Sam[uel] Smith
@sgowsmith1988
Journalist at Stuff News. Sunday Mixtape host at 95bFM. . Email: sam.smith@stuffdigital.co.nz- story tips always welcome
Peter Hook playing Joy Division and New Order classics! Outstanding!
The Beths and concert goers at their Philadelphia show have donated $9k to the save Neck of the Woods fundraiser.
Marlon Williams outstanding tonight on his farewell of sorts tour
Western Springs is the premiere outdoor venue in Auckland. It is currently under utilised. More gigs here please.
Amazing Viagra Boys gig at the Powerstation tonight. Highly energised. Very political. And sweltering! It really was a punk rave.
If you missed any of my 2025 top 20 albums countdown. Here is the full list.
Albums of the year 1 - Marlon Williams "Te Whare Tīwekaweka" Marlon Williams cemented himself as one of NZ's greatest singer/songwriters with this beautiful album sung entirely in te reo Māori Combined with a great doco and a tour for the ages, this was Marlon's career peak
Albums of the year 2 - Geese "Getting Killed" One of the best albums I have heard in a long time. An undescribable sound with a generational vocalist equals some absolute bonkers tunes. Guitar music is back to doing what it does best. The band of the year for sure.
Albums of the year 3 - Tom Scott "Anitya" This album was Scott's most personal to date and saw him step out on his own for the first time in his career. Musically very different from his other work, Anitya saw Scott dive into RnB, a move that ended up working a treat.
Albums of the year 4 - Wet Leg "Moisturizer" UK indie band Wet Leg survived the second album syndrome by delivering an album even better than their first. This album was catchy, fun, at times poppy indie rock, proving that good guitar music still has a place.
Albums of the year 5 - Little Simz "Lotus" Lotus proved why Little Simz is one of the greatest rappers of this era and continued her hot streak albums going back years. The UK MC has released four LPs on the trot that in time will go down as one of the best runs in rap.
Albums of the year 6 - Lorde "Virgin" Lorde returned to form with Virgin with an electro pop banger that is up there with her best work. The production was spot on, while Lorde's vocals showed more depth on what was one of 2025's best pop records.
Albums of the year 7 - De La Soul "Cabin in the Sky" The rap icons returned in 2025 with their first album in 9 years and it was worth the wait Cabin in the Sky was also the first since the death of member Trugoy the Dove An album that stands well alongside their classics
Since I am in the middle of list season. Here are my top 10 gigs of the year.
Albums of the year 8 - El Michels Affair "24 Hr Sports" The El Michels Affair lads delivered an eclectic set of fresh tunes on their latest LP that matches up nicely to their past deeds. Featuring Clairo and Norah Jones, among others on vocals, this album hit the sweet spot