There’s good news and sad news for Street Chant fans - the good news is that they are heading out on one last epic tour around New Zealand this September, but the sad news as this will likely be their last tour ever, or at least for a very long time. 

Over the eight years since they formed, Street Chant have become one of New Zealand’s most important and well loved alternative/rock bands. Originally called Mean Street, in the early years the band played numerous shows around the dive bars of Auckland, quickly gaining a reputation for fearsome, powerful and wild live shows, as well as a string of b-Net radio hits. 

Their 2010 debut album Means (Arch Hill) is a bonafide classic, receiving rave reviews for making “who-gives-a-fuck-garage-punk-pop like no one else” (Polaroids of Androids). The vinyl is now long out of print and a highly sought after collectable. During this time Street Chant toured Australia and the US with bands like Jack White’s The Dead Weather and The Lemonheads, as well as repeated shows at CMJ, SXSW and other international dates. At home they played The Big day Out, Laneway Festival and many other festivals and gigs. While not a mainstream group, Street Chant still won the inaugural Critics Choice Music Award and received various other nominations such as the Taite Music Prize and Alternative Album of The Year.  

In 2013 Street Chant released the EP called Isthmus of One-Thousand Lovers (Self Release) and then in April 2016 they released the stonking second album Hauora (Flying Nun), which was also excellently received. North and South summed the record up nicely, writing  “The broad strokes are vivid, but the detail (in lyrics, music and production) is what makes Hauora a compelling, and repeat listenable, album of high-energy power pop”. The lead single from Hauora  - Pedestrian Support League - is also currently an APRA Silver Scroll Top 20 contender. 

Now, this September, the band have decided to call it quits while they are ahead, put things on an indefinite hiatus, and finish up on a high note. The band have a number of new songs they would like to eventually record and release, and Emily Edrosa (Emily Littler from Street Chant’s solo project) will continue - in fact she has almost finished a new record.

So while it is a little sad we won’t be seeing Street Chant for a while, there is plenty to look forward to, including this upcoming tour and various new recordings from the band members. 

As the line goes in the final Haoura single Melbourne goes - "if it's not over this time then it won't ever be"

Street Chant with special guests Slenderman

CHRISTCHURCH - Thursday 8 SEPT - Darkroom w/ Wurld Series & Best Bets
QUEENSTOWN - Friday 9 SEPT - Sherwood
DUNEDIN - Saturday 10 SEPT - The Attic w/ Kane Strang & Opposite Sex
AUCKLAND Friday 16 SEPT - Whammy w/ special guests
TAURANGA - Friday 23 SEPT - The Hop House w/ All Hail The Fun Killers
WELLINGTON- Saturday 24 SEPT Valhalla w/ Womb & Unsanitary Napkin 

All shows $10 on the door