the good news is he has eight prior LPs to dig into before his NZ shows in December. - Tony Stamp, RNZ Music
