The lyrics reference George Orwell’s Animal Farm: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." It was inspired by hearing Act New Zealand leader David Seymour talking about everyone being treated "equally". There will also be a video which was filmed on top of Mt Cargill and at the Dunedin Gasworks Museum.
‘A SWEET DIVE’
On Wednesday, Neive Strang released a single and video for her new song, A Sweet Dive. This local singer/song-writer has already released two EPs, a mini album, and had a much deserved win in one of the local battle of the bands a few years back.
In recent years she’s been honing her skills playing with Dunedin’s one and only Shayne Carter and you can feel those ’80s influences in her musical style, particularly The Clean.
The Neive Strang band toured the country in support of her recent single Living in Two and she has collaborated with renowned producer Sean Donnelly. Strang has been out of the public eye for a while writing songs and recording demos with Donnelly for her forthcoming album, A Sweet Dive the first fruit.
A tour is planned.
SOUTHERNERS HERE
FOTA and Filth Wizard (both from Waihopai/Invercargill) are heading north to give our eardrums a workout at the Crown Hotel tonight, with support from local looping legend, Tough Guy. FOTA, who jokingly describe themselves as a rock/metal/funk/punk/goth/disco/blues/polka/shoegaze/trap/hardrockdeath metal hybrid band are actually pretty damn heavy. After multiple line-up changes, various rebrands and a couple of long afternoon naps, these southern noise merchants have managed to smoulder for close to 20 years. Their younger counterparts, Filth Wizard, are a slightly different kettle of fish. Formed at the Southern Institute of Technology in 2018, the band seems to be undecided if they’re a modern vocal-less progressive-rock/doom band or a bunch of down and dirty riff monsters. Maybe it depends on their mood that night? Listen to FOTA at bandcamp.com.
JAZZ DELIGHTS
If you’re a jazz buff you might be familiar with the work of Reid and Wolken. This local duo has a distinctive sound which blends the influences of jazz, soul and swing with the swooping vocals of Karin Reid and the guitar of Alex Wolken. A large part of their repertoire is their interpretations of jazz classics, as well as the works of more recent artists, such as Mingus and Coltrane, but an almost equally large part is jazz-derived renditions of alternative pop, rock and folk songs by the likes of PJ Harvey, King Crimson and Joni Mitchell. They have also been active as the organisers of the Albany Street Jazz Loft initiative in Dunedin and co-hosts of the Jazz Junction show on Radio One 91FM. With the help of Jazz Dunedin you both can see and hear this talented pair for two nights at 88 Vogel St next Friday and Saturday, starting at 6pm.
BIG HITTERS
OMMU is like some sort of local super-group with members from a host of heavy-hitting bands. The group is made up of Craig Monk on guitar (ex Mink, Cloudboy, Heka), Jeff Harford on drums (ex Bored Games, The Rip, Valve, Die Musikband) and Tenzin Mullin (Suka, Heka, Jay Clarkson & The Containers). See what I mean? Sometimes the trio is sparse and reflective; other times they’re pretty damn heavy, with each song being like a one-off journey into all the possibilities of loud artificial sonics and natural noise. On Friday they will be playing with fellow travellers, Piecemeal, an experimental modern jazz quintet known for their innovative blend of free improvisation and avant-garde styles, infused with influences from math, rock and noise.
You also get the liquid light and psychedelic projection art of Sam Caldwell, who uses a mixture of vibrant visual tools to compliment the music.
The gig
• OMMU and Piecemeal play the Crown Hotel on Friday, October 4.
Coming up
• In other news, Wellington-based octet Revulva is coming to town to celebrate the release of their self-titled album, Revulva on October 11. This big band is embarking on a nationwide tour over the next couple of months and you can get the full analogue "Sensurround" experience in at Yours on November 1. The 10-track album is accompanied by a run of 200 records and a 12-page photo/lyric zine designed by Daniel Kingston.
