Fury of the Small: Buy, sell and swap secrets at the Goblin Market
Fury of the Small blends radio drama, improv comedy and tabletop roleplaying into a unique audio experience. In our story, four stalwart heroes delve into a goblin den seeking fame and fortune. Months later, four avenging goblins step into the human world seeking retribution. All that follows is decided by the roll of the dice!
In episode five the goblins are surrounded by distant kith and kin at the Goblin Market. Amid the hustle and bustle, our four protagonists are lost in thought. Why is it they came to lose their home? Who were the monsters responsible? And how might the goblins of Jaggedjaw take their revenge?
This episode dives deep into each goblin's psyche. We learn more of their secrets, their pasts and hints of what their futures might hold. Smiggly loses himself in the bottle, Sly looks to the skies and Scritches seeks a means to continue the hunt for the heroes. The littlest goblin Skree nurses the greatest secret of all…
Fury of the Small is a limited series Dungeons & Dragons podcast produced by The Wild Magic Tavern, in partnership with The Spinoff. It stars Brynley Stent, Arlo Gibson, Ella Hope-Higginson, Tom Eason and Paddy Carroll with sound design by Te Aihe Butler.
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The Spinoff
19 hours ago
- The Spinoff
Infinity Sessions, reviewed: Neil Finn, Don McGlashan, The Beths, Tom Scott and LEAO
Roundhead Studios is midway through a 10-night livestreamed musical extravaganza to help Make Us Feel Good About Life. Here are reviews from those who were in the room for the first week. Watch the next five Infinity Sessions live on The Spinoff from 7.30pm this Wednesday-Sunday. Night one: Don McGlashan with Motte and SJD The Mufgal express roared out of the station on Wednesday night with an intimate, uplifting performance by one of Aotearoa's most beloved and brilliant songwriters. Don McGlashan treated a room full of reverent Roundheadheads to a sweep of treats from a shimmering 'Lucky Stars' and a haunting 'White Valiant' to the soulful beauty of 'Anchor Me' and the twisted beauty of 'The Heater'. Master of bathos, of extracting the profound from the ordinary, McGlashan – expertly accompanied by Anita Clark aka Motte – was very clearly having a bloody good time up there. He was joined by host/impresario Neil Finn for 'Andy', The Front Lawn's hymn of personal loss, and then came that other great song of inexplicable loss, of national tragedy, the Mutton Birds' 'A Thing Well Made'. Overwhelming. Motte began the night with a perfectly stalactite set, and SJD delivered a mesmeric synth followup. Appearing with all three was drummer-genius Chris O'Connor. This latest, epic series of Infinity Sessions takes place in the downstairs studios at Roundhead, but what is lost in in-the-round dynamics and chandeliers is more than made up for in intensity and intimacy: across two rooms, for a couple of weeks in winter, this is New Zealand's most exciting place to be. An exquisite start to a very special fortnight. / Toby Manhire Night two: Neil Finn with Vera Ellen Neil Finn misses David Bowie. 'The world went to shit when he died,' he said after opening his set on Thursday night with 'Quicksand', an esoteric epic from Bowie's 1971 album Hunky Dory. Following Vera Ellen's tight opening set, Finn moved on to simpler sentiments, the crowd joining him for a cover of Carole King's 'You've Got a Friend'. Swapping guitar for piano, Finn aired out the lesser-known track, 'Faster than Light'. Everything, he said, has to be reinvented daily, including old songs. Long-time collaborator Victoria Kelly joined him on mellotron for the achingly beautiful 'Gentle Hum'. With the mood elevated, Finn had no trouble getting us to do our part and the room hummed along soulfully. From Kelly's entrance onward, the stage filled with musicians. Finn could easily settle into elder statesman mode, but instead, he was impish, clearly relishing the chance to share the spotlight with Ellen, Ben Lemi, De Stevens, Tiare Kelly, Audrey May Banach-Salas, and Joshua Worthington-Church. By the time 'She Will Have Her Way' closed the night, it's hard to know who's having more fun – us or the extraordinary assembly in front of us. At the start of the night, Finn dedicated the evening to 'the innocent victims of war'. The Infinity Sessions are his bid to make us feel good about life; 'little acts of goodness', he calls them. In a world gone 'to shit', it's tempting to be cynical about that, but after weeping through Don McGlashan the night before and bouncing around at Finn's show, there's something urgent about the rallying cry underpinning these sessions. Music won't end war, but it does grow our capacity for joy and appreciation, and tolerance of other people. Sometimes, it really feels like those muscles are atrophying. Neil Finn isn't having a bar of it. / Anna Rawhiti-Connell Night three: The Beths with Chelsea Prestiti What an absolute treat to see The Beths in such a cosy setting on the eve of an album release and world tour. Chelsea Prestiti warmed up the crowd with jazzy, samba-inspired beats and a captivating, semi-psychedelic vocal number. Chlöe Swarbrick then took the stage for a surprise intro – 'When it feels like there are no words left, there is art, there is music, there is joy and there is… THE BETHS.' The band ripped into the show with the eponymous track from their soon-to-be-released record 'Straight Line Was A Lie'. But not before telling us they were kinda nervous. 'No Joy', another new one, came soon after and featured a few recorder solos (unexpected, amazing). The Beths, lead-vocalist Liz Stokes said, were not only debuting new music for us but also testing out their world tour gear. Well loved tunes 'Silence Is Golden' and 'When You Know You Know' had the crowd jumping up and down, getting sweaty and head bang-y. 'Now that everyone's excited, let's play a sad song,' Stokes said as the rest of the band left the stage for a huge vibe shift, 'It's not sad, just complicated … it's called 'Mother Pray for Me'.' It was beautiful, totally rocked me. I cried four distinct tears and heard many sniffles. 'Mosquito' was similarly heartfelt, calling to mind the Auckland floods. The emotional range of the night was lovely, the crowd was friendly and considerate, even if a few super fans sang a little too loudly. 'Thanks for coming to this weird thing,' Stokes said towards the end. I'm so happy I did. It really did make me feel good about life. One of the younger people in attendance said it was her very first gig. What a stellar start to a world tour, and that young person's life of live music. / Liv Sisson Night four: Tom Scott with Sarvi 'You never know what you're going to get with Tom [Scott]' said the guy wearing a black parka standing next to me in the reception area. On one side of us, there was an old statue of a cheetah. On the other side, a cougar. The paint was flaking off both. Past the decorative pinball machine and inside the downstairs live room, the small crowd was treated to the mellow sounds of Sarvi (who also happens to be Scott's partner). Accompanied by a four piece band, Sarvi effortlessly delivered six tracks that transported you to a nondescript jazz lounge in the mid 20th century. During the changeover, the crowd was ushered into the lobby, where Scott and Roundhead Studios owner Neil Finn provided their musings on life, politics, and knocking on your neighbour's door looking for your lost cat. Back inside the live room, gold ribbons shimmered light as Scott confirmed the sneaking suspicions that he'd be debuting music from his new album. Titled Anitya – which is Sanskrit referring to impermanence or transience – Scott likened the album to his first daughter. 'I don't rap on any of this', he warned, before letting out a small vocal scale. The music was a mix of muted drumming, stabbing warped guitar solos, back-up vocals with high autotune pitch from the likes of Lui Tuiasau, and Scott's singing. It's different for Tom Scott, but then again, it's also not. There are lines about 'cheap small talk' with a father-in-law, falling out of love, and knowing when it's time to leave. For those familiar with Scott's catalogue, Anitya is just another seemingly inevitable evolution. / Liam Rātana Night five: LEAO with Neil Finn and Hun Lynch There's a comfort in a band having a truly distinct sound, so much so that even though LEAO opened their set with two new songs, they felt immediately familiar. The twang of the slide guitar and the energetic strumming from frontman David Feauai-Afaese got the intimate session off to a warm start. Feauai-Afaese introduced each song and complained about the heat (it's stuffy in the small studio and someone had fainted already during opening act Hun Lynch, who was great despite the delays). For anyone unfamiliar with LEAO's sound, I'd recommend catching a live gig as an introduction. There's just no way to hear 'Taeao' for the first time performed live and not fall in love. The recorded singles are strong but singing live, with dual microphones for the layered vocals, and the bass turned up add something intoxicating to the Samoan rock sound. All that helped by Feauai-Afaese's affable nature and yelp for joy when the band 'nailed' a new song. At the end of the set, Feauai-Afaese looked exhausted and happy to set his guitar down. But his mum was in the front of the crowd and called for an encore. 'If mum says it, we have to do it,' he laughed as he picked the guitar up again. LEAO ended on a joyous rendition of 'Musika Malie' and, as is the law of Samoa, got a siva circle going in front of the stage. A beautiful way to spend a cold Sunday night. / Madeleine Chapman
The Spinoff
a day ago
- The Spinoff
RNZ at a crossroads after scathing independent review
Last week's review has exposed RNZ National's weaknesses – and left its leadership facing pressure to deliver a turnaround, writes Catherine McGregor in today's extract from The Bulletin. A blistering review RNZ National's failings were laid bare last week in a withering review by former news boss Richard Sutherland. Commissioned by RNZ chief executive Paul Thompson, the report painted a picture of a broadcaster that has lost its way – culturally, strategically, and on air. Sutherland described a widespread belief among staff that live radio was a 'sunset activity' rather than a growth opportunity, and said the quality of broadcast talent was variable: 'some people shouldn't be on air' at all. His interviews with more than 50 staff revealed blame-shifting, low ambition and confusion about who the audience is. The consequences are showing in the ratings: RNZ National has shed nearly a quarter of its listeners since 2019, dropping from over 616,000 to fewer than 470,000. If that trend continues, the audience could fall below 340,000 by 2030 – a disaster for a public broadcaster whose flagship radio division was once regarded as untouchable. Kerton's cutting critique For radio veteran Bill Kerton, none of this was revelatory. Writing in The Spinoff, he dismisses the review as too little, far too late. What angers him most is that Thompson even needed to outsource such advice, having told Sutherland he sought 'independent, frank guidance' for a station-wide reset. 'I had to re-read that note,' Kerton writes. 'Where was RNZ's chief strategy officer? Busy doing what?' He lambasts RNZ as bloated and directionless, and suggests the $30,000 review raised such obvious issues they could have been summarised by Thompson's 'office cleaner' in a few sentences. The fixes are achievable, he says – sharper programming and stronger talent, including a marquee hire – but he doubts RNZ's bureaucracy has the speed or will to deliver. A more sympathetic view Anna Rawhiti-Connell, by contrast, is a fan of Sutherland's frankness. In The Spinoff this morning she highlights his 'bold' proposal to target listeners aged 50 to 69, a move that cuts against the grain of public media's 'all things to all people' ethos and the wider industry's obsession with chasing younger audiences. Anna acknowledges the risks of defining the core audience as older and potentially shrinking, but also appreciates the clear-eyed approach. Focusing on a single age bracket is 'a blunt instrument, and there will be criticism that it lacks nuance,' she notes. But, 'the first step in being audience-first … is to define that audience. Sutherland has done that. I'm not sure much more nuance is required at this point.' A political target As Kerton notes, the report could easily become a political football: 'A $30,000 report into a massively over-resourced government asset…is exactly what New Zealanders are utterly sick of reading about.' Newsroom's Mark Jennings says RNZ has few friends in the coalition: Act questions its very existence, while Winston Peters still harbours grudges over a 'perceived lack of reporting on his party's successes'. Already on the outs with many in government, RNZ is now an even more attractive target for 'flailing' Paul Goldsmith. The media minister's 'one achievement seems to have been getting walked over by Google and Facebook', writes Jennings, proving himself no more effective than his hapless predecessor Melissa Lee, who lasted only six months in the job. 'If the same rules applied, [Goldsmith] should also be handing the portfolio over to the next hopeful.' Who could be RNZ National's saviour? Attention now turns to talent – or the lack thereof. Both Sutherland and media commentators say RNZ desperately needs a 'get' to reinvigorate its lineup. But as the Herald's Shayne Currie notes (paywalled), many of the top names are locked down: Mike Hosking, Heather du Plessis-Allan and Ryan Bridge are welded to Newstalk ZB, while Jack Tame is tied to both TVNZ and ZB. Hiring Paddy Gower, Rebecca Wright, Tova O'Brien or Duncan Garner could be a slightly easier ask. 'But the search for outside talent also highlights RNZ's failure to develop more of its own presenters into top performers,' writes Jennings. Emile Donovan and Alexa Cook are rising stars, says Currie, though perhaps not yet ready to anchor flagship programmes. For now, RNZ's challenge is finding the right hire at the right time – a decision that will determine whether the station can turn its slide around.
The Spinoff
4 days ago
- The Spinoff
The Weekend: A tribute to everyone's favourite stranger
Madeleine Chapman reflects on the week that was. We had an unlikely hero on The Spinoff this week. The anonymous 23-year-old who featured in Tuesday's Cost of Being described herself as 'broke with expensive taste' and didn't hold back when describing how she spends her, admittedly, little money. Savings? Forget about it. 'Given that the planet seems like it's a couple years away from plunging into a full grim dystopia, I'll be using every dollar I have to assert my vivacity and joie de vivre while I still can.' Grooming and beauty expenditure? Limited, but 'I buy a pair of falsies [lashes] pretty regularly since I'm always crying mine off.' I love this woman, and evidently so did readers. The comments are wholesome, asking for a full column from this anonymous legend (note: she is real, but even we don't know who she really is, she just filled out the form). I personally received two texts from different friends asking for more entries like hers. This is all very wholesome but a little surprising to me. In my four years in this role, it has proven impossible to predict how readers will react to other people's lives. In another year, I would've bet safely on Tuesday's readers scoffing at a young person living at home for free and spending $400 on boots. What was it that so enchanted readers? We've had 'spenders' feature in the series before, and plenty of participants have thrown in pithy one-liners about their situation and the world at large. But there was something beautifully hopeful in this young person's attitude to living her life (despite the dystopian view on saving money). I suspect many readers with full-time jobs and mortgages and responsibilities delighted in knowing that at least one young person was out there making the most of their early 20s. And most importantly, she was funny. Trust me, you can get away with a lot if it's decorated with humour. Nearly 700 New Zealanders have filled out the Cost of Being questionnaire and all are beautifully unique, but the majority inevitably fall into the 'doing my best to be responsible' category. So if you're someone who is living your best fun life and has a story to tell, I invite you to contribute to the series. Maybe you too could be someone's hero. The stories Spinoff readers spent the most time with this week Joel MacManus uses 10 graphs to analyse why homelessness Is worse under this government The cost of being: A retail assistant who's 'broke with expensive taste' Alex Casey rounds up all the celebrities* running in local elections around the country this year Former race relations commissioner Joris De Bres responds to the renaming of the Rongotai electorate Chlöe Swarbrick was barred from the House all week – is that even allowed? Andrew Geddis explains Feedback of the week 'As a 19 year old, I don't think education about the internet is enough to prevent harm (because I had internet education). In an ideal world, parents would be able to monitor what their children are doing on the internet, but they can't and most won't. It feels like a significant chunk of the internet is designed to make you feel worse, especially now with the polarised political landscape (see Andrew Tate). I personally think a restriction of the internet for youth is in order, but then the hard part becomes actually doing it without privacy concerns (like giving ID to private corporations who might sell or leak it) or the government caring enough to not half-ass it. I do think a ban is too extreme, but I think people need to consult youth more who actually are growing/ grew up with it.' 'It seems like an important point is being missed that Chloe didn't call anyone spineless, she called for MP's to have a spine. They are very different things, one is an insult, the other is an invocation to show courage. '
