Write Said Paul

Live at The Powerstation 

24 October 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

Midge Ure at the Powerstation: Eighties Gold, Rock ’n’ Roll Swagger and a Catalogue Worth Celebrating.

Arriving at the Powerstation tonight, I’m greeted by one of…

Live at The Q Theatre 

22 October 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

Play It Strange Annual Showcase 2026: The Future of New Zealand Music Is in Good Hands.

From heartfelt songwriting and silky sibling harmonies to an…

Live at The Civic

15 October 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

JAMES AT THE CIVIC: Nine Musicians, Four Decades of Songs, and a Frontman Who Knows How to Command a Room.

Tim Booth and company turn Auckland’s…

Live at Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre

14 October 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

APRA Silver Scroll Awards 2026: A Night for the Songwriters, the Stories and the People Behind the Music.

There are nights when I turn…

POPS Pinball: Turning Auckland’s Train Station Into a Giant Arcade of Light, Colour and Connection.

Interview by Paul Marshall.

There’s something beautifully rebellious about taking a place where people are usually in a hurry and giving them a reason to…

Windows of Imagination: 179 Young Artists Open a Window Into Auckland’s Soul.

Interview by Paul Marshall

What happens when you take the imagination of 179 children, add a little creative magic, and transform their artwork into a giant animated projection…

Enslaved’s Iver Sandøy: Finding the Centre, Embracing the Chaos and Why Friendship Comes First.

Interview by Paul Marshall

I’ve always maintained that the drummer is the coolest person in any band. Why? Because drummers are the backbone, the engine room…

Saint Etienne: Sarah Cracknell on 35 years of music, Glastonbury chaos and saying goodbye.

Interview by Paul Marshall

Tonight, I had the absolute pleasure of talking with Sarah Cracknell, the unmistakable voice of one of the UK's most enduring and…

Live at The Powerstation 

3 October 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

America, 20 Years On – And Still No Backing Track

It's another night at The Powerstation in Mt Eden, and I arrive just as the doors…

Swedish metal, Spanish choruses, Nordic collaborations and one very unexpected yodel, Nick Johansson explains why TUNGSTEN’s new album Ashes is about not being afraid to try stupid ideas.

Interview by Paul Marshall

There are probably easier ways to promote a…

Live at Whammy

26 September 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

Other Voices Bring Siouxsie and the Banshees Back to Life at Whammy Bar.

There are nights when you go to a gig because you know exactly what…

Live at Spark Arena 

25 September 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

The Melbourne rock ’n’ roll survivors prove that some songs simply refuse to die.

There was something wonderfully appropriate about walking into Spark Arena and finding…

Live at Spark Arena 

25 September 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

The Kiwi hard-rock juggernauts bring the mosh pit, the mayhem and a bass-flinging finale.

There was something wonderfully appropriate about walking into Spark Arena and finding…

Live at Spark Arena 

25 September 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

Villainy deliver the rock, but leave some arena magic on the table.

There was something wonderfully appropriate about walking into Spark Arena and finding the place…

SABREEN — Forget Me When I’m Gone EP

EP Review

There is absolutely nothing wrong with admitting you like pop music. I’m from London, England, so perhaps I was always destined to be a sucker for a good pop song…

James: Getting Away With It

Saul Davies on Yummy, Laid, four decades of James, and why the band still refuses to stand still.

Interview by Paul Marshall

There are interviews, and then there are those moments when you…

Live at The Tuning Fork

14 September 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

ASH — 1977, 30 Years On: Still Burning Baby Burn.

There are nights when Auckland feels like it has been deliberately designed to discourage you…

Live at The Powerstation 

11 September 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

Happy Mondays: Pills, Thrills, Maracas and One Wet Auckland Night.

The Madchester legends bring 35 years of Pills ’n’ Thrills and Bellyaches to a sold-out Powerstation…

Live at The Powerstation

8 September 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

The Damned at The Powerstation: 50 Years On, Still Neat, Still Nasty, Still Damned.

There are gigs where you arrive wondering what kind of night…

Live at Whammy

2 September 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

Three Bands, One Very Loud Wednesday: Buzz, Lipstick & Frank On Tap Turn Whammy Into a Sweatbox

There are two kinds of people on a Wednesday night…

Live at The Powerstation 

1 September 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

The Swedish pirates of the Kattegat bring the freakshow to Auckland.

There are some buildings where you go to see a concert. And then there are…

Down the Rabbit Hole at The Civic: A Circus Spectacle That Defies Gravity

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

There are opening nights, and then there are opening nights that feel like somebody has ripped a hole in reality…

Live at Whammy

28 August 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

Going Global 2026, Day Two: When the Showcase Becomes a Gig

There comes a point during every music industry showcase when you stop thinking about the business…

Live at Whammy

28 August 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

Going Global 2026, Day Two: The Search for the Next Big Thing.

If Day One of Going Global was about discovering what Aotearoa’s music industry has to…