Going Global Presents 2017 announcement

Independent Music New Zealand is very excited to announce the following 12 hand-picked artists will be performing at GOING GLOBAL PRESENTS on Saturday 2nd September.

ALIEN WEAPONRY | CIARAN MCMEEKEN | ESTÈRE | GRAEME JAMES | HA THE UNCLEAR | HERRIOT ROW | OCTOBER | SILICON | SOCCERPRACTISE | TEEKS | THE MILTONES | YUKON ERA

About the Artists performing:

ALIEN WEAPONRY

Teenage thrash metal band Alien Weaponry shock and surprise audiences on a number of levels. Their songwriting is complex, developed and highly political. Their live performance energy is startling, with just two fifteen year olds commanding the front of stage as effectively as four and five piece bands three times their age. But perhaps most surprising of all, given their blonde flailing locks and Viking appearance, many of their songs are in New Zealand’s native language, Te Reo Māori.

Guitarist/lead singer Lewis de Jong (15) and his brother, drummer Henry (17), are of Ngati Pikiāo and Ngati Raukawa descent – they call themselves ‘Stealth Māori.’ They attended a full immersion kura kaupapa Māori (Māori language school) until they were seven years old, where singing waiata and performing haka were a daily routine.

Their latest single, ‘Rū Ana te Whenua’ (the trembling earth), released 30 June 2017, refers to the mighty battle at Pukehinahina/Gate Pa in 1864 where their ancestor, Te Ahoaho, lost his life.

“These guys could be bigger than Lorde in terms of our musical export,” said TV One Breakfast music correspondent Sarah Gandy. “They believe in their identity as a metal band, their use of Te Reo is impressive, there’s really nothing else like this in the world at the moment,” agrees Smokefree Rockquest judge, Jeff Newton from NZ On Air.

CIARAN MCMEEKEN

Six months into working on a South Island farm in Owaka Valley, the owner of the farm asked Ciaran what he wanted to do with his life, a question Ciaran really didn’t have an answer for, which led the farmer to give the fateful advice to “just get on with it mate”.  A collection of Ciaran’s early songs soon after became his first independent release – an EP titled ‘The Valley’, which he chose to record back at the Owaka Valley farmhouse where he received the best advice of his life.

This body of work caught the attention of internationally acclaimed producer Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers, Jason Kerrison, Pluto). Ciaran made the move from Dunedin to Auckland and continued to work with Haver on a new batch of songs which became his second EP ‘Screaming Man’. Released in October 2015 to wide acclaim, ‘Screaming Man’ also featured the hit single ‘City’ which picked up nationwide airplay on New Zealand radio.

Working with a live band in the recording studio, Ciaran’s music has diverged from his classic singer-songwriter sound with genre-spanning efforts that infuse the sounds of rock, blues, swing, soul, and jazz, all settled by his warm inviting vocals.

ESTÈRE

Following extensive tours throughout Africa, UK and Europe last year, and three years since her critically acclaimed self-titled debut, Estère has just released a trailblazing new body of work, Pro Bono Techno Zone. Also known as the Empress of Electric Blue Witch-Hop, Estère – producer, engineer & singer-songwriter – has pushed creative boundaries, leaving the result far afield from that of a humble bedroom artist.

Estère’s incorporation of unusual and stunning samples into her songs enhances her already transfixing vocals, melody and rhythm that comprise each track. The coy hiss of Vietnamese bamboo trees, the angry crash of a cutlery drawer, the clicking tongue of a possum are some of the sounds Estère has surreptitiously embedded into her music. Her lyrical writing escapes the common realms of popular music, delving into imaginatively philosophical narratives, elevating the ordinary into a realm of fascination.

Estère’s velvety voice has been compared to that of Erykah Badu, entrancing venues across the globe with her singing, sampling and looping live set.

GRAEME JAMES

Starting off busking on the streets of Wellington, the hard work of seasoned folk musician Graeme James has certainly paid off. His first original album ‘News From Nowhere’, out in September 2016, rose to number 3 on the NZ Album Charts and was a finalist in the NZ Vodafone Music Folk Album of The Year 2017. His captivating show is one not to be missed- with electric violin, guitar, bass, baritone ukulele, mandolin, harmonica, beats and vocals; he is a true one man band. His recent signing to much-loved indie label Nettwerk cements his name in the international music scene.

HA THE UNCLEAR

Ha the Unclear blend off-kilter, hook-driven guitar pop with slap-you-in-the-face lyrics. The band’s knack for creating thoughtful, mind-bending stories has been acclaimed by BBC, Introducing (“absolutely bonkers”) and Entertainment Weekly (“fascinatingly odd”). Lyrics include a love story from the perspective of a coffee table (Secret Lives of Furniture), astronauts trapped in orbit (‘Kosmonavt’), and a break-up via an apartment intercom (Growing Mould).

The band compacts these thought nuggets into energetic, skewed pop songs and a spirited live show. Ha the Unclear has toured with Courtney Barnett, supported Jeffrey Lewis, and performed at Rhythm & Vines Festival. At the 2016 NZ Music Awards the band received a Tui nomination for Best Music Video for the Simon Oliver-directed ‘Secret Lives of Furniture’. New single Big City has been touted by The Revue as “an extraordinary alt-pop song that resonates with the playful brilliance of David Byrne and Dan Bejar”.

HERRIOT ROW

Herriot Row is the new musical moniker of Auckland-based indie folk-rock artist Simon Comber. He was first spotted performing by Split Enz founding member Mike Chunn, and was soon recording a debut album at Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studios.

Having released 2 albums and an E.P. under his own name, Comber has toured across Australia and America, joining bands such as The Verlaines, The Chills and Barbara Manning on tours, both locally and internationally. Since beginning to perform as Herriot Row in 2013 (both solo and with band), Comber has returned to Australia for shows and returned to America to record. Herriot Row has performed alongside such local artists as Tiny Ruins, Hamish Kilgour, Dictaphone Blues, and Aldous Harding. The debut Herriot Row album ‘Lesser Stars’ sees Comber collaborating with revered American producer John Vanderslice, known for his work on albums by the Mountain Goats and Spoon. Vanderslice’s defiantly straight-to-tape production brings the new album closer to the warmth and fragility of Comber’s compelling live shows. Comber’s music to date has garnered comparisons to artists as esteemed as Don McGlashan, Joni Mitchell, and Bill Callahan.

OCTOBER

October is a 20 year-old New Zealand vocalist, producer, and video artist writing electronic pop music that drinks deeply from the rich histories of hardcore, industrial, new wave, and post-punk.

The glossy, polished modern day pop persona doesn’t really appeal to her. “I like a little bit of rough around the edges.” October has toured NZ with BROODS, Maala, Lontalius; has been writing with the likes of Alex Wildwood, Joel Little and Thom Powers; and is managed by Page 1 Management. ‘Pure’, October’s punchy first single from her forthcoming album, is out on August 25.

SILICON

A prodigiously talented multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and producer, who remains resistant to any kind of easy pigeonholing, Kody Nielson may well have concocted the purest distillation of his hyperactive musical brain yet, in the shape of Silicon. Created in the small hours when the energy is strong, Silicon sends out pulses of warped, genuinely soulful, retro-futuristic electronica that smudges the lines between human warmth and disembodied voices from the machine.

The debut Silicon album ‘Personal Computer’ was the winner of the 2016 Taite Music Prize. Personal Computer is a seductive electronica record that pits Nielson’s brilliant soul, funk and disco influenced songwriting against a backdrop of extra-terrestrial noir sonics, calling to mind the varied likes of Flying Lotus, Panda Bear and Daft Punk in the process, as well as that of the project of Nielson’s brother Ruban, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, with whom Kody co-wrote and co-produced the album ‘Multi-Love’ and who was also his former band-mate in cult New Zealand punk group The Mint Chicks.

SOCCERPRACTISE

SoccerPractise perform a genre-bending hybrid of trip hop, grime and electronic soul music. Performances include Splore, Oro Fest, Auckland Arts Fest, Vice Parties, Cuba St Carnival, and the Silver Scrolls. The group has toured nationwide with Yumi Zouma and Doprah and supported Aldous Harding and Deradoorian (USA) among others. SoccerPractise’s singles have consistently been top 10 hits on NZ alt. radio. The group won ‘Best Electronic Act’ at the Dirtbag Radio Awards and ‘Haere Mai E Tama’ was the most requested/played song on Dunedin’s Radio One in 2016.

TEEKS

Meet the new Kiwi singer-songwriter who is about to stop you in your tracks – Teeks. With the release of his debut EP GRAPEFRUIT SKIES June 2017, recorded both in New York and in New Zealand, Teeks made a powerful statement that boldly introduced a young artist with exceptional ability. New Zealand music critic Lydia Jenkin wrote “when you’re lucky enough to hear him sing, your jaw will drop…” Recently announced in the top 20 for Aotearoa’s most prestigious songwriting award the APRA Silver Scroll, and peaking at number #1 on the NZ Soul Charts as well as charting worldwide, Teeks is unequivocally one of Aotearoa’s next great talents.

THE MILTONES

The Miltones are a ripping five-piece whose performances transcend the boundaries of the stage – stellar musicians and solid entertainers, Milly’s descriptive and scenic escapades lead the band into soulful grooves and down-home jams that bring audiences into ecstatic reverie.

The Miltones’ rise has been meteoric: glowing early reviews, excited tweets from their small and packed pre-tour Auckland showcase, upsizing venues to accommodate ticket sales. The June release of their self-titled album resulted in a sold-out show at Tuning Fork – the exclamation point to their record release tour – with the packed young audience singing along to most of The Miltones’ new album, released only weeks before.

NZ Listener gave The Miltones’ self-titled album 4.5 stars, and the NZ Herald called it “the freshest sound in New Zealand popular music right now”. With accolades from online to the airwaves, The Miltones’ trajectory is upward bound, their aspirations set on Australia and beyond.

YUKON ERA

So often, artist monikers can sound like throwaway abject attempts at edginess or SEO optimisation. Yukon Era is neither. There are a lot of bands in Auckland. There are a lot of bands from the North Shore. But Yukon Era occupy a unique, small territory much like that of actual Yukon region in Canada. They’re young enough to have avoided succumbing to industry weariness or scene categorisation, yet old enough to have spent money on a decent amplifier. They occupy a space in time where Metz are a click away from Black Sabbath, where you can mention Mac DeMarco & Metallica in the same breath and not sound like an idiot. And you can hear it. As soon as the playful vocals of Christian Dimick lull you into an “indie throwback” mood, the band (comprising of Lachie Thurlow, Pierre Beasley and James Dimick) deftly changes tack, using rhythm & dynamics as integral songwriting tools to create something both fervently modern, and stubbornly classic.

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GOING GLOBAL MUSIC SUMMIT 2017 moves into its sixth year and continues to provide invaluable global business opportunities for the New Zealand music community: artist showcases to key music industry representatives, upskilling seminars discussing the latest trends, and advice and anecdotes from international professionals via panel discussions and one-on-one meetings. This year’s conference will take place across the Roundhead Studios complex, in Newton, Auckland. Roundhead is an artist-focused location with internationally recognised creative credentials and ambience. It’s simply the perfect spot to discuss music.

Going Global Music Summit 2017 is a rare opportunity for any local artist, manager, publicist, A&R, producer, music writer, record label and venue manager to connect with international booking agents, synch licensors, international media, PR experts, artist managers with international experience and those working for the fast moving live and digital music platforms.

GOING GLOBAL MUSIC SUMMIT 2017 is proudly brought to you by Independent Music New Zealand in partnership with the NZ Music Commission and Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development and is supported by NZ On Air, APRA AMCOS and a Recorded Music NZ Music Grant.