Parachute 2014 Highlights
29 Jan 2014 // review by amandashootsbands
Words by Amanda Ratcliffe - AKA amandashootsbands Straight from the mouth of Mr. Mark de Jong himself, I learned that this was the 24th Parachute Music Festival, and it is growing larger every year it’s held at the Mystery Creek venue in Hamilton.
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The top ten cool things about Saturday at Parachute 2012
02 Feb 2012 // review by amandashootsbands
1. I’ve been to a number of Midnight Youth shows over the past few years, so it was rather lovely to sit and enjoy a few snippets from the front-man himself, Jeremy Redmore at Noise.
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Big Day Out 2011
25 Jan 2011 // review by amandashootsbands
Big Day Out 2011 was my seventh in seven years, and if you know a thing or two about numbers and their spiritual meaning, this one is particularly magical.  I can’t confirm such beliefs, as my seventh experience definitely had its share of crappy moments, but don’t cry pussycat – there were good times too.
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Plum Green - An Interview With Plum Green
27 Oct 2010 // interview by amandashootsbands
We caught up with the lovely Plum Green for an interview before the release of her latest EP titled The Red to see what makes her tick. Who are your favourite NZ musicians/bands?
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Kids Of 88 - Sugarpills | Album Review
26 Sep 2010 // review by amandashootsbands
When a band describes their music as 'a cross between a late 80s police drama intro theme and a sophisticated super hussy', it's pretty much impossible to hold onto that curiosity for long, before delving in to find out who and what these people are all about. So did curiosity kill this kitty after getting her paws on Kids of 88's debut album, Sugarpills?
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2 a.m. Orchestra - Gig Review | Go Vino | Hamilton
20 Sep 2010 // review by amandashootsbands
The 18th September will definitely go down as one of the stormiest days in Hamilton, but I’ll always remember it as the day I finally got to see the lads of 2 a.m.
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Cairo Knife Fight - Cairo Knife Fight EP Review
07 Aug 2010 // review by amandashootsbands
Words by Amanda Ratcliffe What do Anika Moa, Weta and Fat Freddy’s Drop all have in common? Would you be surprised if I said rock?
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Pistol Youth - My Own Private Amsterdam Album Review
14 Jun 2010 // review by amandashootsbands
Words by Amanda Ratcliffe Starting a new rock group while on tour with your current band isn’t something that you’d expect from a New Zealand outfit.  But that’s exactly what Steriogram’s singer and guitarist, Bradley Hanan Carter decided to do back in 2007.
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Knights of the Dub Table - Tronic EP Review
24 Apr 2010 // review by amandashootsbands
Words by Amanda Ratcliffe Local lads from one of Hamilton’s favorite bands, Knights of the DUB Table first started their journey at Wintec in 2007 whilst completing their Bachelor of Media Arts, Music Stream. Come 2008, the six-piece was complete and work had begun on bringing their unique sound to the people - all while sharing the common goal - “To honor and protect the late King Tubby’s way of life, and the way of the DUB (Dedication, Unity, Brotherhood)”.
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Sons of Apollo - Album Review - The Landing
24 Jan 2010 // review by amandashootsbands
2008 saw the final bits of the puzzle come together to create Hamilton based rock group, Sons of Apollo. The search to form such a band began earlier in the decade when Belgian born, Bart Brichau moved to New Zealand to pursue a life long dream - which was to write and record his debut album.
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The Naked And Famous - Gig Review - The Naked And Famous and F In Math at Flow
15 Sep 2009 // review by amandashootsbands
Words by Amanda Ratcliffe They’ve got a couple of new members, and a bunch of new tunes – who are they? The Naked And Famous of course!
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Tahuna Breaks - Album Review - Black Brown & White
05 Sep 2009 // review by amandashootsbands
It’s a freezing spring morning in the city of the future, but as I sit here listening to Black Brown & White, I can feel the first hints of summer shining through. Wrapping its arms around me lovingly with fresh funky beats from one of New Zealand’s most loved and talked about acts, Tahuna Breaks.
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Autozamm - Gig Review - Autozamm - The Meteor Theatre
06 Jul 2009 // review by amandashootsbands
The Fuel Festival in Hamilton seems to get bigger and brighter every year, and this time round its played host to some of New Zealand’s most popular acts such as Minuit and Little Bushman, along with Saturday night favourites - Midnight Youth and Autozamm. Being an all ages gig, there were kids a plenty, all out to see their beloved hotties on stage with the obvious hope to impress the musicians so much that they might choose to ‘hang’ with them after the show.
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Hangman - EP Review - Black Rock White Funk!
14 Jun 2009 // review by amandashootsbands
While we’ve all been listening to their 2008 release - Trade Goods, the Hangman lads have been hard at work creating their latest EP, Black Rock White Funk! This time round, they’ve recorded and mixed it themselves to provide listeners with a feel for what the band sounds like live.
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Midnight Youth - Album Review - The Brave Don't Run
24 May 2009 // review by amandashootsbands
Naming their debut album The Brave Don’t Run, it’s obvious that the lads of popular kiwi act, Midnight Youth mean business. Having already been chosen to open concerts for the likes of international bands INXS, OK Go and Incubus, they’re clearly not afraid to let their talents shine which has seen them shoot to nationwide stardom over the past year.
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The Datsuns - The Datsuns - Sittin’ Pretty In The Tron
19 Apr 2009 // review by amandashootsbands
The last time I saw The Datsuns play in the Tron was when they tore it up at The Yellow Submarine in mid 2008, drawing in one of the most energetic and dare I say, messy crowds I’d ever seen down there. We’re talking arms and legs batting others over the head, crowd surfing, yelling and a whole lot of jumping up and down, making it one of my most memorable gigs to date.
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DateMonthYear - Album Review - Pot/Kettle/Black
17 Mar 2009 // review by amandashootsbands
To be honest, I’d be pretty surprised if you told me you hadn’t heard the name DateMonthYear getting thrown around at some stage seeing as they’ve been around since 2003. But for those of you who haven’t, let me tell you a little something about the group.
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