Local Listens: How to Beat Your Homesickness

LOCAL LISTENS | INTERVIEW | DRUGS

Written by Liam Hansen (they/them) | @liamhanse.n | Editor-in-Chief

I do not want to see another Linkedin post telling me that an Aucklander is moving to Melbourne. Every week, another figure in Aotearoa music flees across the ditch for the brighter horizons of Naarm, burnt out from the incessant price hikes, venue closures, and general uncertainty plaguing the music community in Tāmaki Makaurau. It’s fair enough, but I miss y’all. Come back. 

Siân Fenwick joined the musical Melbourne brain-drain after her Grey Lynn flat was flooded - she tells me at a cafe near her new workplace of Bigpop Studios. She hung around in Naarm, did some hospo work, freelanced as an illustrator, and called it quits - returning to Auckland a couple months ago to take up the new role and pick up where she left off with her relationships and network back home in Tāmaki Makaurau. 

One of those relationships was with Cindy’s drummer, Jordan Lim, Siân’s other half both in life and the creation of the upcoming Homesickness gig on the 24th of August. Homesickness is Jordan's return to all ages gig management and Siâns first proper foray into the field. “He wanted to put on a gig. And I was like, “Well, do you know what? I really want to bring Sweet Home back.” Sweet Home was her magazine/documentary series/general creative outfit in the early 2020s, which she used as a way to promote her creative mahi and stick a banner across all her work. 

The line-up fucking kills it, with a batch of bands who often stray away from the all ages circuit signing on to show the youths what they’ll be getting themselves into when they become old enough to frequent Whammy. Post-punk outfits Ringlets and Salt Water Criminals both stunned crowds at June’s Junkfest; SWC is an incessant burst of emo-adjacent indie rock energy that threw the grounds of The Wine Cellar into chaos, which myself and my partner had to squeeze out of early to stand front of stage for Ringlets at Whammy Mainroom  - which became equally rambunctious in no time. Their debut, self titled LP is one of my favourites to come out of Aotearoa in recent years, and if their recent single ‘New Life’ is anything to go by, they’re just getting started. 

Recently added to the lineup, Elliot & Vincent have been stunning the masses with their crunchy, minimalistic alternative rock as opening acts for Royal Blood at Spark Arena and The Jesus & Mary Chain at The Powerstation. Roy Irwin has been prevalent in the indie scene for close to a decade, and is returning to the stage after hitting the decks recently at Wine Cellars closing party to perform their fantastic lo-fi pop. P.H.F will be terrifyingly dynamic as always, bringing his recent hyperpop/noise projects to the forefront like the Old Folks stage is a stadium, and finally the organisers themselves will take to the stage to introduce their new band Preacher into the scene and remind everyone how incredible Cindy is after they spent some time touring Japan last year.  

So much of Homesickness was built around Siân and Jordan’s shared nostalgia - but it’s likely that this will be some teenager's first gig. Before then, they could’ve been daydreaming about moving to Melbourne too - but gigs like this might help keep them around, becoming a night they’ll look back on for years to come with immense nostalgia and a willingness to do something like their own. And so, the cycle continues. 

Sweet Home Presents: Homesickness will take place at the Aucklands Old Folks Association on Saturday, the 24th of August. The gig is all ages, and tickets are 30 dollars from Under The Radar. You’ll regret not going.