Music

Originally formed while they were still students at Christchurch’s Cashmere High, Zed is the dream child of Nathan King, Ben Campbell and Adrian Palmer, all of whom found they shared a passion for guitar pop – fuelled by their parents old Beatles records, a bit of Crowded House, and radio stars Supergrass and Radiohead.

Zed’s first two singles (which they self-produced) went Top 20 and the band were nominated for the most promising group award at the New Zealand Music Awards in 1998. In July 1999, Zed formalized their record company relationship and signed to Universal Music in New Zealand. In May 2000, the band migrated north again to Auckland’s Revolver Studios to lay down the tracks for their debut album.

They had added guitarist Andy Lynch to the lineup for live work. Lynch had helped the band record and mix both of their earlier singles. Once recording sessions for what became the Silencer album began, the band liked the direction the London-born Lynch was taking their music with his different influences and made him an official member. “Silencer,” with re-recorded versions of their first three singles, debuted at number one on release and went on to sell double platinum in New Zealand.

Sons of Zion have well and truly earned their place in the upper echelons of New Zealand music. From their humble Kiwi beginnings, to playing shows across the globe and dominating charts, Sons of Zion have amassed an impressive 80+ million streams Worldwide, more than 14 million views on Youtube and 100,000-plus followers on social media.

It’s a track record that has established Sons of Zion as one the southern hemisphere’s most-loved and well-respected bands. Sons of Zion’s hard work and commitment to taking their music to their fans has established them as one of the best live acts on the touring circuit. It’s a reputation reinforced by explosive and energetic live performances at some of biggest festivals around, including Homegrown, One Love and Raggamuffin.

No one forgets the first time they saw Tami Neilson. She can hush a room with an original song that channels the hurting spirit of Patsy Cline or the sensuality of Peggy Lee, or bring the audience to its feet on a rockabilly raver. She’s an artist with real range, whose powerful voice can take on big ballads, golden-age country, heartfelt Gospel, soul-infused R&B, Western swing, even old-style rock ‘n’ roll. Tami encompasses them all and is a personality-powered cyclonic force of nature in stylishly retro attire, long lashes and a stacked-high beehive.

Tami grew up performing across North America with the Neilson Family Band, working alongside greats such as Johnny Cash, Tanya Tucker, and Kitty Wells. With her parents Betty and Ron (her late father a songwriter of considerable accomplishment) and two brothers Todd (drums) and Jay (bass), she spent years on the road learning her craft. This enabled Tami to explore her increasing vocal and emotional range and build a deep well of musical influences to draw upon when she started to write her own material.

Tami Neilson’s singing and writing is too big to contain, as HMV Canada noted: “There are singers and then there is Tami Neilson, for whom the word singer just isn’t big enough.”

Born in the heart of the American desert, in Santa Fe, New Mexico and raised in the mountains of Southern New Zealand, Holly Arrowsmith is a strong forerunner in New Zealand’s current folk revivalist movement.

With sound comparisons to the likes of Gillian Welch, Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake, Holly delves into the earnest matters of life, wrapped in metaphors of nature and the soothing mountain environment that raised her.

Mousey is the project of Christchurch songwriter Sarena Close. With a strong sense of melody and emotionally raw sincerity, Mousey cherishes the art of communicating the human experience above all else. She is inspired by artists such as Thom Yorke, Regina Spektor, Paul McCartney, Angel Olsen and Sufjan Stevens. And yet her sound defies the restrictions of genre and her music provides a unique and powerful insight into this wonderful and confusing world.

Her recently released debut album Lemon Law marks a significant milestone for Mousey, whose star has been on the rise since the release of the album’s first single ‘Extreme Highs’, which earned her a nomination at the 2019 APRA Silver Scrolls. The year 2020 would also see her as a finalist for the Auckland Live Best Independent Debut prize at the Taite awards.

Mousey’s live performance is not to be forgotten either. Her vocals stand-alone like few others, and listeners find themselves drawn in, transfixed by her songs and the way she tells them.