Marlo Schorr-Kon

  After 132 long days, I finally got to head back to Ding Dong Lounge for a gig. Ding was throwing a Christmas party featuring three bands: Black Alpine, White Noise Mafia, and Liit. I arrived at the venue, which had been decked out with Christmas tinsel, and was soon chatting away with the two Matts, Chris, and Neo that make up White Noise Mafia. There was an atmosphere of real excitement brewing amongst the place. It was indeed shaping up to be a good night, albeit with some restrictions. Auckland’s Covid outbreak has no doubt changed how we view live music for the time being, as this was a seated gig, with about 30 available seats. Even with restrictions in place, I don’t think anything could have cast a shadow over the sheer excitement of finally having live music back in business.    ‘The worst cover band ever’. This was our introduction to cover band openers, Liit. I was shocked to find out that the guitarist of Liit also plays the guitar in Blindspott, one of my fa...

  Best Artist: White Noise Mafia White Noise Mafia made a vicious debut this year with the release of their two singles, 'The Divide' and 'Let It End', and it was thrilling to see it unfold. They have overcome obstacle after obstacle, and have come out the other side stronger than ever.  Best New Artist: Concrete Castles Listening to Concrete Castles for the first time was definitely a step out of my comfort zone, but it was awesome to discover a band of very talented musicians, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for them.  Best Album: Alien Weaponry -Tangaroa There is no doubt in my mind that this album was well worth the wait. It was exciting to hear the boys from Waipu expanding on their killer sound, and it is safe to say that they took things to a whole new level on Tangaroa.  Best Single: Sit Down In Front - Pixie Caramel ft. Tiki Taane Sit Down In Front and Tiki Taane really impressed me with this single. It is always exciting to hear musicians fus...

  Known around the world for his work on The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings, Peter Jackson’s Get Back gives the world a completely different view of The Beatles’ career. Get Back is compiled from over 56 hours of footage, and over 100 hours of audio recordings, of The Beatles, writing and recording songs from their final two albums, Abbey Road (1969), and Let It Be (1970). It gives viewers insight into a period of their career that has been largely misinterpreted. This period is often thought of as a time when growing tensions were beginning to break the band apart. While this is true to some extent (George Harrison quits the band not far into the doco, but returns later), it is apparent that The Beatles still felt a great sense of endearment for each other. Their relationships with each other, particularly between John Lennon and Paul McCartney were still relatively intact, allowing them to work together constructively.  An aspect of Get Back that I really enjoyed was seeing Th...

  Back in March of 2021, Corey Taylor hinted at something new from Slipknot, saying it had “everything you would want from a Slipknot project”. Taylor also said that the new project would remind people why they love Slipknot. We now have a taster of what Slipknot is brewing with their new single ‘The Chapeltown Rag’. ‘The Chapeltown Rag’  is a brilliant release from Slipknot after over 2 years, because of its simplicity. The song doesn’t take the average Slipknot listener too far out of their comfort zone and manages to still be exciting. This is an out for blood, full-throttle Slipknot banger and there’s no other way to put it. ‘The Chapeltown Rag’ opens with electronic sounds before the drums and vocals enter. Everything drops out as the guitar riff enters, taking us back to the classic Slipknot sound we all know and love. The verse goes half-time, with Corey Taylor’s iconic vocal sound. The short stabs of double kick in the driving drum beat give us every reason to headbang...

  Heavy Alt Rock band White Noise Mafia have kept themselves busy in these crazy times by writing new material and rescheduling cancelled shows “but we want to get out and play as soon as covid permits!” The four piece have come together from far flung locales, but it was lead guitarist and born and bred Glen Eden-er through and through Matt Holden who brought the band together. “It was the initial forming of the band, and the local scene, that brought me to Auckland” explains Chris (guitar and vocals) “I actually grew up most of my life in South Canterbury. Our drummer Neo’s from the Coromandel, Matt (Holden) and bass player Matt Sansome (yes two Matt’s) were here in Auckland. We all knew each other before joining but it was Matt H who put it all together and brought us here. So blame him ”. The band has a unique sound influenced by many different artists. “We are all big fans of vastly different sounds, but to narrow down what helped create our sound, we take great inspiration fr...

  Hailing from Wellington, Alt/Indie project Voodoo Bloo has taken the New Zealand music scene by storm with its unique blend of hard-hitting sounds, emotional songwriting and danceable distorted chaos. Their new single ‘Skin’ is from their debut album, JACOBUS , due for release on December 4th. ‘Skin’ has a real psychedelic, Pink Floyd-like element to it, drawing its influences from the likes of the Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead. In their words: “‘ Skin’ is about ripping out of your teenage years and facing yourself in the mirror in a cruel, yet reflective look at what you love and hate about your life and how change can be harsh to all, but ultimately leaves you a better and changed person. ” ‘Skin’ opens with a groovy bass riff, followed by the drums. This song’s rhythm section is very tightly locked, providing a solid backdrop for the other elements of the song. 80s synth sounds sweep all over the track, accompanied by delicate guitar melodies. Frontman Rory McDonald has a very ...

  When I first heard Sit Down In Front, I hadn’t heard anything like them since first hearing the Sex Pistols. Their raw, rebellious, punk rock sound radiates with undeniable, propulsive energy. Vocalist Cory Newman’s snarly vocal style, which has earned him comparison to Johnny Rotten, is instantly recognizable, and perfectly fits the feeling of rebellion and angst created by their music. Their new single, ‘Pixie Caramel’, which features New Zealand music legend, Tiki Taane, is a vicious effort from the Gisbourne-bred rockers. Dripping in swagger and wit, the band successfully captures the essence of the old-school punk rock that influences their sound, while adding a modern twist.  ‘Pixie Caramel’ begins with the full band before breaking down to the drums and vocals during the verse, with the guitars topping off each vocal line. The energy increases with the addition of the off-beat accents on the drums in the second half of the verse. The chorus is full of adrenaline, espe...