Emily Writes bravely ventures into the treacherous cavities of online news so you don’t have to. It’s been a week in Princess Diana news despite the fact that she died in 1997. Kevin Costner has said Lady Di once considered starring in a sequel to The Bodyguard. Unsurprisingly, that shit-stirrer Fergie was behind it. If … Read more
Globe-trotting superfan Sacha Judd reviews her third Harry Styles show in less than three months. And she might already have tickets to two more. A friend texts me: “Wait. This is your third Harry Styles concert?” I try to explain that, actually, I had only ever intended to see him in Auckland. And then New … Read more
One Direction fan Sacha Judd on fandom, group chats, and how difficult it is to get Harry Styles tickets in New York City. Tickets to Harry Styles’ first solo tour go on sale on a Friday in May. He’s playing small venues – iconic theatres like the Greek in Los Angeles and the Ryman in … Read more
In November 2016, Auckland tech investor Sacha Judd delivered a talk in Berlin which became an internet hit. It was titled ‘How the tech sector could move in One Direction’, and it argued that 1D fandom contains a lot of clues to the lack of diversity in tech. Last week she delivered a follow-up talk at … 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
Millie Lovelock, who wrote her MA thesis on One Direction, answers Harry Styles’ critics. When Steve Braunias wrote that ‘Sign of the Times’ would be the end of Harry Styles’ career he had no idea what he was talking about. When he wrote that Styles had fallen into the trap of wanting to be taken … Read more
Our regular round-up of new songs and singles, this week featuring Chelsea Jade, Harry Styles, Kamasi Washington, and Mermaidens. SONG OF THE WEEK Chelsea Jade – ‘Life of the Party’ New Zealand’s pop minimalist isn’t better, she’s best In 2015’s ‘Low Brow’, Chelsea Jade was anchorless and anxious, appealing for a lover to deliver the impossible: … Read more
Steve Braunias watches the historic moment that Zayn Malik triumphed over his old 1D posse for the number one spot in The Edge TV’s essential Fat 40 countdown. What to make of Zayn’s comeback at the expense of One Direction? The pop charts on our last two remaining music channels all told the same amazing story. … Read more