Seven Acts Worth Checking Out at The Others Way Festival

Overview

It's no secret that New Zealand produces some great musical talent. The Others Way is here to showcase some of the country's best alt bands across one night. The festival takes a page out of international music mixers CMJ and SXSW, where attendees can map out their own trajectory across a multitude of venues. For a steal you can see the likes of songwriting legend Bic Runga, 2017 Taite Prize winners Street Chant and iconic band Sneaky Feelings for their first performance in who knows how long. There are loads more acts playing across K' Road this Friday from 7.45 pm till late. Here are just a few of our picks to check out on the night.

DUAL

As the name suggests, Dual is a duo. Namely: Jamie Pyne and Maurice Millar — two high school friends who left their jobs to dedicate their time to music. The band's style stacks sweeping house synthesisers over a solid base of psych-rock to create infectious electronica — likened to the 'Madchester' revival ignited by Aussie band Jagwar Mar.

9.45 - 10.15pm at Galatos Basement

YOKO-ZUNA

Combining hip hop undertones with melodic jazz sax lines, intricate guitar riffs and heavy bass, Yoko-Zuna will have you dusting the dancefloor in no time. The four-piece — made up of Frank Eliesa (keys, synth, bass), Swap Gomez (drums, percussion), Kenji Iwamitsu-Holdaway (guitar, bass) and JY Lee (saxophone and flute) — are known for their collaborations, roping in emcees to spit over their free-flowing brand of electronic-hip hop. 

10.45 - 11.30pm at Galatos Basement

BESPIN

Alike the fictional Star Wars planet, Bespin the band have taken a parallel approach with a mystical and atmospheric tone. The ambient-psych trio features Auckland musicians Jonathan Lee, Alex Freer and Joel Beeby — who together won an allegiance of fans after opening Laneway Festival back in 2015. The band appear at The Others Way fresh from releasing their mesmerising new single 'East Of Her'.

11.30 - 12.15am at Whammy Bar

MERK

Merk will bring an indie-pop aesthetic to K' Road. The master behind the music is songwriter/producer Mark Perkins, a 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist who learnt to record after being accepted for an internship at Neil Finn's Roundhead Studios. The experience led him to record his own debut album, Swordfish — a collection of infectious pop gems. He's since been picked up by Red Bull Music Academy and travelled the globe with Fazerdaze.

8.15 - 9pm at Studio

LAWRENCE ARABIA

James Milne — otherwise known as Lawrence Arabia — has a few impressive accolades under his belt: the APRA Silver Scroll, NZ Music Award and the Taite Prize. The king of melodic indie-pop has toured with Okkervil River, Feist, Beach House and Crowded House, and just last year recorded his fourth album with Mike Fabulous (The Black Seeds, Lord Echo) titled Absolute Truth. For those who you enjoy peppy '60s-drenched pop.

12 - 12.45am at Studio

ARTHUR AHBEZ

Be swept away in Arthur Ahbez's nostalgic sound. The vintage tape enthusiast and Neil Young aficionado performs with his full band, the Flaming Ahbez, to create an immersive wall of psychedelic acid-rock. Having been of the map for the past three years, you can expect to hear new cuts from the songwriter's forthcoming second album, Volume II — self-recorded on an 8-track tape machine.

9.15 - 10pm at The Thirsty Dog

BIC RUNGA

It's a prerequisite to know at least some of the words to 'Sway' from Bic's 1997 album Drive. While the hit will surely pop up somewhere in Bic's set, we're looking forward to hearing her new covers album Close Your Eyes performed live. The album was released just last year and features reimagined versions of The Metres' 'What'cha Say' and Kayne's 'Wolves'. Runga also provides two originals, including the Silver Scroll-nominated title track. If Bic gets behind the kit for this appearance, you're in for a treat.

9.15 - 9.45pm at Galatos Main Room

Of course, this is only a taste of what you can expect at this year's The Others Way. See the full lineup and artist schedule below. And get tickets here.