Live at The Domain
21 March 2026
Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall
Nice ’n’ Urlich Bring Silky House Magic to Synthony in the Domain
Auckland Domain, Auckland, NZ, The afternoon sun shone down on festival goers as the Mānuka Phuel Synthony Festival kicked into gear, a sprawling sonic tapestry stretching from orchestra‑reinvented classics to dance floor ready house beats. By the time Nice ’n’ Urlich took the stage, the day had already blurred into rhythm and release.
They arrived not as relics of a bygone era, but as architects of euphoria. Peter Urlich and Bevan Keys, icons of Aotearoa’s house music lineage, still infused dance floors with the same soulful intensity that first made them legends in the mid‑90s. What began as a Saturday morning show on 95bFM had evolved into a cultural phenomenon, defining the country’s enduring love affair with house music.
By showtime, the crowd, a generational cross‑section of ravers, music lovers, and festival wanderers, was primed. Urlich’s familiar, warm voice threaded through Keys’ choice cuts like a seasoned radio host calling everyone in for the big drop. Their set was a masterclass in feel‑good house, taking classic grooves and giving them fresh breath on a warm March afternoon.
From the first silky chords, the duo sculpted the air with deep bass lines and shimmering synths. Tracks melted seamlessly into one another in that timeless way only seasoned selectors can pull off, every transition engineered to draw you deeper into the moment.
This wasn’t just about nostalgia, it was about communion. Drum rolls, peaks, and troughs in the house rhythms, a collective breath taken and released with every drop: the audience surrendered fully to the music. Nice ’n’ Urlich masterfully tapped into the pulse of the moment, weaving in soulful hooks and uplifting grooves that had even casual listeners moving in sync with the beat.
By the end of their set, the sun still beating down on the Domain, a sea of ecstatic bodies reflected the kind of musical release that only a truly great festival moment can conjure. The silky house grooves lingered in the hot afternoon air as people carried them into the night, a testament to the duo’s enduring joy‑inducing magic.
In a world chasing new sounds, sometimes it’s the old hands who remind us why we fell in love with music in the first place. Nice ’n’ Urlich didn’t just deliver a DJ set, they delivered a feeling, a communal pulse that didn’t just resonate … it released.
Reviewer: Paul Marshall
Photography by Paul Marshall
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