Concert Review - Teddy Swims - Auckland - Thursday 9th October 2025

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10 Oct

Written By Megan Moss

Presented by Frontier Touring

Image Credit - Ginny Cocks

Review By: Sarah Kidd

Artist/Band: Teddy Swims

Venue/City: Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand

Date of Event: 9th October 2025

Teddy Swims is rather a big fan of New Zealand, and judging by the phenomenal turnout at both his Christchurch and last night’s Auckland show, it would be safe to say that Aotearoa is a pretty big fan of his too.

Kicking off the were night local quartet Borderline, who are quickly becoming a must-see live act, with their own brand of self-described ‘little bit of something for everyone’, blending everything from pop to funk, with healthy dashes of rock, disco and ‘80s mixed in for good measure.

Formed from the bonds of friendship (all four members are childhood mates) Borderline easily had not only the confidence but the musical prowess to open for an artist such as Teddy Swims – no surprise when you have Ben Glanfield as your vocalist.

With several singles and EPs to their name now, including their latest offering Chrysalis, released just this year, Borderline are a band to keep an eye on and catch live as soon as you can.

Hot off the heels of his Christchurch show, where Teddy (aka Jaten Dimsdale) also took the time out of his day to perform at Marian College to 400 students who very much lost their minds to his huge hit Lose Control, Swims and his band, Freak Freely, looked fresh and ready to blow Tāmaki Makaurau’s collective mind, as the huge curtain covering the stage dramatically dropped and revealed all.

Compared to his sold-out show at Auckland’s Town Hall just two years ago – a far more stripped-back affair – last night’s show was like a Las Vegas wonderland, complete with a runway that ran the length of the oval-shaped stage, and visuals that left the jaw hanging.

Beginning the night with Not Your Man, Swims was in fine form as he casually walked down the runway in a backwards cap, warbling like a true Georgia angel. While his band, who apparently never miss arm day at the gym, held down the instrumentals, an incredible trio of backup singers added a depth to the track that just elevated it to a whole new level.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you open a show.

Ensuring that no matter where you were located in the arena, your view was stunning, no less than three big screens were operating, including a delightful oval-shaped one above the stage that would switch between camera angles and pre-programmed visuals. The lighting team completely outdid themselves, each and every song throughout the evening illuminated to perfection. No detail had been forgotten. Even Teddy’s mic stand was something to behold – a white figurine of a woman with arms held aloft, covered with symbols and words such as ‘love’ and ‘wild’.

Moving through songs such as Hammer to the Heart, She Loves the Rain and Devil in a Dress, it was his latest single Bad Dreams from his sophomore album I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 2) that heard a chorus of voices ring out, with the stage tinged in blue as clouds rolled across the screen behind him.

Swims often speaks of how grateful he is to be able to do what he does, travelling the world with his band, whom he refers to frequently as his ‘best friends’. But now there is an even greater love emanating from him as he speaks of how his three-month-old son now has New Zealand as one of his first passport stamps; his partner, Raiche Wright, is by his side every step of the way.

But Teddy always has time for his fans, as he proved rather deftly during Funeral, as he signed a fan’s vinyl with one hand while holding his microphone in the other, never once missing a note as he did so.

It is his joy and genuine adoration for everything and everyone around him that makes him so endearing to his admirers, that and, of course, his phenomenal vocals that can stop you in your tracks.

Need You More was dedicated to his aforementioned partner, the song taking on a life of its own, and prompting more than a few couples in the audience to snuggle up closer to each other. Small Hands saw Teddy get a little teary – the recorded version featuring Raiche, who is an artist in her own right – his devotion to her and their new son seeing him brimming with gratitude for the many blessings currently in his life.

But it is the realness that Swims brings to his shows that really make it feel like you are standing in the middle of a small southern bar, rather than a sold out arena, that is the drawcard. From signing more than a few items handed to him on stage, to gently reminding a handful of people down front who had become heated that, ‘We don’t fight at Teddy Swims shows,’ with a light-hearted laugh. Hell, at one point the man even appeared on a toilet before singing Your Kind of Crazy!

Playing jukebox roulette with a couple of patrons, their random selection landed on one of his more popular covers, You’re Still the One by Shania Twain, a song that he originally covered for his beloved mum. ‘Answer the phone when your mum calls,’ he reminds one and all.

Being in New Zealand, it was only fitting that he delivered Rivers by our own Six60, and his cover of ILLENIUM’s All That Really Matters also proved a huge hit on the night. But Swims wasn’t afraid to strip it all back and take a seat either, the quieter moments just bringing everyone in even closer.

It was a stacked set list, which featured something for everyone – the really big hitters that saw him become a household name coming towards the end of the night. Lose Control somehow sounded even better live, and of course The Door closed out the night, complete with pyrotechnics, streamers and all three guitarists giving it everything as Swims waved goodbye.

An unforgettable night of music, aroha and laughter.

SET LIST

Not Your Man
Hammer to the Heart
Apple Juice
She Loves the Rain
Are You Even Real
Devil in a Dress
Bad Dreams
Free Drugs
Funeral
What More Can I Say
911
Need You More
Black & White
Small Hands
All That Really Matters (ILLENIUM cover)
Some Things I’ll Never Know
Northern Lights
Rivers (Six60 cover)
Guilty
God Went Crazy
Still the One (Shania Twain cover)
Your Kind of Crazy
Lose Control
Bed on Fire
Goodbye’s Been Good to You
The Door