Music Plus with Winston Watusi watusi@thesun.co.nz

No politics this week I promise, just music. I know I went off on a bit of an unruly tangent last week and subsequently someone duly growled at me, via email I should say, a much gentler way to be growled at. I fully take their point.
Which was not to avoid mentioning politics. It was that such diversions allow less space to write about music. And since The Weekend Sun is one of the few newspapers in New Zealand that on a weekly basis allocates such generous space to concentrate on primarily local music, then at least I could stick to the brief and actually do that. Fair enough. Just music this week.
And before looking into the distant future (next month), a quick plug for two hard rock shows this very weekend, in case you’re looking for instant action...
Tonight, September 15, there’s a triple-header at the Jam Factory: Bitter Defeat with The Fuzzies and Club Meds. What do I know? Bitter Defeat is from Hamilton; the Fuzzies is an Auckland trio due to release their debut album, ‘Cupid’, next week. They are, I have been reliably informed, really “quite fuzzy”.
Gig starts 7pm, entry $15.
Then on Saturday, September 16, over at The Mount’s Voodoo Lounge, Auckland post-punk outfit Swallow The Rat, which has recently returned from gigs in Melbourne, is promoting their just-released second album ‘South Locust’ and its lead single ‘Terra Nullius’ which has been topping student radio charts. They’ll be joined by locals Hemordroid and Eddie & the Dreamers. Gig starts 8pm, entry $15
Playlist
Okay. Before looking ahead to an exciting initiative for underexposed musicians, I have a new initiative of my own.
Since this is a column about music it makes sense to accompany it with music.
Thus from now on I will be compiling a regular Spotify playlist to go with the column. Not every week, probably a couple a month. We’ll put the address at the end of each column and on the playlist you’ll find music from people I’ve mentioned in recent columns. The first one has just been posted and includes music from the bands here plus locals Crooked Finger, John Michaelz and the Black Brothers, Grant Haua, Stunt Clown, Cybele Chapman and a bunch more. Each playlist will be around an hour long.
One of the bands on the first playlist is local blues-rockers Rehaab. Rehaab has been pretty busy recently. They released a new song and video, ‘Fat Boy (State Highway Queen)’ a couple of months back and it’s been getting internet radio play on stations as far afield as the UK and obscure parts of America; they also had 81 Productions film their song ‘Devil Within’ live, as part of International Play On The Porch Day on August 26.
It looks great. Another new song, ‘Lost and Found’, was launched last week.
But this new venture sees them taking a slightly more background role, as they partner with Cleaver & Co, the gastropub at Bayfair, to present a live music platform for original talent of all genres.
Indie artists
It’s a dazzlingly simple concept: the first Thursday of every month will be dedicated to ‘Cleaver Indie Artists’, featuring a ‘warm-up’ set from Rehaab and two 40-minute sets from specially-chosen up-and-coming artists.
The first of these will be on October 5 featuring Tyran Huikakahu Curtis and acoustic Auckland duo Ravenhall.
Following nights, which currently aim to go through till Christmas, will include high-flying Rotorua songstress Nikau Grace, young Taupō blues band Sonorous, Hamilton’s Darz Music and local Matty Buxton.
And talking of Matty Buxon, the first single, ‘Sober’, off his debut EP ‘Either Way’, comes out next week and he’s just announced a November tour for his band Matty & the Buxtones. He has half a dozen singles on Spotify, primarily light funky hip-hop. You can find him on this week’s Winston Watusi Playlist.
Back to Rehaab, they’re off after the first Cleaver Indie Artists night to Te Aroha to play at the annual Aroha Cruise In Car Show on October 7. And they have exciting plans to expand the quartet with the addition of a keyboard. Watch this space...
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Find Winston Watusi Playlist #1 (September 2023) at: