Kitty, Daisy & Lewis
By Poppy Tohill
With a new album 'Kitty Daisy & Lewis The Third,' an upcoming New Zealand tour and a busy touring schedule ahead, I caught up with Kitty(of Kitty Daisy & Lewis) for a quick chat about what our favourite London based 'shock n rollers' have been up to recently.
Twenty One Pilots
By Poppy Tohill
During their fleeting visit to New Zealand, I was lucky enough to catch up with the talented Tyler Joseph (vocals, keys) and Josh Dun (drummer) of popular 'Schizoid Pop' duo Twenty One Pilots, just hours ahead of their sold out show at Auckland's Powerstation.
Vince Harder
By Wal Reid
Singer/producer Vince Harder is holding a cuppa as I stroll in for the interview. We try to connect the ‘dots' figuring out who we know from our past backgrounds, cackling like a couple of old ladies in a hair salon... well not exactly but you get the drift - the conversation is flowing with no awkward pauses which is good thing especially when approaching an interview as I find out he has a new E.P. ‘Rare Vision' and he's playing tonight currently nursing a sore throat.
Cosentino the Grand Illusionist
Cosentino the Grand Illusionist is as cool in real life as the slightly heavy-metal pierced magic fiend portrayed in his tour poster. He has the kind of presence of a youthful Marilyn Manson however his demeanour and personality couldn't be a as far removed, in fact he's very pleasant, it's hard to believe this modern day ‘Houdini' has taken out Dancing With The Stars and was runner up in Australia's Got Talent, so it's not too crazy that maybe one day we get to see him on TV's The Bachelor?
Interview: I Am Giant
By Poppy Tohill
Juggling life in between New Zealand and the UK, finding a new frontman, working on a new EP, judging theX Factor NZ, releasing a brand-spanking new music video for their latest single ‘Kiss From A Ghost,' and preparing for the Australasian ‘Kiss From A Ghost Tour' you could say it has been a busy few months for London based kiwi rockers I Am Giant.
Head Like A Hole
By Clare McCabe
Ah Head Like a Hole. A band we all know and love. But did you know they have a new album out and are about to embark on an NZ tour? Well they are, and recently I caught up with Nigel Regan, one of the original members of HLAH, for a lovely long chat. We covered, amongst many other things: the new album Narcocorrido, what to expect on the upcoming tour, their new(ish) bass player, supporting Aerosmith and that fabulous video for I'm On Fire. We started off reminiscing about previous HLAH videos...
Refused
By Wal Reid
Swedish hardcore band Refused are the most underground band in the world. It's almost like they forgot to conform to mainstream ideals while forging their path since their humble beginnings in Umeå, Sweden. It was the halcyon days the early 90s and the country that spawned hard-core bands by the truck loads.
Avalanche City
By Wal Reid
Avalanche City's Dave Baxter is a one man band, the multi-instrumentalist and songwriter has just entered the interview room with cheeky salad in tow, instantly recognisable by his raging manscaped beard and trademark head-covering. The creator of that annoyingly catchy tune Love, Love, Love casually transplants himself down in his chair indicating the start of our interview.
Timberwolf
By Poppy Tohill
"I've had a pretty cruisy day," a cheerful Chris Panousakis (better known by his stage moniker - Timberwolf) happily chimed on the other end of the phone as we launched into a full blown conversation about our mutual love for Netflix, lazy days in bed, noodles and of course - chocolate.
Gay Paris
By Poppy Tohill
Birthed in 2009 from the corpse of something that kicked and screamed until it died, the monster rock and rollers that are Gay Parisentered this world running with wolves and howling in the hills. Spending their time loping around the dimmest haunts of the Australian music scene, Gay Paris have shaken of the dust of sleep, flexed their muscles and are now gearing up to release their third studio album, ‘Dark Arts.'
Lindemann
By Clare McCabe
Hands up who likes Rammstein? Well you are in for a treat because Till Lindemann, the lead singer, is about to release a new album and this time he sings in English. Yes that's right chums. In English. Till's new band, Lindemann, is a collaboration between Till and Peter Taegtgren(of Hypocrisy and Pain fame). Their debut album, Skills In Pills, will be released next month. And it is good. Also turns out Till is a huge fan of New Zealand and he was hanging out here earlier in the year.
Adam Westcott
By Jennifer Quinlin
South-West England isn't the first place that springs to mind when somebody mentions Flamenco. Adam Westcott, 32, is aiming to change that. Westcott hails from Teignmouth, a lovely seaside town in beautiful Devon.
Yngwie Malmsteen
By Keith Wright
In modern exclamations, this article for me has the OMFG. WTF?! I had the rarest privilege to speak to a living legend, Yngwie Malmsteen.
Cairo Knife Fight
‘The Colossus' is the debut album from Cairo Knife Fight and it's about to be unleashed onto the world which will delight the forever expanding fan base both here in our own kiwi land, our neighbours across the ditch and around the world in places like Los Angeles, which is now home to Cairo Knife Fight.
Interview: Hermitude
By Wal Reid
Sydney-siders Luke Dubber (aka Luke Dubs) and Angus Stuart (aka El Gusto) have over a twelve year career as Hermitude have established themselves as one of Australia's premier live acts with a mix and match of vocals, beats and a full live AV show.
Interview - Kathryn Dean - May 2015
By Poppy Tohill
As a teenager working in the music industry myself, it's always exciting getting to talk to a fellow teen doing so well in the industry, and with proof from the likes ofKathryn Dean, it seems teenagers really are ruling a big part of the music scene right now both nationally and internationally.
Interview - Beth Hart - April 2015
By Poppy Tohill
Ahead of her incredible show at Auckland's Powerstation late last month, I had the absolute pleasure of catching up with the undeniably inspirational, talented and one and only, Beth Hart.
Pip
By Poppy Tohill
"It's a nice, sunny afternoon here," Pip tells me over the phone fromLos Angeles, on a bleak and windy Auckland morning. The 22 year old funk-pop artist and born performer has had a busy few years since he entered season 2 of the popular American talent show, The Voice, in 2012. Participating as a part of ‘Team Adam Levine' getting as far as the quarter-finals, Pip tells me "it's really what you do after the show that sets you up as an artist or musician," and it's exactly his journey thus far, following the show, that we talk about.
George Clinton
By Ben Doy
"It's cold as hell!" George Clinton tells me over the phone from New Jersey. The Godfather of funk is certainly looking forward to relative warmth of Australia and New Zealand this April where he's set to play with his band the Parliament Funkadelic.