The Jesus Lizard Returning To New Zealand This October
After initially calling it a day in 1999, the Jesus Lizard officially return full time to save us from the current state of musical mediocrity with their latest album, Rack. A blistering resurgence of the so-called 'noise rock' they helped define alongside contemporaries Big Black, Flipper, The Birthday Party, with their previous and most noted albums Head, Goat and Liar. For those of us who live in fear of the reunion album and subsequent tour, the Jesus Lizard thankfully display not only the same chaotic and dark nihilism of their earlier careers but also the maturity and seasoning of a band riding a wave of renewed and reinvigorated form.
Once slated by famed engineer Steve Albini as 'the greatest band I've ever seen' the Jesus Lizard not only lived up to this lofty praise in their prime but continue to do so in their advancing years. David Yow still leads the charge as the maniacally possessed frontman entering crowds with reckless abandon and a stamina that much younger vocalists would kill for. The original rhythm section of David Wm Sims and Mac McNeilly further continue to prove why they were and are the best bass & drum combo since Jones and Bonham, anchoring the ship as Captain Yow and first mate Denison navigate the wild seas of their songs. And while he may not always feature (as he rightly should) on many modern music journalists 'best guitarists lists', Duane Denison could perhaps be the most innovative and idiosyncratic punk rock guitarist EVER. However, each member is a sum of their parts but combined they are as Albini also once said 'the purest melding of the sublime and profane.'
Whether you are a longtime disciple of the Jesus Lizard, seeing them when last here in '98, or perhaps your fandom is more recent and have only seen videos of their legendary live performances, you will know that these shows are not to be missed.
Tickets go on sale through moshtix.co.nz on Friday 8th May. But get in quick, these shows will sell out fast!!!!
Saturday 11th October 2025 - The Tuning Fork, Auckland (All ages)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
6 days ago
- NZ Herald
Grammy-winning country artist Jelly Roll to perform in New Zealand for first time
NZ Herald Afternoon News Update | Luxon's tour of CRL and man accused of killing Lyn Fleming named. Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. Already a subscriber? Sign in here Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen. 8 Aug, 2025 02:00 AM 2 mins to read Global superstar country artist Jelly Roll will play his first New Zealand concert in Auckland this November. The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter is set to play Western Springs as part of his Down Under 2025 Tour on November 8. Pre-sale tickets are on sale from 3pm today until 3pm on August 11. The general release sale starts at 4pm on August 11. The tour is slated to showcase his 2024 album Beautifully Broken and recent radio hit Liar, which has topped country music charts in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Otago Daily Times
18-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Recognition of work overwhelming, ‘affirming' for poet
Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry winner Emma Neale, of Dunedin, at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards on Wednesday night in Auckland. Photo: supplied A Dunedin author was overwhelmed by the recognition her book received at the country's top literature awards night. Editor, novelist and poet Emma Neale won the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry for her collection Liar, Liar, Lick, Spit at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards in Auckland on Wednesday night. She said she felt calm on the night but later when she was talking to her husband about it she found herself getting quite teary. "It's been very affirming." Mrs Neale said it was nice to be recognised by the judges who she admired quite a bit. "To think that they've been reading your own work so closely has been just such a gift." Mrs Neale had been writing books since the 1990s and did not expect Liar, Liar, Lick, Spit to be the book that won her an award. Her poems were personal — one took about 30 years to write — and it was a joy for her to see so many people connect with her work. "The connection is similar to having a wonderful conversation with someone." She said the poem took her some time to write because she was learning to craft it in a way that was not too heavy-handed for the reader.
Otago Daily Times
14-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Dunedin author wins top award for her poetry
Emma Neale. Photo: supplied A Dunedin author has been honoured at the country's biggest literary arts awards. Editor, novelist and poet Emma Neale won the Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry for her collection Liar, Liar, Lick, Spit at the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards in Auckland last night. Poetry category convener of judges David Eggleton said the collection of poems displayed an exceptional ability to turn confessional anecdotes into "quicksilvery flashes of insight". "Emma Neale is a writer fantastically sensitive to figurative language and its possibilities," he said. Her book was about fibs, fables and telling true stories, which were perceived by others as tall stories and the knock-on or flow-on effects of distrust — the scales dropping from one's eyes. Mr Eggleton said it was about power and a sense of powerlessness, belief and the loss of belief, about trust and disillusion, disenchantment with fairytales and compassion. The book, published by the Otago University Press, was nominated for the award alongside Hopurangi — Songcatcher: Poems from the Maramataka, by Robert Sullivan; In the Half Light of a Dying Day, by C.K. Stead; and Slender Volumes, by Richard von Sturmer. Neale had told the Otago Daily Times being shortlisted felt like an award in itself, feeling that the judges had read her work and seen merit in it was "really, really gratifying". — APL
