Anberlin, the Florida alt‑rock outfit whose catalogue swings between emo confessionals, widescreen anthems, and polished melodic rock, returned to Auckland after a long absence for a bustling tightly packed show, the kind where crowd energy becomes part of the performance.
Fat Wreck Chords stalwarts Lagwagon rolled into Auckland last night on their Hoss 30th Anniversary Tour, delivering a blistering set that proved the band still burns.
Violet Hirst’s Sunday night performance at the Auckland Old Folks Association affirmed her standing as one of Aotearoa’s most quietly distinctive contemporary songwriters.
Even before a single note was played at Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre there was kind of anticipatory hush . The kind of collective stillness that signals not excitement so much as readiness.
Wheatus, the long-running New York alt-rock oddballs best known for the inescapable Teenage Dirtbag and their delight in never playing the same set twice in a row, rolled into Auckland last night with a show that felt equal parts power-pop time capsule, fan-service jukebox, and communal therapy session.
Auckland leaped willingly into the flames last night as The Last Dinner Party transformed Spark Arena into a feverish dream theatre. The London five‑piece are heralded as baroque‑pop revolutionaries, but live, their show is a collision of gothic pageantry, choral intensity, ornate sound layers and unashamed emotion.
There’s a particular eccentric electricity that East Midland’s Sleaford Mods generate-the feeling that someone has kicked open a door to modern working class reality and is narrating the mess from a position close to, but not right in, the action.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds return with Live God, an album that captures the communal energy of the acclaimed Wild God Tour.
Portland’s Stetson wearing, hardworking, road warriors Jenny Don’t & The Spurs are currently touring New Zealand, bringing their honky-tonk heart and cowpunk energy to intimate venues across the country.
With three top notch bands on the bill, Whammy Bar was buzzing tonight long before Toody Cole took the stage.
