Featured Music Stories
The Mixtape: Artist Dick Frizzell
From reimagining the Four Square man to exploring Māori iconography in a pop-art style, Dick Frizzell's work is bold, playful, and deeply embedded in New Zealand’s visual culture. Audio
Dick has also been writing his memoir Hastings and shares the songs from his early life. Audio
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The Stranglers: 'I would make my mistakes all over again'
22 Feb 2025Formed in 1974, The Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving and successful bands to have originated in the UK punk scene. Bass guitarist and vocalist Jean-Jacques “JJ” Burnel has been there from the start - he spoke to Music 101 from his home in the South of France. Audio
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The musical festival that's thriving as others close
24 Feb 2025Electric Avenue has reached uncharted waters a decade since its inception and now stands as arguably the "biggest festival in Australasia".
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The Sampler: New music to listen to this week
23 Feb 2025RNZŌ, Laneway festival's youngest performer, plus American garage-rocker Benjamin Booker goes dark, and Pōneke's Ripship deliver dynamic, diverse psych jams.
RNZ Concert
RNZ Concert is New Zealand’s fine music network. Concert promotes New Zealand music and composition and features live broadcasts of concerts and recitals, as well as international content from other public radio broadcasters, podcasts, and on-demand programmes.
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Samoan values in a choral setting
24 Feb 2025Miki Magasiva, director of Tinā, talks about the movie's choral connection. Video, Audio
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Hymns on Sunday, 23 February 2025
23 Feb 2025Written in the 1970s by Australian Catholic nun Sister Deirdre Browne, Come as you are is now sung throughout the world. Sister Deirdre says that the song’s appeal is simply its singability and its strong message of acceptance and forgiveness. Also in this week's programme, Charles Wesley's well-known hymn Love divine, all loves excelling is given a contemporary twist with a setting by English composer, Howard Goodall. Video, Audio
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Inside Out: Magnificent Moon
22 Feb 2025This week, Nick Tipping checks out some of the many jazz tunes inspired by, and named after, the moon. Tracks include Frank Sinatra singing "Fly Me to the Moon", Billie Holiday with "Blue Moon", and Lucien Johnson's "Magnificent Moon". Audio
Featured Music Programmes
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The Stranglers: 'I would make my mistakes all over again'
22 Feb 2025Formed in 1974, The Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving and successful bands to have originated in the UK punk scene. They stood out for their… Audio
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Ringlets: Rising stars at Hamilton Arts Fest
22 Feb 2025They've been described as the funnest, most charming musical groups in Aotearoa right now, the post punk band from Tamaki Makaurau 'Ringlets' are playing a very… Audio
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Lower by Benjamin Booker
22 Feb 2025The American garage rock musician teams with underground hip-hop producer Kenny Segal for an album that goes deeper and darker than he has before, as per its… Audio
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David Kilgour on The Clean’s latest projects and Port Noise
22 Feb 2025David Kilgour is a heavyweight in New Zealand music. The singer-songwriter has been prolific with his band, The Heavy Eights, who have released 11 albums. The… Audio
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The Mixtape: Artist Dick Frizzell
22 Feb 2025Picking the music is one of Aotearoa's most celebrated and recognisable artists. From reimagining the Four Square man to exploring Maori iconography in a… Audio
Recent Music Stories
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Drake cancels his New Zealand shows
4:51 pm todayThe Canadian rapper shuffled the NZ shows around earlier this year, and has now put a pin in them for good, joining a growing list of cancelled rap gigs.
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Bookmarks with Christopher Luxon
2:30 pm todayThe Prime Minister Chrisopher Luxon joins Jesse in this pre-recorded chat to discuss his cultural passions. Audio
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Making comedy out of the classics
25 Feb 2025Ex-pat Kiwi Robbie Ellis is forging a career in music comedy in Chicago. Video, Audio
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Music feature: star producer John Simon
25 Feb 2025Celebrated music producer John Simon has produced some of the greatest rock'n'roll ever recorded including The Band's Music from Big Pink, The Band, The Last Waltz; Janis Joplin's Cheap Thrills; Simon… Audio
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Why a Groove Armada DJ sold his music rights to start farming
25 Feb 2025Andy Cato says "pure madness" drove him to pursue a new passion. Video, Audio
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Aidan Fine & Club Ruby
From toes to Te Matatini, this episode has it all, including guest appearances from Club Ruby and Aidan Fine, check it out! Audio
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Jimmy Barnes says he was often 'incapacitated' writing new album
The Legendary Australian rocker has been hit with a series of health issues. Video
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Tens-of-thousands flock to Electric Avenue in Christchurch
24 Feb 2025Tens-of-thousands of music fans packed into Christchurch's Hagley Park over the weekend for the Electric Avenue festival. Reporter Adam Burns went along. Audio
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Worlds of Music 23 February, 2025
23 Feb 2025Music from the world, for the world, featuring Oumou Sangaré, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Greg Johnson, and South African male choral group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Audio
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Crawling Chorus by Ripship
23 Feb 2025The Poneke psych-rock duo's second album contains stories about UFOs, satanic panic, and Spongebob Squarepants, paired with dynamic music drawing on everything from krautrock to new wave. Audio
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RNZŌ SZN by RNZŌ
23 Feb 2025The youngest performer at this years Laneway is still in his teens, and with the help of some key players in the Auckland hip-hop scene has released a debut bursting with confidence, regional… Audio
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Asia Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts returns
23 Feb 2025The Asia-Pacific Triennial of Performing Arts has kicked off in Melbourne returning after a five-year hiatus. For the next three weeks, the city will be celebrating diverse and dynamic creatives and… Audio
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Bringing to light the culture stories of Fijian-Indians
Nadia Freeman's show The Girmit takes us back to the time between 1879 and 1916 when more than 60,000 people were transferred from India to Fiji by the British to work on sugar-cane plantations as… Audio
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Pasifika women leading: Anapela Polata'ivao
Tina, the debut feature film of Miki Magasiva is a love letter to both Samoan culture and how choral music, across cultures, can assist people in change. The way art can enable acceptance of the… Audio
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Steve Jones: Here come the Sex Pistols
It's been nearly 30 years since the Sex Pistol have performed in New Zealand - but they are on their way! Guitarist Steve Jones joins Jim to chat about the tour and what is important to him today....
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'I'm a boho kind of girl' - What are festival-goers wearing to Electric Avenue?
22 Feb 2025There has been plenty of vibrancy and eclecticism on display, band tees, or attire influenced by club culture.
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Tinā - a new film set in Christchurch celebrates the strength of Samoan mothers
22 Feb 2025A grieving relief teacher leads a private school choir to glory in Samoan-Kiwi director Miki Magasiva's debut feature film Tinā. Video, Audio
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Nashville Babylon: 22 February 2025
22 Feb 2025On this week's show we've got classic reggae from Peter
Tosh, blues courtesy of Taj Mahal, new music from Brown Horse plus a
show favourite from John Prine and the Clean. Audio -
That Old Devil Moon
22 Feb 2025In Part 2 of a 2-part show, Nick checks out jazz tunes inspired by the moon - featuring Ella Fitzgerald, the Auckland Jazz Orchestra and Caitlin Smith, and Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Audio
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Out Lately with Finn Johansson
21 Feb 2025Friday night regular Finn Johansson joins us with an array of eclectic music.
Audio
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Ten of thousands celebrating a decade of Electric Avenue
21 Feb 2025More than 70,000 attendees will converge in Christchurch to see almost 60 artists perform on the festival's five stages.
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Thousands flock to Hagley Park for Electric Avenue
21 Feb 2025Thousands of music fans have flocked to Christchurch's Hagley Park for this year's Electric Avenue festival. The tenth edition of the drawcard music event goes for two days so many patrons are set to… Audio
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Kodály in the classroom
21 Feb 2025Amelia Giles talks with RNZ Concert's David Morriss about Kodály Concept Music Education, studying in Hungary, and teaching a Kodály Concept-centred classroom music programme as the Music Specialist… Video, Audio
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70,000 expected for Electric Avenue in Christchurch
21 Feb 2025Electric Avenue, the two-day festival is expected to see 70,000 people come through the gates, with dozens of artists including Shapeshifter, The Prodigy, and Khruangbin performing. Organiser Callam… Audio
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