The Real Pod team are back together to discuss the shambles that is Mark Richardson, mermaid costumes, and getting drunk with Hilary Barry. PLEASE NOTE: OUR GRAPHIC DESIGNER IS TOO GOOD FOR US AND THAT IS NOT THE REAL MARK RICHARDSON After many weeks apart, host Jane Yee is joined by Duncan Greive and Alex … Read more
Adrian Hatwell talks to photographer and Rip It Up founder Murray Cammick about his exhibition AK 75-85, on now at Black Asterisk Gallery in Auckland. “This is not a punk show.” That’s what Auckland photographer Murray Cammick tells me of his latest exhibition, AK 75-85. But after a quick look at the images on display, … Read more
It’s week six on The Block NZ and Jane Yee is back stronger and more defiant than Yanita’s hairstyles. Secrets, sabotage and spying. We’re halfway through season six of The Block NZ, and the knives are well and truly out. Specifically, the dinner knives, because this week we enjoyed/endured the ultimate Block challenge that is … Read more
If he gets his way, Rei will be a name you’ll be hearing a lot more often. Hussein Moses sits down with the up-and-coming New Zealand artist to talk about his new album and how he’s working to bring te reo outside of the classroom and into the world. Whether it’s the message he’s trying … Read more
After a rocky start – and that toe-curling musical promo clip – it seems like Three’s 7pm infotainment show has hit its stride. Former US news presenter Pallas Hupé Cotter explains how The Project makes it look so easy. It turns out, it’s not just frothy and funny. The Project seems to have come up … Read more
The Revolution’s Lisa Coleman – also known as one half of Wendy & Lisa – tells Calum Henderson about getting the band back together and how they feel about the recent Purple Rain reissue. “It’s so strange,” Lisa Coleman says, thinking back on her time making music with Prince. “We blazed across the face of … Read more
Our regular round-up of new songs and singles, this week featuring Estère, Yumi Zouma, Bloodnut, Paul McLaney, Sons of Zion and more… SONG OF THE WEEK Estère – ‘Pro Bono Techno Zone’ Dancing to the end of the non-digital world Estère, the Wellington-based producer/singer/artist, is back with a twisted electro-funk missive against our collective obsession … Read more
Tara Ward watches Prime TV’s Back Benches amidst an exciting week for both politics and local colouring book production. Watching Back Benches was the most educational 45 minutes of television since the time I devoured the infomercial about the ladder that transforms into 370 different positions. Back Benches gave me answers to questions I didn’t know I was asking, like what does free range chicken … Read more
In our video series Kiwis of Snapchat, comedian Tom Sainsbury sources exclusive Snapchat footage of Kiwi citizens making the news. Today: Did you know that Labour leader Jacinda Ardern’s partner, broadcaster Clarke Gayford, really, REALLY likes fishing? Click here for all our Kiwis of Snapchat videos. This content, like all television coverage we do at … Read more
With Jerry Seinfeld performing one show only in Auckland this month, The Spinoff writers celebrate their favourite Seinfeld episodes to get you hyped. The Contest (S04E11) ‘The Contest’ is a fan favourite owing to the fact that they managed to make an entire half hour show about masturbating without ever saying the word. The titular contest is between … Read more
Gareth Shute talks to Racing about moving on from their first EP – and from the bands of their past. It’s been five years since The Checks broke up, but lead songwriters Ed Knowles and Sven Pettersen have been happy to take their time in bringing their new band, Racing, into public consciousness. Fortunately, there’s … Read more
Lucy Zee remembers the iconic TV2 ad where a penguin drove a bus and Suzanne Paul had a garage sale. If you (still) watch a lot of TV, you might have noticed that channels air short branding ads in between TV shows called ‘brand identities’ – ‘idents’ for short. These can range from short simple … Read more
The Spinoff presents a roundup of Jacinda Ardern’s DJ appearances, plus the set list from her much-name-dropped appearance at the 2014 Laneway Festival, with our track-by-track commentary. Not only is Jacinda Ardern the new leader of the Labour Party (which, according to my social media feeds is going great – she’s already the next prime minister), every … Read more
The Good Wife is one of those show that has always seemed to be around, but you’ve probably never seen. Sam Brooks tells you why you haven’t watched it yet, and why you should fix that immediately. At some point in 2016 I decided I was going to watch all of The Good Wife, just as … Read more
The Spinoff and Spark proudly present Pod On The Couch, a weekly podcast exploring music and the people that make it. This episode: Henry Oliver talks to Baynk about how to get your song streamed 8 million times. Spinoff Music editor Henry Oliver asks to Baynk about how, as an unsigned artist with just a handful of … Read more
Neil Finn talks to Henry Oliver about his forthcoming album Out of Silence, likely the first studio album ever to be recorded live in front of a livestreaming audience. Last week I spent an afternoon watching Neil Finn, the cool dad of New Zealand music, and twelve singers rehearse two songs from the album he … Read more
*With Jane Yee away this week, Tara Ward steps in to talk vibes, chill, and more vibes on week five of The Block NZ. Kitchen and Dining Week on The Block NZ was all about ‘the vibe’. Dennis Denuto would be stoked, because there were vibes everywhere: good ones, bad ones, giant neon purple hand ones. … Read more
Finlay Macdonald talks to Julian Boshier, the director of Swagger of Thieves, a documentary about notorious ’90s rock band Head Like A Hole. At one point in Julian Boshier’s riveting, candid documentary Swagger of Thieves about legendary rock beasts Head Like A Hole, guitarist Nigel Regan asks no one in particular, “Can someone lift the … Read more
Our regular round-up of new songs and singles, this week featuring Charli XCX, Repulsive Woman, Mick Jagger, Chase and Status and more… SONG OF THE WEEK Charli XCX – ‘Boys’ Dreaming of Charli XCX’s perfect production Sometimes a song just nails a sound so simple and so sweetly that only six seconds into your first listen you know … Read more
Henry Oliver catches the 312 bus to Onehunga with SWIDT, whose debut album Stoneyhunga is out today. “We grew up on here,” says Spycc (Daniel Latu), one of SWIDT’s two MCs after we pile into the back of the 312 bus to Onehunga, the base of New Zealand’s most exciting hip-hop group. “This is our second home.” … Read more
With some literal last minute planning, Duncan Greive and Jane Yee are once again joined by producer Madeleine Chapman for a slightly delayed episode of the Real Pod. In a genuine attempt to be more professional, Jane takes one (the only one) suggestion from a listener by discussing the recent rise in swearing on Shortland … Read more
After watching an episode of the slightly weird teen-oriented show while on painkillers (legitimate medical reasons), Sam Brooks goes on an internet investigation to find out what the cast are doing now. Being Eve was a strange beast of a show, one of the rare New Zealand TV series aimed specifically at teens and preteens, … Read more
Last night’s screening of the HBO documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, was reportedly one of Three’s most-watched shows of the year so far. If only its participants had been a bit braver, writes Christopher Stratton. Among my friends, I’m notorious for my effusive enthusiasm for Diana, Princess of Wales. I know what … Read more
New Zealand was spoiled for choice of after school anime shows in the early 2000s. Lucy Zee remembers the female heroes who shaped her childhood. Cartoons rule my life. You name it and I’ve probably watched it, seen the comic, bought the merch and read the fan fiction crossover. My love of cartoons and anime … Read more
Chainsmokers superfan Kate Robertson has campaigned for the bros to come to New Zealand for years. In celebration of today’s news of an Auckland show, she shares her top 10 bangers. Everyone has an opinion on the Chainsmokers. At the height of their Top 40 reign we couldn’t get our hot takes out fast enough, … Read more
Now one of the most lauded television producers in the world, Ryan Murphy didn’t start well. Sam Brooks was there in the 90s to witness the hot mess that is Popular. It’s strange to sit in 2017 and see Ryan Murphy be a critically acclaimed, if still messy, maker of television. I look at the … Read more
Attitude is nearing 500 episodes over 13 years, and its current mental health series shows that it deserves a far better timeslot than 8.30am Sunday, writes Duncan Greive. New Zealand has been getting more comfortable confronting difficult issues in primetime. Last year, Nigel Latta: The Hard Stuff’s exploration of suicide and teenagers’ online lives was … Read more
Is Lana Del Rey’s new album too much Lana Del Rey? Sam Brooks reviews Lust for Life. Lust for Life opens with the most Lana Del Rey of Lana Del Rey songs, ‘Love’. The chorus goes, “It’s enough to be young and in love,” which I’m honestly surprised isn’t already a Lana Del Rey lyric. … Read more
She became an international pariah after uttering the worst racial slur on The Real Housewives of Auckland. Now Julia Sloane is apparently plotting a comeback with a feature-length documentary, reports Duncan Greive. Julia Sloane, the star of Real Housewives of Auckland caught up in a racism scandal, is plotting a return to the screen, The Spinoff … Read more