Soundcheck – Issue 5 2026
The Beths – gig Review We’re in an old church-turned-music-venue, you can feel the lingering evangelical spirit whipping up the crowd into a holy fervour, worshiping the divine power that is The Beths. It’s hot as hell, packed to bursting with students and mid-30s day-one fans alike. My friends and I manage to push almost to the front, linking arms to […]
Malignant
Rating: 4 As an avid horror movie fan, I liked to think I could predict how the story was going to go, but this one really had me stumped, and the reveal had me absolutely amazed. Malignant is an incredible movie about a woman named Madison who is starting to have blackouts and visions about murders […]
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Rating: 2 Because I didn’t look properly at the specifics of the showing, I walked into the theatre and ended up watching the newest Avatar movie in 3D, which wasn’t something I’d done in a long time, and it made the movie’s experience so much better to be sitting there with those glasses on my […]
Miyazaki
Rating: 4 For many people in the arts, creation is central to identity. I’m in that group. I put a little bit of myself in everything I do. Consequently, I am a huge fan of Studio Ghibli and the work of Hayao Miyazaki, who is one of the most powerful storytellers I’ve come across. ‘Miyazaki’ by Paris Paloma is both an homage in […]
Blind Date – Issue 5 2026
“She was a girl. She was also a girl. Can I make it any more obvious? Blind Date is back and we’re bringing the lesbians! (and the bisexuals no bi-erasure here).” Person 1: Before the date I was super nervous got ready hours before hand and kept checking my phone for the time. This resulted […]
Being the rainbow flying gay
Watching the news as a 11-year-old wondering why my eyes were glued to the TV as Aotearoa announced same-sex marriage was legalised. I didn’t really know what it meant, I just knew something monumental was happening. I developed allyship for these people I didn’t even know existed. By thirteen I had the first inkling I may have been different; I never cared for boys, I don’t think I had ever […]
Homegrown Returns
After a long eighteen years down in Wellington, the Homegrown music festival made its comeback where it all began, right here in Hamilton. The move was prompted by the popularity of the event, causing the number of attendees to more than double since it settled in Wellington from around 10,000 to 24,000 (RNZ). With the Claudelands Oval able to […]
Wet Denim
We sat down with Joe, Luca, Nick and Jack from the 4-piece Pōneke based band Wet Denim on Sunday. Appearing at Homegrown the night before, the band was stoked with how Kirikiriroa came out to support and bust a boogie, commenting: “Yeah, it felt like the main stage was just packed, especially later in the night […]
Nexus Breaks the News – 23/3/26
Trump buys all of his staff the same shoes, guesses shoe sizes: There are so many layers to this that I could make a joke about this with, but the fact he said “everyone’s afraid not to wear them” says enough I think. A drone looking for a missing man finds a bear waking up from hibernation: I love […]
Long-distance…yay or nay?
Lauren – for Lots of people say that distance makes the heart grow fonder. I wouldn’t be the first to avidly agree with that, but I have my fair share of long distance connections all over the world, so I get it. It’s hard, sure, but it’s doable and worth it in the long run. Maintaining a friendship or a relationship that’s not in person takes […]