Fear Factory

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By Sebastian Mackay

Fear Factory are legendary. They do stuff with guitars and noise that made people I like want to do the same stuff. That's where my connection to Fear Factory began and up until chatting to Burton C. Bell I thought that was where it ended - it's not though. So like an elephant on a tightrope I proceed to make myself look like a right dick in the following interview but Burton had fun... I think.

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Jon Toogood

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By Sebastian Mackay

I got 25 minutes with Jon Toogood during a lightning storm in Melbourne. During that 25 minutes Jon covered everything from existential life questions to working as part of a theatre to the food that he'd eat every day until the day he died ("I reckon you'd get sick of it by dinner" he said, only half mockingly) and just how readily available thermals are.

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Interview: Cairo Knife Fight

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By Sebastian Mackay

I thought this day would never come... in fact, I'm so shocked by it I'm using it to justify this little preamble to my chit chat with the main man behind Cairo Knife Fight, Nick Gaffaney, (feel free to skip ahead). I'm about to intro this article with an AC/DC quote. Unfortunately, it ain't no clever quip about hitmen, murder, or indeed, knowing you must have let go of the Rudd-er to think you could pull that one off (see what I did there? Yeah...) in good ol' Godzone.

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Cavalera Conspiracy

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By Sebastian Mackay

Max Cavalera is a God. His disciples swarm to him like a cult and hang off his every word. Whether Cavalera Conspiracy, the Sepultura days, Soulfly, Nailbomb or the new project Killer Be Killed, The Children Of Cavalera* are obsessive but Max remains grounded. The once strung out drug and alcohol abuser takes it with a nod and keeps doing what he's doing.

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Kevin Mark Trail

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By Sebastian Mackay

Listening to Kevin Mark Trail speak, in a rapid fire English accent over the roar of a train and excited shouts in the background, my internal monologue was singing Good Charlotte's Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous quietly to itself, interjected with a deluge of snide comments. (Mum says I need to work on my people skills and I'm finally beginning to see that).

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Hazel Mills - The Paper Cinema's 'Odyssey'

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By Poppy Tohill

What happens at the accidental meeting of inkblots, photocopies, cardboard, angle-poise lamps, video technology, a laptop and a banana box? The United Kingdom's ‘Paper Cinema,' theatre company is what happens. Using the language of animation, music, film and theatre to lead viewers through a variety of stories, New Zealanders are lucky enough to have the opportunity to experience their most recent work‘Odyssey' in action this month, as the English theatre company bring this show to our shores for the very first time since its premiere in the spring of 2012.

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Itch

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By Poppy Tohill

Some of you may be familiar with the punk rock band The King Blueswho for ten years challenged the politicians and war-monger's of theUnited Kingdom with their original punk rock, ska, protest music. Well almost three years on from their break up, vocalist Jonny Fox, is back on the airwaves, more commonly known and referred to as ‘Itch' these days which is his stage name for his now, solo musical career.

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Interview: Bernie Griffen

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By Poppy Tohill

Bernie Griffen has got a new band. The Thin Men, a new album,'Salvation,' and a bit of a new sound. Launching the release of the new album at Auckland's Tuning Fork late last month, I caught up with Bernie and one third of the thin men, who is in fact not a man at all, but Griffen's long time musical partner Kirsten Warner, at the bands soundcheck ahead of their show later that night.

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Nico And Vinz

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By Sebastian Mackay

Nico and Vinz have made quite the storm - even still I'd never heard of them but that says more about me than it does them - and if the hype is to be believed they're going to be dominating the charts of every country across the world (literally speaking. They've triumphed over the United States, which let's be honest pretty much is the world, and they've trampled over pop everywhere from Denmark to the UK). But there's one thing about this duo that stands out more than everything else: when he has to Nico can talk a million words a minute, bloody good for me because we were only given 10.

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The Selecter

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By Poppy Tohill

Forming in mid 1979, with just a few breaks between 1981-1991 and 2006-2010, the 2 Tone ska revival band, The Selecter are currently celebrating their 35th anniversary together, and showing no signs of slowing down. Making their way to New Zealand for the very first time throughout their long career, to perform shows in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington this month, I had a chat with Selecter vocalist and front woman Pauline Black, about all things 2 Tone Ska Music, touring with The Selecter and their upcoming album and shows.

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Sheppard

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By Poppy Tohill

Being the first independent act to hit the top of the ARIA Singles Chart in a decade with their single'Geronimo' knocking out Pharrell Williams song 'Happy,' from the top spot, Australian band Sheppardproduced the first #1 single ever recorded in Brisbane, also breaking the record for making 'Geronimo' run as the longest independently released #1.

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