2025 : 05 May Aotearoa Music Photo Award

Tony Miles;Guitar Wolf #1;Threes and Sevens Records 8th March 2025
Tony Miles;Guitar Wolf #2;Threes and Sevens Records 8th March 2025
Tony Miles;Guitar Wolf #3;Threes and Sevens Records 8th March 2025
David Dunham; FESHH, Underground, Auckland;Aesthetically, The Underground was rad, largely in part to it being an old, gigantic vault. The door appeared original in that you would need dynamite to prise it open, and there was no natural light. To the left was a burgundy leather sofa from a cigar era, the stage was not a stage but just a power cord lined section at the back of the room, and the ceiling was flanked by the structural foundations of the arcade. It was solid, felt air raid safe, and was square box shaped which meant noise bounced around with no nook and cranny to escape except for the bathroom that was next to the ‘stage’ and was reached by sometimes having to step onto the stage. Spending a penny came at the cost of feeling awkward. When a band had more than three people, things got cramped, hence why in the picture above you’ll see the guitarist for FESHH playing statue as his bandmates prepare for their set as part of The Others Way Festival.
David Dunham;Drax Project, Waihi Beach Hotel;I know I took pictures at this gig as I have them on a screen. But I also know I spent most of the time at the gig thinking ‘these guys are incredible’. And they are that, incredible. What a band. What musicians. Coming off the stage in the picture above is bassist Sam Thomson. I have one more shot to take and it is this one of Ben, wiping his brow. He’s given the audience his all, along with his friends (lead vocalist and saxophonist Shaan Singh, drummer Matt Beachen and guitarist Ben O’Leary. They’ve done the encore and the lights have come up. The bulk of the crowd has left, heading out through the cocktail lounge into the stillness of the seaside town night. Some linger, staring at the stage as the show comedown kicks in.
David Dunham;Oceanspace, Totara Street Live Music Venue;At first, the music made me choose this picture. Forty five minutes before I took this shot I had not heard Oceanspace’s sound, pitched as psychedelic rock infused with electronic dance music. Any band that embraces electronic dance is all right by me. And if they do it exceptionally, as Oceanspace did the night I saw them, then they get to be in this memory lane of gigs. For Oceanspace, as with many other bands and artists, there is a peak of the final song and then the immediate transition of having to hurriedly pack up and exit the stage without a moment to absorb the experience. And for the audience, it’s a shift from witnessing (often exceptional) creativity by artists to witnessing how good they are at unplugging cords and working their way through a crowd whilst holding a guitar/whatever stuff they came on to stage with. It is this jolt, and the occasional awkwardness, that adds to the texture of live music in a smaller v
Phoebe Bott;Charli XCX
Phoebe Bott;Harry Styles
Phoebe Bott;Harry Styles
Phoebe Bott;Charli XCX
Phoebe Bott;Charli XCX
Phoebe Bott;Charli XCX

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