Quickly rising the ranks, Pages Layn is getting around Dunedin like a juicy piece of gossip, popping up all over the place, opening just about any gig they can. Having debuted at the first Pint Night of the year, this pack of punters have now managed to score themselves a spot on Rhythm & Alps lineup. Critic Te Ārohi invited the rock and blues band to spit some yarns and find out the secret behind the sauce.
Frontman Alfie Buxton led the charge during the interview. Having noticed a lull of rotating bands at Pint Night, Aflie began assembling the dream team of musicians at the tail end of 2024. While manning the lighting decks at U-Bar’s Pint Night, he scouted talented drummer Mikey Dean on stage. "I was pretty impressed by him, so I asked him if he was keen to do something," said Alfie. Thankfully, Mikey was on board. Alfie then roped in local talent Ben McMorran of Caribou.
The latest addition to the group was Gus Logan. The pair met in music class, but it was Gus’ voluminous mullet that caught Aflie’s attention. Pacing into the office, Gus carried his electric guitar with an air of confidence only rivalled by Mick Jagger. When looking over to Gus throughout the interview, he would either be fiddling with the strings of his guitar or twirling the ends of his luscious locks between his fingers (can’t blame him with a mop like that).
Pages Layn finds inspiration in the sound of the ‘70s, pioneered by the greats of Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones, though the band's devotion to Britpop does not go unnoticed. Alife was lucky enough to see Oasis in Cardiff over the mid-sem-break. To celebrate, the band played six Oasis songs on their first Pint Night back. Gus joked that Alfie got a little bit “carried away.” Ben even attempted to contact Liam Gallagher before one gig, inviting him to play alongside Pages Layn at The Crown. “He didn't respond,” said Ben. “Poor form, honestly."
The bandmates endeavour to release a new song each month until the end of the year. ‘Roll Over’ is their first release thus far, which was recorded alongside two other unreleased songs with Sam Charlesworth, lead singer of The Beatniks and a local producer. Sam operates a recording studio based in his bedroom, producing music at professional standards. Doing the best with what he has, Sam will often run leads down the hallway, spreading amps across his flatmates’ rooms to capture the best quality in his recordings. Alfie admires Sam's professionalism and his patience: "You can absolutely waste his time and he won't get angry."
Performing at R&A is a dream come true for the band. Asked how they scored the spot on the lineup so soon into their career, Alfie cheekily replied that they reached out to their "contact on the inside." A General Manager listened to their music, saw a video of their set, and gave the greenlight for the punters to go ahead. Alfie is expecting to get the bottom tier slot – 4pm on the first day with about 80 people watching – but he’s not phased. “I don't care,” he said. “It’ll be so good.” Gus mysteriously promised that they are going to do “something really special for that gig.” They didn’t let on what, but consider our interests piqued.
On stage, the boys have earned a reputation for playing their sets shirtless. The goal on stage is to have fun, said Alfie, but also mentioned a "few goals” for the end of the night. In response to Critic’s raised eyebrows, Alfie prompted Gus to explain his ‘four-step plan’ to take a girl home after a show. For the sanctity of all involved, we won’t indulge the readers with the contents of the sequence of events – you can get in touch directly with the campus Casablanca if you’re curious.
Moving on, Alfie noted that Dunedin's student music scene is in "a bit of a reset period at the moment." While the more established bands in Ōtepoti like Hot Sauce Club, The Beatniks, and IVY are opting out of the weekly Pint Night rotation – instead choosing to play less frequent but larger gigs as their careers grow – Alfie wants to fill that gap. His goal is to take that slot as “that regular band you see around”.
But it won’t be for long. Alfie will be heading back to England next year, meaning Pages Layn will have to split roads. Though the band hasn’t been around for long, they’re proud of what they have done so far. “I'm starting to watch the videos [of our sets] and not cringe!” said Alfie, which is certainly something. Alfie wonders if there will be a day “where everyone reunites in London”. Maybe one last jig.
For now you can catch Pages Layn around Ōtepoti and at Wānaka’s Rythm & Alps over New Year’s. You can check out their song ‘Roll Over’ on all streaming services.