NZ Artists International News: May 2017

May 1st 2017
With over seventy shows by both new and established artists around the globe this May, wherever you are, we hope you find something new too.

We have just kicked off NZ Music Month in Aotearoa, with thirty-one days activity to celebrate and promote homegrown music. The theme this year is music discovery - find your new favourite New Zealand band. Regular readers will know that we are often talking about locals artists being recognised on the world stage right from their first release - this month, we aim to also spread the word at home about some of these amazing emerging artists. With over seventy shows by both new and established artists around the globe this May, wherever you are, we hope you find something new too.

 

ALDOUS HARDING'S MUCH ANTICIPATED SECOND ALBUM PARTY OUT THIS MONTH

Aldous Harding continues to on her international charge before the release of second album Party, having recently completed both a photo shoot with the New York Times and Rolling Stone Magazine (US).

Rolling Stone have named Aldous in their 10 New Artists You Need To Know, April 2017.

Uncut Magazine (UK) have called Party ‘...a devastating summary of love's uncertainty' and ‘If ‘Party' can be characterised by one emotion, it's fierce self-confidence in the face of whatever odds....'

Aldous is currently on a promo tour of Europe including days in Paris and Berlin. She will be appearing at the NZ Showcase at the Great Escape 2017 in Brighton and her confirmed tour scheduled will be taking her around the world from now until the end of the year.

Party will be released worldwide on May 19 on 4AD

 

FAZERDAZE DEBUT ALBUM MORNINGSIDE OUT NOW

Just named at one of the NME Magazine's Magazines essential new acts to see at Live at Leeds, Fazerdaze is picking up incredible reviews for the debut album Morningside.

The UK music site Backseat Mafia opened their 9.5/10 review with ‘I'm just going to go straight to the point about Morningside, the debut album from Fazerdaze (essentially the output of New Zealand's Amelia Murray). It is an extraordinarily accomplished work of art. I could just say go and order the album without hesitation and leave it at that. It's that good.'

Morningside also received a 4/5 star review in popular UK music magazine, Mojo.

Single Lucky Girl features on Buzzfeed's 27 New Songs You Need to Hear for Spring, along with fellow kiwi heroine Lorde and many acclaimed artists including Laura Marling, The Shins & Kendrick Lamar. ‘If you're the type who likes to dance like no one's watching, behold New Zealand's Amelia Murray and her project Fazerdaze. Wistfully forlorn but beamingly optimistic, "Lucky Girl" is a fitting way to welcome the sunshine after hard rain'

 

ROB THORNE GIVES A TAONGA PUORO MASTERCLASS, LONDON

Rob Thorne is an expert in the traditional knowledge and modern revival and practice of taonga puoro/traditional Māori musical instruments. In his masterclass and concert he demonstrated and discussed some of these instruments, their traditionally ritualised and spiritual usage and functions, their recent revival, how intuition and experimentalism has assisted in their modern re-enlivenment, and then perform a concert using loop technology.

Rob's masterclass and performance took place at the Westminster University in Harrow, London on 26 April.

 

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST ACTION

New Zealand artists are currently featured all over the plentiful Spotify playlists. A few highlights are:

New Music Friday - 165,681 followers
SACHI (with Nika), Shelter
Thomas Oliver, Tenderly
Global Viral 50 - 232,546 followers
Aron Ottingnon (with Rodi Kirk and Samuel Dubois) was #43 at the end of April with Waterfalls (live)
Indie Arrivals Best New Indie - 34,550 followers
Fyfe feat Kimbra, Belong
Aldous Harding, Imagining My Man
Fazerdaze, Take It Slow
Infinte Indie Folk - 539,685 followers
Nadia Reid, Call The Days
Tiny Ruins & Hamish Kilgour, Hurtling Through
Aldous Harding, Hunter
Streets of Laredo, Need A Little Help
New Dance Beats Future Hits - 24,936 followers
Baynk, Poolside
Rock Out Best New Rock Tracks - 30,219 followers
I Am Giant, Dead Flower

 

ALAYNA POWLEY, NEW YORK VIA ROTORUA, DEBUT RELEASE

Rotorua-born musician Alayna Powley has signed with US based record label 20XX and is set to release her debut single Falling Autumn. The 23-year-old moved to New York last year to pursue her music career, after completing a Bachelor of Musical Arts at Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand (MAINZ).

Falling Autumn is already getting the attention from international media, with UK website The Line of Best Fit saying that ‘Falling Autumn is such a promising start and with an EP on its way expect Alayna to continue to wow with future releases.'

Popular music platform HillyDilly also praised Alayna in their review of Falling Autumn saying ‘...as she continues unrolling new material, we think she'll advance further as not only an artist, but a confident creative in the world'.

 

KIWIS PERFORMING AT THE 2017 GREAT ESCAPE FESTIVAL, UK

Plus additional shows at the festival for NZ artists:

Aldous Harding
11:15pm Thursday May 18 @ Paganini Ballroom

Kane Strang
8:00pm Thursday May 18 @ Bleach

Fazerdaze
1:30pm Thursday May 18 @ Queens Hotel
11:30pm Thursday May 18 @ The Arch

Delaney Davidson
9:15pm Friday May 19 @ The Marine Room

 

IN OTHER NEWS...

Bic Runga - Latest album is out now internationally on UK label Wild Combinations.

Truth - Signed with powerhouse dubstep label Disciple Recordings for latest album Wilderness of Mirrors.

Look Blue Go Purple - Have had glowing reviews for Still Betwitched in UK's Mojo and Uncut.

Kane Strang - New album Two Hearts and No Brain will be released by Dead Oceans/Secretly Canadian on June 30. Clap Clap Riot - Rolling Stone Australia previewed the band's new album Dull Life.

Clap Clap Riot - Rolling Stone Australia previewed the band's new album Dull Life.

Tapz - New track Run Don't Run is featured on Apple Music New Discovery list, with his previous single Killa now at 1.7 million streams on Spotify.

Marlon Williams - Has signed to UK live booking agent ATC, who also looks after international artists including Passenger, Julia Jacklin, We Are Scientists and The Veils.

 

Click here to download a PDF of tour dates around the world for NZ artists.

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