Band Together : Music Reviews

This might say “review,” but really it’s an appreciation piece for one of the biggest bands to come out of the 70s and 80s — arguably New Zealand’s greatest ever band. It’s not every day you get the chance to see a group of this calibre from that era, so being there felt like a genuine privilege. Even better, we went with our parents, who grew up listening to Split Enz, making the whole night feel like a shared family time‑warp. After almost 20 years off the road, Split Enz returned with a lineup blending the old guard and the new: Tim and Neil Finn, Eddie Rayner, and Noel Crombie — the longest‑serving members — joined by drummer Matt Eccles and bassist James Milne. Tim, Eddie, and Noel are all 73, with Neil the “youngster” at 67, yet seeing them on stage you’d swear they’d discovered a fountain of youth. While Tim’s voice has grown raspier with time, Neil’s has barely shifted. His tone is still silky, warm, and pitch‑perfect, the kind of voice that somehow dodges the decades. Every...

  Sonic Reducer hit the UC Refectory with the kind of chaotic, charismatic punch that reminds you why live music still matters. On record, they’re a clever blend of ’70s punk snarl, modern indie sharpness, and that unmistakable “I’ve heard this energy before but never quite like this” feeling. Live, though? They’re something else entirely. The four-piece out of Canberra — Cormac McKahey (vocals), Lachlan Grinbergs (drums), Lily Hanna (bass), and Ryleigh Hilton (guitar) — walked onstage looking like four people from four different bands who accidentally ended up at the same gig. But the moment they started, it clicked. Their differences weren’t a clash; they were the engine. If you’ve spent the last couple of years spinning their tracks — the way I have — you know Sonic Reducer as a band with tight songwriting, quirky lyricism, and a sound that bounces between ’70s punk think of the Sex Pistols or the Clash, And more modern bands like The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys & Marcy Playgr...

   A Night That Rewrote the Room  From the moment Genesis Owusu stepped on stage, the atmosphere shifted. His sound — a melting pot of art‑pop, trip‑hop, and vintage groove — wrapped itself around the crowd like a living thing. The world is so ready to dance, and Owusu is the one holding the match. What makes him extraordinary is the mastery of his craft. He can sing, rap, harmonise — high, low, deep, textured — giving every song its own identity and emotional fingerprint. His catalogue is stacked with tracks that make you move, and others that make you stop, sway, and absorb the message he’s laying down. He tells stories in forms most artists can’t even reach for, and he tells them truthfully. In a world that’s struggling, that honesty feels vital. And yet, he keeps the party going. Owusu was completely captivating. He say jump - you already falling in line.  At times the show felt like stepping inside a shared fever dream: the poetic, emotive drip; the dramat...

oskar med k - feel A Chilled‑House Journey That Rewards Patience, Volume, and Vulnerability Norwegian chilled‑house producer Oskar med k returns with his second album, Feel — a record that proves he’s quietly becoming one of the most compelling voices in the chilled house scene. While his music has always carried that unmistakable warm‑pulse glow, Feel shows an artist refining his craft, deepening his emotional palette, and trusting listeners to sit with the subtleties. It’s an album that doesn’t just play — it settles in. First Impressions: Background Noise That Became a World My first spin of Feel was… fine. Pleasant. A little same‑ish. To be fair, I was painting walls with headphones on — drifting in and out, half‑focused, half‑daydreaming. The tracks blended together, becoming a kind of soft, atmospheric hum. But even then, something kept tugging at my attention. A hook here, a bass swell there. Enough to make me bop along without realising. Enough to make the painting go sus...