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 say for itself, Day Two was about putting those words into practice, loudly, unpredictably and, at times, gloriously.
The annual Going Global conference brings international music-industry delegates into Auckland to see exactly what New Zealand has to offer. But the showcase nights are where the theory gets tested.
This is where the artists get their allotted window to convince managers, agents, labels, publishers and overseas industry people that the music coming out of this little corner of the South Pacific deserves a much bigger stage.
Tonight, we're getting everything from neo-soul and indie pop to punk, rockabilly and full-throttle alternative rock.
Some acts arrive polished.
Others arrive with something potentially more valuable.
Potential.
Hun Lynch
First up for me is Hun Lynch, an interesting six-piece with Hun out front leading the way.
There's a neo-soul foundation here, but it's mixed with avant-garde pop pulses that make the whole thing feel slightly otherworldly.
At times it's ethereal and mystical.
At others, downright odd.
And that's a good thing.
In a showcase environment where artists are competing for the attention of people who may only have twenty minutes to make a decision, sounding different is an advantage.
Hun Lynch certainly sound different.
It's a good performance and, more importantly, one that gives the international delegates something they won't necessarily have heard elsewhere tonight.
Great South
Great South take things in an alternative-indie direction.
There are some good ideas here, but tonight the performance feels a little lacklustre, with a few bum notes creeping into the set.
The songs don't always have enough room to breathe and there's not quite enough light and shade in the delivery.
The crowd nods politely along to some of the tracks, but I'm left wanting a little more presence from the performance.
At one point the singer takes to the microphone between songs and thanks everyone for being there, adding that it's cool to see all this great Aotearoa music and hoping the international delegates are making some good connections.
And that's the thing about Going Global.
Those connections are the whole point.
But ultimately, the music has to do the heavy lifting.
Paige
Paige provides a welcome change of pace.
It's soulful and laid back, built around drums, keys and Hun on acoustic guitar and vocals.
The crowd settles into the smooth grooves, and there's an easy confidence to the performance.
Then there are the songs.
Some genuinely strong pop hooks emerge from the laid-back arrangements, but it's Paige's voice that really separates her from the pack.
There's a quality and depth to it that gives the performance its own identity.
It's a great showing.
Not because she's trying to overpower the room, but because she doesn't need to.
Guardian Singles
Guardian Singles hit the stage with some force.
I'm not going to box them in completely, but for reference, imagine Joy Division crossed with Crass, with a little late-seventies punk and an eighties pop influence buried somewhere beneath the surface.
I'm showing my age here.
But I like them.
There's something nostalgic about the sound, but it doesn't feel like an exercise in retro cosplay.
They've taken those influences and inserted them into something contemporary.
The result works.
Half/Angel
Next up, Half/Angel smash their sound into the room.
The crowd responds with big whoops and hollers as the band work through their set, and there's an immediate sense that we're moving further into rock territory.
One uptempo number particularly catches my attention, with the drummer delivering some interesting and cleverly placed rhythmic parts.
There's plenty here for an international audience to latch onto.
Indie?
Yes.
Accessible?
Yes.
Pop?
At times.
Hooks?
Absolutely.
They're ticking a few boxes already.
Where's Jai
Where's Jai take us somewhere completely different.
There are hints of rockabilly and fifties-era sounds creeping into the music, but this isn't simply a nostalgia trip.
They sit comfortably in the modern landscape while drawing on some seriously interesting influences.
A slower number brings out some excellent dual vocals and harmonies, and the crowd responds.
The band are polished and deliver a confident show.
Another act that leaves me wondering what they could do with a bigger stage and a longer set.
Dropper
Then Dropper hit the room and suddenly the temperature rises.
They don't so much perform as attack the stage.
There's a fierce energy and physicality to the performance that immediately demands attention.
This is the kind of stage presence that makes an industry showcase stop feeling like an industry showcase.
And that matters.
Because there is a difference between playing songs well and making people in a room care.
Dropper understand the second part.
They bring an urgency that cuts through the noise of the evening, and for a few minutes the industry delegates aren't delegates anymore.
They're an audience.
And that's perhaps the greatest trick any showcase artist can pull.
Make people forget they're supposed to be evaluating you.
Make them simply watch.
Listen.
React.
Dropper do exactly that.
And suddenly the question isn't whether the band can play.
It's where they can go next.
That's what Going Global is really about.
Not necessarily finding the finished product.
Finding the artist who makes you think:
Reviewer: Paul Marshall
Photography by Steve Rickard
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