Wellington ‘Gutter Folk’ artist YOLK has been a favourite at HUP, having featured more times on our ‘Tekau Nga Waiata Pai’ HUP/The Hum radio show and podcast than any other artist! We interviewed Yann last year about his Yolk project, but with the recent release of a new album, ‘Cherry Blossoms & the Moon’, we interview him again - this time with a focus on the new album, and how he dealt with lockdown! Read the full interview -> HERE <-

​Ceolskog is a recording project of Adam Helliwell, who has recently released a new EP titled ‘The Owl with Big, Googly Eyes’; his fifth since 2015. Ceolskog combines heavy metal with traditional folk music, particularly Celtic and Nordic… along with a bit of humour. We had a fascinating chat with Adam about Ceolskog; the new EP, the influence of nature and Scandinavian elements in the project, his previous band ‘IronStein’, and more! Red the full interview -> HERE <-

HUP caught up with Raglan-based Folktronica starlet Parabola West ahead of the release of her latest single 'New Moon', out tomorrow, April 24. Skip on over to FEATURES to read more! ​

We review the compilation 'No Sound: A Nivara Lounge Fundraiser'. Where does the money go? What are the stories behind some of the songs? And who is r.p.i.l.d.? Some of these questions are answered within!

Read the full review -> HERE <-

HUP is stoked to present 'No Sound: A Nivara Lounge Fundraiser' a compilation album out today on Bandcamp. 

We put a shoutout last week to bands and artists on social media, (and sent a few emails), outlining our intention - to compile an album by bands and artists who have played at Nivara Lounge, and sell it via bandcamp to raise funds to help Ivan and his staff through this period of zero income. We've seen enough live music venues come and go over the years, and we don't need another. 

We were blown away by the response and can't believe how amazing this collection of songs sounds together. If you have any spare time (ha!) play it from start to finish. It's brilliant, even if we do say so ourselves. 

A massive thanks to all the bands and artists who contributed their songs. If you like a particular song make sure to check out the 'info' section for that song and click through to the band's individual page to hear more of their music and support them. Huge thanks too to Scott Newth at BLKHUS Productions for mastering the album and Grant Stantiall for the use of his photograph.
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We realise that these are difficult times for a lot of people financially, but thought setting a minimum price of $10 was fair for 23 songs. If you can afford to pay more please do so, I am sure it will be greatly appreciated by Ivan and his staff. All sales go directly to Ivan via Paypal.  

Stay safe, enjoy the music, and see you down the Lounge at some point.

'No Sound: A Nivara Lounge Fundraiser' full tracklisting:

1. r.p.i.l.d. - I Love Nivara Lounge             
2. The Bats - She's Down (previously unreleased)
3. Spiral Stairs - No Comparison (MHZ Mix)
4. The Scones - Ode To The Mountains  
5. One Man Bannister - Splendid Isolation
6. Robert Scott - State Highway 6
7. The Fatalities - This House Is Killing Me             
8. Elider - Waterdog       
9. Carb On Carb - Annual Leave
10. Sora Shima - Calor Humano
11. Rumpus Room - Elephant     
12. John Davis - Solo Silhouette
13. GROK - GROK 58 - Modern Hazard    
14. REPAIRS - Chillgorithm           
15. Broadcast State - Abide         
16. ORBJKS - ORBJKS      
17. Glass Shards - Can Veil           
18. The Trendees - Collusion Of Bad
19. Bitter Defeat - Superior Avoidance Tactics     
20. The Recently Deceived - Misty Wave
21. CnC - Ko Wai Au        
22. Pencarrow - Soul Paralytic
23. Rubine - Secret Danger

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The new, self-titled, album from Hamilton’s DateMonthYear has been long in the oven. Hp has given it a listen, so head over to the Features page to see what he says about it! -> HERE <-

​After a few afternoon showers on the penultimate day of the Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival, the evening sky was open and clear, and the families were out when Fly My Pretties took to the stage. We took it all in, and reviewed the show.

​Click -> HERE <- to read the review.

We are no strangers to Dunedin’s Nadia Reid here at HUP HQ, having hosted her twice in Hamilton, at the Waldorf School Hall in 2018 and then again at The Meteor during Future City Festival 2019. We missed her show at Nivara Lounge last year so were keen to revisit those amazing songs and that incredible voice one more time. Skip over to FEATURES to read our review of last night's show at Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival.