New Zealand Music Features

When the first Covid-19 shutdown took place in 2020, it threatened to wreak havoc across the local music scene with shows cancelled and venues struggling to survive. However now that a year has passed, local acts seem to be doing larger shows than ever and breaking records for radio airplay. Gareth Shute talks to some of those in the industry to weigh up the positives and negative from a disruptive year.

Verb Wellington Director, Claire Mabey, didn’t set out to write a series of close readings of Aldous Harding lyrics. She just wanted to think about them in a forensic way for a bit. Then it got serious and out of hand. For the second in the series she took a deep dive into Stop Your Tears.

Kiran Dass grew up a fan of experimental music. Below she recounts her journey, full of tidbits, anecdotes and of course, the music.

For the first time in living memory, we have the chance to celebrate our local artists without a glut of international acts vying for our attention. Kate Powell spoke to three festival organisers promoting grassroots events this summer. What were their experiences in this environment?