
The Others Way First Line-Up Revealed
Tāmaki Makaurau's iconic street festival is back, and bigger than ever in every way imaginable! Yes, the first line-up of twenty-nine mind-boggling acts for The Others Way has dropped, and yes, Saturday 29 November across Karangahape Road just became unmissable.
Hot off the press, we're pinching ourselves at the news that headlining this year's festival is none other than Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory, touring in support of their phenomenal self-titled album. Last seen here for an astonishing show at the majestic Civic Theatre, Sharon Van Etten has fully accepted her mantle as one of the world's great rock stars, fronting her gothic-tinged new quartet to widespread awe and acclaim.
While we've roped in all your usual favourite venues for the festival, we didn't think we could squeeze Shazza down the back of Little Turkish Café, so for the first time ever we're closing down KARANGAHAPE ROAD! Expect the whole dang block between Queen Street and Pitt Street to transform into the party of your dreams, with our main stage landing right near the Rainbow crossing.
As if that wasn't enough to get you scrambling for tickets, the rest of the line-up is scorching hotter than a Holden bonnet in late summer. Behold, Aotearoa's fabled masters of big noise High Dependency Unit, back to saturate your ears for their first live shows since 2017; Canadian 'sonic nonconformist' Saya Gray is headed our way for her debut NZ show; The Phoenix Foundation performing their recently reissued cult classic Pegasus in full; and Zambia's 'Zamrock' legends W.I.T.C.H. are intending to cause havoc, Others Way style.
But wait, there's more! Joining this extraordinary entourage is public transport mensch and songwriter supremo Anthonie Tonnon; the unmistakable dub sounds of Christoph El Truento; scorching rock'n'roll two piece Elliot & Vincent; rapper and international ballroom icon Jamaica Moana; US indie folk favourite Shannon Lay; the return of our dear friends The Bats on the eve of their new album; and a very special duo performance from Tiny Ruins.
You want more? We got more! Dreamy folk crooner Arahi; bass boss Babetech; captivating club legend BBYFACEKILLA; Aussie rockers C.O.F.F.I.N; psych rock newcomers Crying Ivy; te reo Māori injected electronica from Geneva AM; neo-soul sensation Hina; folk heroine Holly Arrowsmith; emerging pop fave Isla Noon; FILTH AKL favourite & super selector Kaiviti; the new wave of riot grrls Lipstick Cherry; the rap scientist Mazbou Q; rising hip-hop champion RNZŌ; stonking soulstress Romi Wrights; Australian soul adjacent DJ producer Sampology; reo rua (bilingual) rapper Swizl Jager; and dreamy sibling trio Womb.
And that's just the first line-up. There's a whole lot more to come.
We're shutting down the street, and throwing K Road the biggest party you've ever seen, with the wildest line-up in the festival's history. You don't wanna miss it.
' Being able to hear such a variety of acts and genres and styles all playing along Karangahape Road's precinct over one day is something that should never be taken for granted. ' - Rolling Stone Australia
THE OTHERS WAY FESTIVAL 2025
SATURDAY 29 NOVEMBER
ACROSS KARANGAHAPE ROAD
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Newsroom
5 hours ago
- Newsroom
The revival of a genre that never went away
Once considered niche and tucked away in dusty record stores or rural community halls, country music in New Zealand is enjoying something of a golden moment. From chart-topping Kiwi artists to two dedicated music stations in the past 18 months, the genre is striking a heartfelt chord with more people than ever before. Mark Rogers, host of Nashville Babylon on RNZ, grew up listening to country music, from Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash to Marty Robbins, and tells The Detail that it's all about the storytelling. 'As a kid, the songs and storytelling caught my imagination,' he says. 'The songs have no fat on them, they cut to the chase straight away, they are pretty simple, there's nothing too complicated about them, you know exactly where you are. 'And the classic country songs have something in them that will appeal to just about everyone. They hit home. They are easy to get and understand. People can identify with them. 'It's rare that they are talking about big flash cars or billion-dollar jewellery. It's the working man's music – that's been its appeal for many, many decades, and that will continue to ring true.' Kiwis, it seems, are falling more in love with the genre. And over the past 18 months, this has prompted the launch of not one, but two dedicated country music radio stations in New Zealand. First, broadcaster Mike Puru started Southern Cross Country, found on digital platforms. Then this month, NZME launched iHeartCountry NZ, offered on the iHeartRadio app and selected FM frequencies around the country. There are no presenters, just pre-programmed country music. Both stations showcase global legends and local voices. Among those voices, one name stands out: Tami Neilson. The Canadian-born, New Zealand-based powerhouse has been a trailblazer for years and has just won the inaugural Country Music Honour for Contribution to Country Music in Aotearoa, recognising her outstanding impact and unwavering dedication to the country music scene. 'What Tami is doing at the moment is astounding; she has been teaming up with Willie Nelson over in the States, which is a dream come true for her,' Rogers says. 'It's incredible and I'm super proud of what she is achieving…. I would like to think she will get on the (mainstream radio) playlists, because what she is doing is absolutely fantastic. The songs are great, and radio loves a good song, so there is no excuse not to play Tami.' But she is competing for airtime with unlikely country singers, including Beyonce and Post Malone, who have swapped pop and rap, respectively, for country beats. 'This has just exploded, and I think it's a good thing,' Rogers says. 'Admittedly, I'm not a massive fan of some of it, but I'm a big fan of others. 'I don't think it's cheapened the genre at all; it's just music developing.' And it's clear Kiwis want more of it, proving country music in New Zealand isn't just surviving. It's thriving. Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here. You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.


Otago Daily Times
15 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Feminine rage and power
The artist formally known as Calla is back and raging. Rings the bells and sound the trumpets — Calla of Ursa has been born! The operatic soprano, violinist, and producer formerly known as Calla has metamorphosed into a bold new incarnation, filled with righteous rage at the state of the planet and ready to bring her music to the world. Her upcoming show in Ōtepoti, celebrating the release of her cinematic and danceable "electro-folk opera" album Animal Reaction , will be her final Aotearoa performance before she heads overseas to chase new musical horizons in the UK and Europe. She leaves in just weeks. In preparation, Calla Knudson-Hollebon, 27, has just come from a farewell of sorts from her role as the programme manager of Crescendo, in Tāmaki Makaurau — a social enterprise delivering free music programmes for young people. It has been a fitting job for the musician, who says music "simply pours out of her". Calla of Ursa has played violin since age 3 and was singing before she could talk. She holds a first-class honours in performance voice and a key reason for her move overseas — as well as international touring — is the prestigious opportunity to study at Guildhall School of Music & Drama, in London. Although one foot is in the classical world, the other is firmly in the contemporary; she taught herself electronic music production on her grandmother's desktop computer — "I was just messing around," she says modestly. The songs of Animal Reaction effortlessly merge these analogue and digital worlds in mutually enhancing ways. "Real-world sounds ground the timbre of the composition, while the digital makes it more than it could be in real life." This hybrid — combined with her unique blend of classical and contemporary stylings — results in an album that feels timeless and fresh, rich with drama and texture. Calla of Ursa's violin and the cello of her accompanist Olivia Wilding shift between eerie Tom Waits-esque plucks and scratches and lavish multi-layered soaring; the electronic production adds gritty industrial texture and tribal-inspired pop beats. Calla of Ursa's inimitable voice soars and whispers throughout, guiding the album's emotional arc. The songs often begin gently, gradually building towards bold, booty-shaking climaxes. One standout single, Face Me , withholds a beat almost entirely, instead luxuriating in layers of strings and honeyed vocals — the late drop is worth the wait, though you can't help but wish it lingered. Calla of Ursa says she's constantly trying to "pave novel terrain" with her sound, even approaching To Be Sacred as a kind of symphony. "It took ages to finish," she says with a laugh. She admires artists who are equally boundary-pushing: "like Billie Eilish". "She's huge for a reason — the music is so beautifully done and interesting." Animal Reaction has a cinematic quality that conjures vivid, unbidden imagery. "I want it to sound like a condensed movie score," says Calla of Ursa — and that goal has certainly been realised. The album could easily soundtrack a film or serve as the theme for a prestige HBO series. It's theatrical, even carnivalesque at times. The jerky rhythms of To Be Sacred invoke unsettling visions of the musician manipulated puppet-like. Film scores are a goal for Calla of Ursa, and she has just completed her first: Bodies of Water , a Magnetic Boots production set for release soon. Thematically, Animal Reaction is an album about feminine rage, she says. After hearing a man remark that women are "a bit crazy around that time of month," she began to reflect on how society perceives the menstrual phase. "There is so much fear and apprehension around women feeling strong things; what are we afraid of?" Animal Reaction is a reclamation of rage as a valid emotion; an exploration of what feminine rage might look like on a global level. This is channelled into a response to the climate crisis, and the systemic subjugation of both people and the planet. But the album is deeply personal too — "there are also songs about love, in all its different colours," she says. "The ugly stuff, not just the pretty stuff." Music is healing for Calla of Ursa, and through her own catharsis she hopes to facilitate catharsis for others, she says. "Countless people tell me they've had transformative experiences through my music — it's an incredible honour." She hopes people feel the themes of Animal Reaction deeply, helping them connect to their rage and become less complacent about the world. Calla of Ursa sure seems more connected to her rage than "Calla" was, aesthetically at least. Gone is the soft ethereal fairy in a forest; here is a woman with stormy dark eyes and drips of blood-like red down her cheeks. Her new name is inspired by the etymological root of Calla: Callisto, the Greek nymph who was transformed into the constellation Ursa Major. "There were too many 'Calla's'," says the ambitious artist, who hopes to make a splash in Europe. "But I'm also going to lap up all the creative goodness over there and bring it back home." She's particularly eager to explore traditional music from Norway, Scotland, and Ireland, regions tied to her heritage. "Like kulning — it's a Scandinavian technique for singing to cows." So, rest assured: we haven't lost her for good. And when she returns, she'll have some new tricks up her sleeve. The gig • Calla of Ursa Animal Reaction album release gig, DropKicks, Dunedin, Friday June 6.


Scoop
a day ago
- Scoop
Andy Shauf's Foxwarren New Album, 2, Out Now Via ANTI-
Canadian quintet Foxwarren – Andy Shauf, Avery and Darryl Kissick, Dallas Bryson, and Colin Nealis their new album, 2, out now via ANTI-. Alongside the album they release the new single/video 'Deadhead'. Following 'Yvonne,' praised by AV Club as 'an understated kind of gorgeous,' 'Deadhead' sees Foxwarren on a quest for levity. The song seamlessly moves from an MF Doom -like pitch-shifted sample to a line-dance guitar lick to honeyed country-rock harmonies of the titular band all in three minutes. There are darting flutes, mangled electronics, and meticulous snippets of rhythm, all expertly placed to illustrate the song's emotional tumult. 'I won't stop dancing,' as Shauf sings, is exactly the feeling the song evokes. 'Deadhead' exemplifies the unique approach Foxwarren took in creating 2. After touring their lauded 2018 self-titled debut, the band dropped the familiar band-in-a-room routine. Instead, in their own home studios across four provinces, all five members would upload song ideas, melodic phrases, or rhythmic bits to a shared folder. In Toronto, Shauf would then plug these into a sampler and construct songs from the fragments supplied by his bandmates, leaning into classic hip-hop techniques and musique concrète alike as unlikely lodestars. Foxwarren would convene at weekly online meetings, offering long-distance suggestions about which way a song might shift. The result is mesmerizing and uncanny, an album that traces two sides of a relationship through 37 minutes of collage art that aspires to 'sound best blasting out your car window,' as put by Shauf. By himself, Shauf has already had a stellar career, his reputation built by the sweet melodies and uniquely imaginative and precise storytelling found on 2016's The Party through to 2023's Norm. Foxwarren, especially here, is a crucial part of that ongoing process, but 2 represents something even more significant—five friends now nearing the end of their second decade making music together, pushing against what they've learned how to do in order to venture somewhere new. It is the sound of friends who trust each other, cutting themselves loose from their past and their preconceptions to have some fun with a sampler and the very idea of songs.