Welcome to Crushfest! The over-emotional, all-inclusive emo mini-festival featuring a medley of Aotearoa’s most iconic pop/punk/rock bands.
This is the premiere of New Zealand’s only emo and pop-punk mini-festival, featuring six live bands from Tāmaki Makaurau and Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Wellington’s Holloway and Crying Club head north to join Auckland’s The Not Okays, Stray Dogs, Lost Vessels and Venom Dolls for the show of a lifetime at The Tuning Fork, this July.
The announcement of Crushfest comes as a new revival emo teases its way back to the mainstream, with the return and reinvention of the likes of pop-rock icons My Chemical Romance and Panic! At the Disco in the last month alone. CrushFest 2022 is the opportunity for Aotearoa to show its contribution towards the revival, and is a night to not be missed.
Sparky Records presents:
CRUSHFEST 2022
Feat. Holloway, Crying Club, The Not Okays, Stray Dogs, Lost Vessels, Venom Dolls
Saturday 9th July | The Tuning Fork | Auckland
GA tickets are now available for $30 (plus booking fees) through Moshtix or from The Tuning Fork‘s website.
About the bands:
HOLLOWAY
The New Zealand nu-punk rockers of your dreams, Holloway are a sugary face-punch flaunting obnoxiously infectious hooks, vampy looks and a penchant for performance. Holloway have toured Aotearoa since 2020 with an inclusive and DIY approach to shows. The band have released a slew of records since their inception, with singles Here Comes Glitterboy (2020), Violet, and Last Dance For Losers (2021) propelling the band forward to make waves in scenes across the country.
THE NOT OKAYS
The Not Okays are an independent five-piece emo revival band from Auckland, celebrating the fact that emo was never dead. Having headlined Ding Dong Lounge’s infamous emo nights since 2018 with covers, extensive lockdowns gave the band the push they needed to start working on original content and continue to support the rise of modern emo. The band features seasoned musicians on the festival circuit in the likes of Written by Wolves, Shotgun Alley and alongside Kaylee Bell. Recent releases include Sophie (Goodshirt cover) and pop-rock bop Better Days.
CRYING CLUB
You may know Crying Club from previously possessing the World’s best band name “The Chonus Brothers” and tragically losing it due to rumours of a legal dispute with an animated mouse. Now they are Wellington’s saddest emo band, 4 adults with the angst of teenagers and the humour of children, they have been jumping around together on stage for a wee bit now. Having released their first single/music video “Taxi Man” late 2021, they have been procrastinating like no other band can on their mission to release more tunes. For fans of bands like The Used, Paramore and La Dispute, they deliver punchy breakdowns, catchy hooks and a safe space to have a good old cry.
STRAY DOGS
Formerly known as Fire for Glory, Stray Dogs are a Tāmaki Makaurau band who are here to bring their high energy brand of Pop-Punk to audiences across the motu (and beyond). Fresh from rebranding the band into something that represents how they have grown as people and as musicians over the past decade, Stray Dogs boast a sound that sends you straight back to the mid 2000’s emo days of old, and a message focussed on uplifting the hauora of those around us. Stray Dogs are a band who are here to live in your heads rent-free (but they can provide snacks).
VENOM DOLLS
Venom Dolls are a 3 piece all-female melodic punk band formed at the end of 2020. The outfit consists of lead guitarist Carawai Gao, Summah the drummer Auvae, and vocalist/bassist Jessica Frank. With a freshly released EP and host of experience performing at local venues, their fast paced, highly relatable tunes are sure to get you dancing/moshing/accidentally injuring your neighbour.
LOST VESSELS
On one fateful Sunday afternoon in Cockle Bay, a drummer and a guitarist discovered they both liked some pretty cool bands and just had to start making some pop punk of their own. A few lockdowns later they found a new singer through an accidentally shared voice memo, and they were away laughing. Lost Vessels take influence from bands like Motion City Soundtrack, All Time Low, Real Friends, Knuckle Puck, Origami Angel, and generally so much pop punk and emo shit they can’t keep track. With music on the way, but nothing out just yet, it’s probably best to catch these cool kids live while you can.
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