Local Produce: Alex Dykes

Posted 4:28pm Sunday 18th July 2021 by Annabelle Vaughan

Singer-songwriter Alex Dykes is loud, full of life, and new to the Dunedin music scene. His upcoming album, The Dunedin Study, is set to be released this summer. Critic sat down to chat with Alex on his upcoming projects, his time at Otago, and his creative process.  Alex started playing Read more...

Music Venues of Dunedin: Reviewed

Posted 7:52pm Sunday 30th May 2021 by Barney Connolly

Dunedin venues have slowly been disappearing thanks to the boomer-fearing bureaucrats who run this city. There is current controversy surrounding these venues and noise control and it’s now more important than ever to support our local venues and musicians. So here you have it, a definitive Read more...

Musicians Push Back Against Noise Control Regime

Posted 11:25pm Sunday 23rd May 2021 by Denzel Chung

A “Save Live Music Forum” brainstormed ways for musicians and venue owners to do something about noise control regulations, which musicians claim create an atmosphere of “fear about what is allowed” in Dunedin.  Hosted at the Dog with Two Tails on Saturday 16 May, the Read more...

Local Produce: Man Ray

Posted 12:45am Monday 24th May 2021 by Annabelle Vaughan

Named after the famous surrealist photographer and the Spongebob villain, Man Ray is one of Dunedin’s newest live bands. Man Ray sat down with Critic to talk about what it’s like gigging around Dunedin, the process of creating music, and their goal to create safe spaces for everyone Read more...

“You feel that instant connection”

Posted 4:30pm Sunday 16th May 2021 by Elliot Weir

Kiwi artist Mark Perkins, known by his stage name ‘Merk’, has made a name for himself in recent years releasing two successful albums to critical acclaim. Critic Te Arohi spoke to Merk about his most recent album, Infinite Youth, which came out in February of this year. Merk has been Read more...

Local Produce: Sam Charlesworth: A Bedroom Is All You Need

Posted 4:58pm Sunday 16th May 2021 by Sean Gourley

Sam Charlesworth is a fresher studying Studio Production, Marine Science, and Te Reo Māori here at Otago. With just “a few mics and an interface,” he has recorded a huge amount of music and has recently started playing gigs around Dunedin. Sam records all of his songs without Read more...

Small Fish In A Big Stream: Local Artists On the Problem With Spotify

Posted 5:35pm Sunday 2nd May 2021 by Denzel Chung

Statistics New Zealand thinks the average Kiwi household spends $29.40 per week on “alcoholic beverages, tobacco and illicit drugs”. Even at this ridiculously low-balled estimate, Spotify’s own figures show just 2.6% of their 7 million musicians made enough money in a year to pay Read more...

The Rise of Dunedin’s Drum and Bass

Posted 6:36pm Sunday 2nd May 2021 by Runze Liu

Drum and Bass music is a major part of Dunedin life. It is the soundtrack to the Otago experience. But what will its future be? Critic sat down with some of Dunedin’s very own DJs to uncover the evolution of DnB. Bando is a bedroom DJ, a hobbyist who practises at home but doesn’t Read more...

The History of the Dunedin Sound: A nostalgic look back on the birth of the Dunedin music scene

Posted 6:42pm Sunday 2nd May 2021 by Annabelle Vaughan

The Dunedin Sound is one of New Zealand’s best known music scenes. The cold, dreary and quirky city that we call home has produced some of New Zealand's most notable songwriters and musicians. Much of their work still influences Dunedin musicians today, and is responsible for our unique Read more...

Mosh Etiquette 101

Posted 6:47pm Sunday 2nd May 2021 by Rutene Rickard

While moshes can seem like animalistic anarchy, there is a crucial code of conduct that keeps all participants safe in their gnarly sonic and sweaty adventures. Moshing, which started up during the ‘80s with the rise of punk and hardcore, is now a widespread concert activity. The original Read more...