Now that The Block NZ is back, Alex Casey recaps a marathon four hours of Mark Richardson television. Home renovation juggernaut The Block NZ returned this week, bringing with it two incredibly harsh realities. The first is that I’m going to feel very conflicted for the next few months as I wipe the mould off … Read more
Superfan Joseph Harper tackles the eighth week of Survivor NZ, including the regeneration of the viral cop and Barb’s Soprano-style reign. Click here for last week. God we are getting damn close to the end and thank the lord because Survivor NZ is getting really weird. Our ‘good’ players keep deciding to play as ‘bad’ players. … Read more
Every artist is making Spotify playlists these days. Amanda Robinson listens to four of the most popular – and one that isn’t, but really deserves to be. Lorde In the ‘Homemade Dynamite’ episode of The Spinoff’s Behind The Melodrama podcast, Lorde talks about how “sometimes it’s just about having your arms around your friend’s shoulders … Read more
With Preacher returning exclusively to Lightbox today, Travis Johnson breaks down his predictions for the second season. It was a long time coming but Preacher – the fabled, foul-mouthed comic book series by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon – finally made it to the small screen last year, courtesy of showrunners Seth Rogen, Evan … Read more
Tonight on The Project between burger talk and Hanson, Jesse Mulligan addressed a savage monologue to the Prime Minister of New Zealand. Here it is, transcribed for your eyes. I saw something on Twitter from the Prime Minister. I know what you’re thinking – historically, Bill English’s Twitter account has not been a very reliable source. … Read more
With season three of Better Call Saul just finished, Jimmy and Kim have their own terrible futures to confront. Simon Wilson revisits his favourite programme (well, one of them). Contains some very cryptic spoilers. It’s like Star Wars in the strip malls and suburbs of Albuquerque, right? And Star Wars is like Paradise Lost in … Read more
Property porn addict Ghazaleh Golbakhsh takes the premiere of The Block NZ out for a spin. Last night was the premiere of New Zealand’s sixth season of The Block NZ. It’s a franchise which I have previously managed to avoid, despite being addicted to property porn. As a complete newbie, I thought it was high … Read more
Ten years ago, HBO screened the first episode of Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement’s Flight of the Conchords. And look, there, sitting outside that shop. Isn’t that Spinoff music editor Henry Oliver? If it’s 10 years since the first episode of Flight of the Conchords aired in the US, that means it must be about 11 years … 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 Kate Robertson and Calum Henderson about some recent pop music highlights. Spinoff Music editor Henry Oliver talks to contributor Kate Robertson and staff writer Calum Henderson about Lorde’s Melodrama, Selena’s ‘Bad Liar’, … Read more
Dominic Hoey shares the music-related parts of his new novel Iceland and makes a playlist so you can play along while reading. Music features heavily in my novel Iceland and since we’re living in the future, I thought I’d put together a Spotify playlist of all the songs and/or artists I mention. I got the … Read more
In part two of The Spinoff Music’s two-is-not-a-thing sports series, Steve Newall goes in search of that most elusive beast: the great sports song. Read part one, in which Gareth Shute writes a new All Blacks supporters’ song, here. New Zealand has tried its hand at many a sporting song, with everyone from the Feelers to … Read more
Tara Ward does the unthinkable: turning on her television and looking for nothing but sweet, sweet ads. Television advertisments are often overlooked and misunderstood — until now, my friends. I love a challenge like I love a Coronation Street weekend omnibus, so when someone suggested I spend an entire day watching only commercials, I was … Read more
Gareth Shute delved into the history of All Blacks songs, found them wanting, so wrote his own. New Zealand is a rugby-mad nation but, despite many attempts, there has yet to be a song written for our national team that’s had any staying power. But how hard could it be to write a song about … Read more
Henry Oliver reviews L$D Fundraiser’s new album StreetNOISE, which led to a sizeable section of Dunedin’s CBD being shut down after a cassette copy was mistaken for a bomb by a concerned citizen. ‘When There’s Nothing Else To Lose’, the first half of L$D Fundraiser’s new album, StreetNOISE, begins with a gentle sweet of repeating … Read more
Struggling to make it to September without new Outlander episodes? Tara Ward offers some suggestions to see you through. Somebody alert the authorities, because Droughtlander has set upon us like a rampant case of eighteenth-century smallpox. It’s that tortuous time between Outlander seasons, when last year’s Parisian double-agent escapades seem but a distant memory, yet … Read more
Gareth Shute talks to Annabel Alpers about retiring her Bachelorette moniker and finding a new way to play live. From her very first EP as Bachelorette in 2005, Annabel Alpers was lauded by local music critics. Her first album, Isolation Loops, prompted Gary Steel to write in Metro: “Alpers’ imagination makes most songwriters seem like … Read more
Superfan Joseph Harper tackles the seventh week of Survivor NZ, including Nate’s totally normal axe collection and Barb’s scampi feast. Click here for last week. After the fireworks/glimmer of hope last week offered, this week took a step back into ‘New Zealand yeah alright no worries’ mode. We said goodbye to the universal people’s champ and … Read more
Among the resurgence of adult animated shows, Bob’s Burgers stands out for its joyous, optimistic look at working class family life. Madeleine Chapman spoke to John Roberts about impersonating his own mum and how that became a full-time gig as Linda Belcher. I watched three seasons of Bob’s Burgers before bothering to look up the voice cast and I … Read more
Lorde: Behind the Melodrama, an 11 episode track-by-track podcast interview with Lorde about her new album is out now. Spinoff Music editor Henry Oliver introduces the series. Read our definitive review of Melodrama here and our interview with Lorde about her return to the stage at Coachella here. Over two afternoons in May, I sat in the … Read more
Kate Robertson has been pursuing an interview with Little Mix ever since they announced their Auckland show late last year. Three weeks ago, she kind of almost got there. A few weeks ago I was offered the holy grail, a phone interview with not one, but TWO members of Little Mix (I know, it’s as … Read more
Alex Casey spends the afternoon watching a master at work: the one and only Dan Corbett, TVNZ 1’s enigmatic metereologist. The good thing about Dan Corbett is that you don’t know if he’s talking about the weather, or if he’s tracing the movements of a Cockney gangster on the run. “Here comes the mean geezer,” … Read more
Elle Hunt reviews Lorde’s new album, Melodrama. Every sophomore album of a breakout young star is hotly anticipated as a test of their artistry and staying power, and Lorde did precisely nothing to ease the pressure on herself. Melodrama comes very nearly four full years after her debut album, Pure Heroine, and, in that time, … Read more
Like the rest of the internet-having world, Sam Brooks has been listening to Lorde’s new album today. Unlike most of the world, he writes plays for a living. Here’s his interpretation of his favourite song from the album. The following is what happens when you sit in The Spinoff, rushing through your first listen of … Read more
New Zealand has a long storied history of pop music, from ‘Blue Smoke’ to ‘Poi E’ to ‘Royals’. Chelsea Jade and Sam Brooks did their best to cover some of the forgotten and not-so-forgotten gems in between. When the Cat’s Away: ‘Melting Pot’ Chelsea Jade: Let’s dive into the melting pot. It’s a palate cleanser. … Read more
After last month’s Equalise My Vocals events on gender equality in music, Coco Solid reflects on the project and shares video and audio of the panel discussions. Equalise My Vocals was a project about everyone being treated fairly within all factions of New Zealand music. That’s it. Over a year in the making, the project – … Read more
Episode 10 of The Handmaid’s Tale hits Lightbox today. Sophie Smith lists her hopes and dreams for the series finale. ????SPOILER ALERT???? This list contains a lot of spoilers from the first nine episodes. Last week I wrote down some feelings I had about the pilot of The Handmaid’s Tale. I have since marathoned the … Read more
Josie & T are best friends, Auckland University students, and rising social media stars who’re unafraid to speak out on social issues. Their latest video goes in on and straight at ‘blackface’ Youtuber Jimi Jackson. Zaskiya Lesa talked to Josie & T about why they’re happy to be outspoken. Online video star Jimi Jackson is no stranger … Read more
Jane Yee, Duncan Greive and special guest Joseph Harper gather around the oval table to talk about the latest happenings in New Zealand television and real life in New Zealand. Alex has gone to Wellywood, so Jane and Duncan convinced her mere male Joey Harper to join the pod and give us a glimpse into life … Read more
On Monday 19 June we’re releasing Lorde: Behind the Melodrama, an 11 episode track-by-track podcast interview with Lorde about her new album, Melodrama. Over two afternoons in May, Spinoff Music editor Henry Oliver sat in a boardroom in Auckland with Lorde, talking about the lyrics, songwriting, and production of her new album, and hearing the … Read more