The Poo Fighters

People sharing their 2016 pictures. It was a good year for me but I just remember the narrative at the time that it was the worst year ever lol

Amazing Viagra Boys gig at the Powerstation tonight. Highly energised. Very political. And sweltering! It really was a punk rave.

First show of the year today. New music from Father John Misty, Dry Cleaning, The Lemon Twings, Sault and more. 95bfm.com/bcast/the-su...

This would go hard as an early 70s metal album cover

www.stuff.co.nz/travel/36092... Back to work with a fun yarn

It’s old-fashioned to defend mainstream journalism these days but some of the most reliable reporting from people actually on the ground will be the AP and Reuters the next 24 hours. Your Substack journalist writing takes will be using frontline reporting from them.

I wanted a quiet start to the year

My one hot take about Wellington since being here is that Te Papa is their Auckland Queen St Imax Centre in terms of design.

Last story of the year for me www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3609...

Can’t beat it on a good day

if you want to see carols be butchered in front of the royals turn to tv one

Thank you RNZ for reminding me that How to make gravy is GOATED as a Christmas song

Born In The Rock 12/25/1957: the late, great Shane Patrick Lysaght MacGowan, co-founder and singer-songwriter of The Pogues, born in Kent, raised in Tipperary, MacGowan brought the worlds of punk and trad Irish folk together and rocked the diaspora. #ThePouges #RockHonorRoll

Merry Christmas

If you missed any of my 2025 top 20 albums countdown. Here is the full list.

Albums of the year 1 - Marlon Williams "Te Whare Tīwekaweka" Marlon Williams cemented himself as one of NZ's greatest singer/songwriters with this beautiful album sung entirely in te reo Māori Combined with a great doco and a tour for the ages, this was Marlon's career peak

Albums of the year 2 - Geese "Getting Killed" One of the best albums I have heard in a long time. An undescribable sound with a generational vocalist equals some absolute bonkers tunes. Guitar music is back to doing what it does best. The band of the year for sure.

Albums of the year 3 - Tom Scott "Anitya" This album was Scott's most personal to date and saw him step out on his own for the first time in his career. Musically very different from his other work, Anitya saw Scott dive into RnB, a move that ended up working a treat.

2025 has been the year of cancelled music festivals. What’s going on? I take a look. www.stuff.co.nz/culture/3609...

Albums of the year 4 - Wet Leg "Moisturizer" UK indie band Wet Leg survived the second album syndrome by delivering an album even better than their first. This album was catchy, fun, at times poppy indie rock, proving that good guitar music still has a place.

Albums of the year 5 - Little Simz "Lotus" Lotus proved why Little Simz is one of the greatest rappers of this era and continued her hot streak albums going back years. The UK MC has released four LPs on the trot that in time will go down as one of the best runs in rap.

Albums of the year 6 - Lorde "Virgin" Lorde returned to form with Virgin with an electro pop banger that is up there with her best work. The production was spot on, while Lorde's vocals showed more depth on what was one of 2025's best pop records.

Best of the year show local edition 95bfm.com/bcast/the-su...

Albums of the year 7 - De La Soul "Cabin in the Sky" The rap icons returned in 2025 with their first album in 9 years and it was worth the wait Cabin in the Sky was also the first since the death of member Trugoy the Dove An album that stands well alongside their classics

Since I am in the middle of list season. Here are my top 10 gigs of the year.

Albums of the year 8 - El Michels Affair "24 Hr Sports" The El Michels Affair lads delivered an eclectic set of fresh tunes on their latest LP that matches up nicely to their past deeds. Featuring Clairo and Norah Jones, among others on vocals, this album hit the sweet spot

If you missed Marlon Williams tour earlier in the year, his Sydney Opera House show is now on YT www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ctk1...

Albums of the year 9 - Blood Orange "Essex Honey" Dev Hynes returned with another excellent Blood orange project in 2025 that reiterated why he is such an in-demand pop producer. This album was beautifully produced and featured some excellent guests in the vocal booth.

Albums of the year 10 - Geneva AM "Pikipiki" Combining electro beats with Reo Māori, Geneva AM got the formula just right with Pikipiki This record harked back to the days of Moana & The Moa Hunters, but its fresh production ensured it is an album fit for the 21st century

albums of the year 11 - Pulp "More" Britpop was back in vogue in 2025 and Pulp were at the forefront of the resurgence thanks to their album More. It was a wonderous return for Jarvis and co, with an album that fits nicely with their classic 90s material.

The RNZ Panel Live

Albums of the year 12 - Mokomokai "Pono" These guys are one of the best rap crews going around Aotearoa at the minute. Combining the smooth flows of frontman Manu and the production savy of Dusty & Ghos, Pono should become a classic in the NZ rap canon in years to come.

Albums of the year 13 - Viagra Boys "Viagr Aboys" One of the most electric and out there albums of 2025 came from the Viagra Boys. Always taking things to the limit and experimenting with how far they can go musically, this album was a wild ride as a listener.

Albums of the year 14 - Bret Mckenzie "Freak Out City" McKenzie continued down the Harry Nilsson/Randy Newman styles he explored on his previous record on Freak Out City. Quirky songwriting and a killer band make for a fun listen and show he has music chops to burn.

Albums of the year 15 - Bar Italia "Some Like it Hot" The London band hit the jackpot in what is quite possibly their best album yet. Harking back to a golden period for UK indie in the mid 2000s, this album sounds oh so familiar, but also very fresh.

Albums of the year 16 - Sault "10" The mysterious UK collective have been prolific in their output in recent years and their album 10 was a welcome addition to their discography. Mixing soul, jazz, rap, electro and more. This album might be the most eclectic of the year.

Albums of the year 17 - Clipse "Let God Sort Em Out" The Virginia duo's first album in 16 years was one of the best comebacks in hip hop history. A ferocious production mixed with some banging bars made for a great listen, and proved that time away has not done them any harm.

It has been mysteriously closed for a year, so what it going on with this iconic Auckland bakery? www.stuff.co.nz/food-drink/3...

Albums of the year 18 - Black Country, New Road "Forever Howlong" They may have lost their frontman but BCNR have not lost their quality, quality which was flowing throughout their 2025 album. An English folk styled album that certainly measured up well all round.

Albums of the year 19 - Joe Kaptein "Pool Sharks" Jazz fusion at its very best and straight out of Aotearoa. This groovy chilled-out record is fantastically recorded and positions Kaptein right at the forefront of the next wave of jazz musicians coming through.

Albums of 2025 20 - Ty Segall "Possession" He is prolific when it comes to releases and his third album in two years might just be his most consistent yet. With a mixture of electric and acoustic tunes, Possession has everything you need out of a Ty Segall record.

My annual top 20 albums of the year countdown starts tomorrow. One album a day for 20 days.

The Others Way another great success

Anthonie Tonnon the only man who will talk about the building act during his performance

Looking forward to the Others Way tonight. They have plonked a stage in the middle of K Road and the weather is a stunner so it should be a great night.

Oasis remarkably finished their reunion tour today without an on stage bust up or the tour ending early cos of a falling out

Some of the information in this book excerpt is either distorted or flat out wrong. According to the survey, 58% of journalists are women, not "two out of every three". The average journalist is 45.8 years old, and they are not "mostly aged in their 20s or 30s" newsroom.co.nz/2025/11/24/j...

This week's show featured new music from De La Soul, Bic Runga, and more. I also paid tribute to Stone Roses and Primal Scream bass player Mani who sadly passed away last week. 95bfm.com/bcast/the-su...

Man this band was so tight www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa9c...