Hozier – Vector Arena November 5, 2015
The Irish musical phenomenon known as Hozier rolled into town to play one sold-out show at the Vector Arena. It’s been little over a year since Andrew Hozier-Byrne released his debut album, but already he is able to draw huge crowd thanks to the success of his hit, Take Me To Church. The question […]
Death Cab For Cutie: Staying In Shape For The Road (Interview)
Death Cab For Cutie will be making their way to New Zealand in February for their second show in Wellington and first-ever show in Auckland. The band has gone through a few changes since they were last here, losing founding guitarist Chris Walla and releasing their 8th album Kintsugi.
Robbie Williams – Vector Arena: November 3, 2015
This is Robbie Williams’ “Let Me Entertain You” tour. And after sitting (and standing) through his nearly two hour show at Auckland’s Vector Arena, no matter what you think of his music or his persona, one thing is certain, the man delivered on his promise. I would venture to say that every one of the […]
The Broken Heartbreakers – Tuning Fork October 31, 2015
The Broken Heartbreakers played a warm, heartfelt set of tuneful songs, spaciously presented with subtlety and skill. The lush harmonies of Rachel Bailey and John Guy Howell were impressive, and the guitar work of the pair also very tasteful and melodic. This band has been together since 2002, and I saw them in a late […]
EL VY: The Value Of The Unpredictable (Interview)
EL VY is the collaboration between The National front man Matt Berninger and multi-instrumentalist Brent Knopf, currently a member of Ramona Falls and formerly of Menomena. Although The National has kept Matt pretty busy of late, he still found time to write and record a full album with Brent. Calling themselves El VY (pronounced like […]
Win Robbie Williams Tickets!
Congratulations to Tony Kemp and Kevin Palmer who have won the tickets to see Robbie Williams! Robbie Williams brings his “Let Me Entertain You” tour to NZ this week with a show at Wellington’s Basin Reserve on Saturday, Oct 31 and Auckland’s Vector Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 3rd. The 13th Floor has one double general […]
Win Tickets To See Mel Parsons at The Crystal Palace
Kiwi singer-songwriter Mel Parsons kicks off her 5-date mini-tour this Saturday night in Auckland at the Crystal Palace in Mt Eden. Not only is Mel touring with a full band, but also with Julia Deans, who will be featuring songs from her soon-to-be-released new album. As a special Halloween (trick or) treat, another very talented […]
Mel Parsons Returns To The 13th Floor
With just a few days until she embarks on a five-date nationwide tour, Mel Parsons stopped by the 13th Floor studios to talk about touring with Julia Deans and their show at Auckland’s Crystal Palace this Saturday (Halloween) with special guest Anika Moa. Fortunately Mel brought her guitar along and you can also watch her […]
Hopetoun Brown – Auckland Village Music October 30, 2015
Hopetoun Brown is the horn-blowing offshoot of Supergroove featuring Nick Atkinson and Tim Stewart. After playing up and down the country for the last year or so, the act has just released its debut album, Burning Fuse. Nick and Tim celebrated the release of their new long player with the first show of a nationwide […]
Fat Freddy’s Drop Album Release Party
The first perfect summer day – sitting outside with an ice beer, barbecue sizzling, chilling to some great new tunes. Fat Freddy’s Drop celebrated the release of their 4th album, Bays, with the release of their own… beer? That’s right – and a good drop it was, sitting in the back garden of Ponsonby’s Kuki’s […]
Laura Marling – The Powerstation
When Laura Marling first performed in Auckland, as part of the January 2012 Laneway Festival, she looked and sounded like a classic English folk singer, dressed in jeans and a red jumper, strumming an acoustic guitar sporting long blonde hair and backed by a band featuring banjo, mandolin and cello. For her first “proper” Auckland […]
Dawes – Tuning Fork: October 22, 2015 (13th Floor Concert Review)
In a different time and a different place Dawes would have been an arena-filling act with their songs saturating FM radio stations alongside the likes of Springsteen, Browne, Young and Clapton. But pop music is a fickle and impatient beast, and here in Auckland in 2015, Dawes are about the best bar band you’re gonna […]
Winners To See The Walk
Congratulations to our 10 winners who have snagged double passes to see The Walk, and thanks to all who entered our contest. The answer to the question, “What is the title of the 2008 documentary film that also featured Philippe Petit’s famous walk as its subject matter?” is: Man On Wire. Our winners are: Ed […]
Concert Review: Joan Baez – Aotea Centre, 20 October 2015
Another day, another 74-year old “legacy” artist is in Auckland to perform. This time it’s Joan Baez, who like Neil Diamond, who is also in town, has a wealth of material to draw from. Her performance at the Aotea Centre was a showcase for some of the finest songs ever written.
Neil Diamond – Vector Arena 19 October 2015
It was business as usual for Neil Diamond last night at Auckland’s Vector Arena, and that business is playing hits…lots and lots of them. With fifty years of chartbusters to draw from, Diamond had his fans singing and clapping along for well over two hours.
Dawes: Want To Be Your Favourite Band (Interview)
LA-based band Dawes will be performing at Auckland’s Tuning Fork this Thursday evening as part of their Americana Fest. The band released their fourth album, All Your Favorite Bands, earlier this year and have just produced a video of the title track featuring many of their fellow artist, friends and musicians including Conor Oberst and […]
Jamestown Revival – Tuning Fork October 18, 2015
I was expecting to see a couple of guys with acoustic guitars harmonizing about idyllic life in the mountains…sort of John Denver x 2. Instead Jamestown Revival showed up as a five-piece rockin’ band ready to show off their arsenal of Texas roadhouse tunes and, yes, some fine harmonies. This show is part of the […]
The Fall – The Powerstation (Concert Review)
They say you need to see The Fall at least once before you die. Well, I can tick that one off my bucket list. Was it worth it? Not really. Mark E Smith and his ever-changing crew may have been relevant at some point in their 30 + year career, but for this neophyte, I’m […]
Kiss – Vector Arena October 16, 2015
My how times change. Back in the mid-70s, when Kiss first emerged out of the rapidly-deteriorating New York City landscape, they represented, to certain factions, all that endangered good, upstanding family values. Now, 40 years later, that same band provides a night’s entertainment for not only rebellious teenagers, but mothers, fathers, toddlers and grandparents…its fun […]
Avalanche City – Mercury Theatre (Concert Review)
The billing of last night’s Avalanche City show wasn’t entirely fair. My ticket said “Avalanche City with Benny Tipene,” but asThe 13th Floor arrived at Auckland’s Mercury Theatre — the show had originally been booked for one of the Town Hall’s smaller chambers, but ticket sales had impressed the promoters so much that they moved […]