Write Said Paul

Johannes Eckerström: "I'd Rather Fail Doing Something I Love Than Succeed at Something I Never Wanted to Do”.

Interview by Paul Marshall

Johannes Eckerström has always been an intriguing figure. Face paint, a wicked grin and the air of a…

Live at Freida's Margolis

6 August 2026

…

The Song Before the Spotlight.

More Than Twenty Years of Play It Strange and the Quiet Revolution That Changed New Zealand Music.

Interview by Paul Marshall

Some organisations measure success by platinum records, chart positions or sold-out arenas.

Play It…

CoreLeoni: Leo Leoni Proves Rock Music Never Stops Evolving.

Interview by Paul Marshall

Another late night in New Zealand means another conversation with Europe. While most of Auckland is winding down, I'm pouring another coffee and waiting for the screen…

Sweden's Sci-Fi Metal Visionary: Edwin Premberg on Building METALITE's Universe.

Interview by Paul Marshall

The future arrives with a Swedish accent.

There are few things more surreal than sitting in New Zealand at 10.30pm, headphones on, waiting for a video…

Captain Sensible: Im The Chaos Merchant of The Damned.

Interview by Paul Marshall

There are interviews you prepare for, and then there are interviews that take you straight back to being a kid discovering the records that would shape your…

Live at Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre

1 August 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

Alan Davies – Think Ahead Tour

Alan Davies Finds the Funny in Life's Darkest Corners at a Brave and Brilliant Auckland Performance.

There are…

RICK McMURRAY: THE HEARTBEAT OF ASH STILL HITS AS HARD AS EVER.

Interview by Paul Marshall

There are bands that survive because they know how to reinvent themselves. Then there are bands like Ash, groups whose chemistry was so undeniable…

Live at The Tuning Fork

29 July 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

Holly Hebe Proves Sometimes the Brightest Stars Shine Under a Full Moon.

There's something strangely poetic about driving to a gig as the sun disappears…

Del Amitri's Justin Currie: Four Decades of Wit, Melancholy and Music That Still Matters

Interview by Paul Marshall 

There are interviews, and then there are conversations you've been waiting nearly forty years to have.

Today, I had the genuine pleasure…

Critically acclaimed comedian, actor and TV favourite Alan Davies returns to Aotearoa with his brand-new show, Think Ahead – his first New Zealand tour in a decade.

Best known as the star of Jonathan Creek and a long-time panellist on…

Celebrating 25 years at the pinnacle of global pop, Westlife return to New Zealand with their biggest and most ambitious production yet. The Westlife 25: The Anniversary World Tour promises an unforgettable evening packed with the chart-topping hits that have…

Live at Auckland Town Hall

11 July 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

The New Joy Order Division.

Peter Hook Turns Back Time in a Joy Division and New Order Masterclass.

There are some venues that become part…

Live at The Powerstation

27 June 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

Some concerts feel like celebrations. Others feel like private gatherings. Tonight was the latter.

Walking into The Powerstation, the closed upstairs balcony immediately hinted that ticket…

Live at The Powerstation

25 June 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

Myself and a fellow music lover, and partner in crime for the evening, entered The Powerstation in Auckland having spent some time across the road at…

JOEL O’KEEFFE, AIRBOURNE: “MEAT AND POTATOES ROCK N ROLL, NO VEGETABLES”

Interview by Paul Marshall

If you’re a long-term reader of mine, you’ll know I like to do things a little differently. The standard interview format, polite questions, predictable answers…

Live at The Auckland Library 

30 May 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

There aren't many places where hipsters, hardcore music fans, curious families, students, and Auckland's homeless community can comfortably share the same space, but Auckland Central…

Live at The Civic

28 May 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

The stars aligned over Auckland's historic Civic Theatre on Thursday night as the Aotearoa Music Awards returned for another celebration of New Zealand's finest musical talent…

Live at the Hannah Playhouse Wellington

8 May 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

When You Gotta Go: Stephen K. Amos Delivers a Masterclass in Live Comedy.

There’s something gloriously old-school about walking into Hannah Playhouse during the…

Live at the TSB Arena Wellington

6 May 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

Dancing Close to History: Split Enz Prove Some Songs Never Fade at TSB Arena.

The first thing you notice walking into TSB Arena on…

Live at Taupō International Motorsport Park

11 April 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

Storm, Strategy, and a Breakthrough: Taupō Supercars Turns Chaos into History.

The rain never quite arrived on cue, but its threat hung over Lake…

Live at The Tuning Fork

27 March 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

Electric Six Turn The Tuning Fork Into a High-Voltage Circus of Chaos, Comedy and Cult Rock Glory.

Tonight, I’m heading out to see a group…

Live at The Domain

21 March 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

Faithless Commands the Night: Sister Bliss Leads a Sonic Tribute to Maxi Jazz at Synthony.

Faithless didn’t just play a set at Synthony in the Domain…

Live at The Domain

21 March 2026

Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall 

Seventies Unleashed: Hot Dub Time Machine Ignites Synthony with a Joyride Through Music History.

At every festival, there’s a tipping point, when everything starts to feel…