California five-piece Local Natives are halfway through a world tour. Guitarist and songwriter Ryan Hahn took time out to talk to The Spinoff about their experimental new album. Local Natives’ latest album, Violet Street, is both a tribute to personal growth and a harkening back to the band’s roots. The southern Californian group released their … Read more
Tara Ward talks to three creative Kiwis who’ve been spurred on by their favourite TV show to some gloriously niche things. Some people reckon television is a bad influence, but to them I say, turn on The Chase and chill out. I’ll put up with having square eyes and a rotten brain, as long as … Read more
Matthew McAuley sits down with New Zealand’s latest next-big-thing to talk about following up the monster hit ‘Soaked’, her approach to collaboration, and exactly how you go about building a ‘Beneevision’. Although her catalog is still barely more than a handful of tracks deep, Auckland-raised proto-popstar Benee seems determined not to waste time. Seeking to … Read more
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in reality television and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s. Breaking news: Bigfoot is back baby and the Real News bulletin is bursting with many more hot scoops. Who killed Jacinda Ardern’s cat and why is he choosing to speak out now? Why are there so many … Read more
Welcome back to hell for a special episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, where we finally discover what makes Aunt Lydia tick. Spoiler: it’s karaoke. Tara Ward recaps season 3, episode 8. On the basis of this episode of The Handmaid’s Tale, I reckon karaoke is to blame for everything in Gilead. This week we were … Read more
Before Big Little Lies, there was Desperate Housewives. Sam Brooks lists all the truly terrible things these women did over eight seasons. Fourteen years ago, the lives of four women (plus Nicolette Sheridan) captivated the world. What secrets did these suburban ladies have? Why did their best friend kill herself and hang around, narrating her … Read more
The 2019 longlist for the prestigious APRA Silver Scroll Awards have just been announced. Here’s the full list of 20 finalists, with the songs themselves to listen to. This morning saw the announcement of the longlist for the APRA Silver Scroll, New Zealand’s most coveted music award, recognising outstanding achievement in the craft of songwriting. … Read more
You’ve watched all twelve episodes of Fleabag three times now – where to from here? Laura Vincent has your next obsession sorted. It must be just splendid to be Phoebe Waller-Bridge in 2019, with absolutely everyone (including celebrities like Joss Whedon, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Minnie Driver) going mad for Fleabag, the show she created and … Read more
After waiting almost two years for the return of the 80s sci-fi/horror Netflix hit Stranger Things, Alice Webb-Liddall binged the third season on Monday night, and still sobbing from the finale, reviewed the laughter, violence, and heartbreaking sadness. Who would have thought that there was a place with more rats than Titirangi. Luckily for the … Read more
For decades fans have argued over the best Star Trek captain. No longer. Today we present the definitive ranking of every main crew member aboard a televised Federation starship (or space station). Every Star Trek fan has wrestled with it: is Kirk a better captain than Picard? Is Archer better than both? The captain you … Read more
Laura Daniel has made a career out of committing to the bit. Sometimes it’s a joke. Sometimes it’s a zombie reality show. And sometimes it’s a ten-week celebrity dancing competition. In 2016, Laura Daniel was nominated for the Billy T Award for her show, Pressure Makes Diamonds. The show’s opening bit was also its best … Read more
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in reality television and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s. There’s a lot of Real News to get through this week as bakeries around the country lose their marbles completely. From the shouty pie women in the south and skimpy ham sammies in the north, our team … Read more
It was another wacky week in our favourite dystopia with some walking, some dancing and a whole lot of shouting. Tara Ward recaps the latest episode of The Handmaid’s Tale. Let’s not beat around the dystopian bush, because this was an unusual episode. It was made up of a weird mish-mash of events, like June … Read more
Lucy Zee looks back on the late-nineties, early-aughts infomercial craze that was… Nad’s. In my prepubescent tweens, I started to notice body hair on myself. My arms, my legs, my armpits, my upper lip. I wasn’t so much upset but more curious than anything. Why did we grow hair in these places? When does it … Read more
Before Rachael King was an author and a puller-together of literary festivals, she was a bass player in a heap of bands. At the start, she was a schoolgirl rocking in the Battling Strings, opening for the Chills and other 1980s Flying Nun bands, including Straitjacket Fits. Reading Shayne Carter’s memoir Dead People I Have … Read more
In a surprise twist that left contestants stunned, Stu and Amy returned to The Block NZ this week. But are they here to stay, and if not, who should replace them? Tara Ward has some ideas. The ground shifted, panelling fell off the walls, and mustard throws everywhere self-combusted in shock when 2018 champions Stu and … Read more
What’re you going to be watching throughout July? The Spinoff rounds up everything that’s coming to Netflix, Lightbox, Neon, Amazon Prime and TVNZ on Demand this month. The Biggies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEG3bmU_WaI Stranger Things (Netflix, Season 3, July 4) For the few who don’t know, Stranger Things follows the adventures of several 13-year-old Dungeons and Dragons enthusiasts … Read more
Rei is an internationally successful, award-winning musician who can rap, sing, produce beats, and even tell a couple of jokes. He talked to The Spinoff about Ariana Grande, meditation, and writing music as self-encouragement. The winter sun is warm, and so is Rei. He’s the kind of person who puts you at ease straight away. … Read more
Ahead of taking the stage for Dragfest in Auckland, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars winner Trinity the Tuck spills the tea on All Stars, Caitlyn Jenner, and the truth behind Taylor Swift’s new music video. Trinity the Tuck can do it all. She can lipsync, she can dance, she can serve looks, and for a … Read more
Lovepreet Brar was a migrant who scrapped his way from a one year diploma to New Zealand residency, before becoming an international bhangra hip hop star. In between, he was part of an epic and dangerous fraud. In early March 2016, Arvinder Singh left his Takanini home, nestled in a small section at the end … Read more
One of New Zealand’s great pop maestros returns, the rein (geddit?) of Lil Nas X continues, and sci-fi series Stranger Things inspires a superb single: welcome to The Spinoff Music’s best songs of June 2019. International ‘Jealous’ by Ingrid Michaelson Ingrid Michaelson’s new single hits on two obvious truths and subverts a third. Truth the … Read more
Ahead of their new album release, Toby Morris wore a different Beastwars t-shirt every day. He reflects upon his week and the entire Beastwars catalogue. Monday This week the impossible is happening: the mighty Beastwars, probably New Zealand’s most beloved metal band are back from dead (almost literally) with a new album. I’ve decided to … Read more
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in reality television and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s. We’ve got a whole litre of taurine fizz cranking through the studio this week as The Real Pod Collective convenes to recap another hectic week in reality TV land. The Celebrity Treasure Island cast have been announced, … Read more
Lontalius’ new single ‘Make My Dreams Come True’ is out today. To commemorate its arrival, Matthew McAuley spoke to Eddie Johnston about music, life, and the transient nature of fandom. The last time The Spinoff spoke to multidisciplinary Wellington musician Eddie Johnston, just a few weeks off exactly a year ago, he was an artist … Read more
Aunt Lydia’s pumped, Fred’s pumped, we’re all pumped for this week’s episode of The Handmaid’s Tale. Tara Ward recaps episode six of season three. The Handmaid’s Tale loves a good prayer situation, and this week we had them coming out our ears. Let us bow down before the TV gods and pray this is the episode … Read more
The Feijoa Club is a new Kiwi children’s comedy that launched on Hei Hei this week. Tara Ward checked it out, and reckons it’s one of the best home-grown shows to hit our screens in a long time. Gather ye feijoas while ye may, but make sure all your eyes are on Hei Hei’s The … Read more
Alex Casey breaks down the full line-up for Celebrity Treasure Island 2019, including two weather presenters and a mandatory Lana. Gather round peasants, Celebrity Treasure Island is coming back for the first time since 2007 and you should all be screaming bloody murder. This is the show with the killer coral! The weird txt speak! … Read more
A year after Kiwi Ross Inia rocked the boat on Below Deck, another Kiwi comes down the gangplank. Dominic Corry interviews Aesha Scott about her stint on the spinoff Below Deck Mediterranean. The Below Deck reality franchise – which hilariously chronicles the lives of workers on luxury superyachts that cater to rich and demanding clients … Read more
Welcome back to another week of Gilead hijinks, as Serena takes a quick trip to Canada, June discovers the power of a mixtape and Fred has another dumb idea. Tara Ward recaps episode five, season three of The Handmaid’s Tale. There’s not a second in June’s day where she’s not worrying about something. Will I … Read more