Saturday July 29 is International Tiger Day. To help raise awareness bFM and Tiger beer have joined forces to bring you bStreet festival a celebration of music and art to help promote the Tx2 and the #3890tigers initiatives.We all know that winter sucks. Leaving the house feels like a total chore and sometimes the payoff just isn't there when you do decide to layer up and head out.Thanks to 95bFM, not all hope is lost. This Saturday marks the return of bStreet, the Auckland station's music festival which sees them take over K Road for one huge party. The event has been curated entirely by bFM talent and it's spread across some of the city's best venues, including Whammy Bar, Wine Cellar, the Audio Foundation and heaps more.It's also a showcase of some of New Zealand's greatest underground and emerging acts. To help you prep, here's a look at a few of our favourites, from the jarring noise-rock of The Pleasure Majenta to the sweet soul of Bailey Wiley. Oh, and did we mention that it's free? Lock it in because this weekend you won't want to be anywhere else.Who: MAGIC FACTORY
Venue: THE WINE CELLAR
Where to start: 'SWEET RIDE'
Venue: WHAMMY BACKROOM
Where to start: 'THE ANTHEM (INTRO) feat. BAILEY WILEYFresh off the release of his excellent debut EP, Melodownz—the self-proclaimed "Jack Sparrow of rap"—is bringing his Avondale-inspired songs to Whammy Backroom as part of the True School Hip Hop curated stage. Consider it a chance to see what's in store ahead of his official EP release shows next weekend. As he tells us: "one day I might be talking about peace and love, and the next day I'll be rapping about 'fuck the world' and stuff like that. I'm pretty much saying I'm a human—we're all human and no one is perfect."Who: CLUB STUPID
Venue: THE WINE CELLAR
Where to start: 'LOSER'Great band name, even better artwork. You have to respect an act whose songs all clock in at under two minutes and Club Stupid's brand of in-your-face punk-rock is perfect for those with a short attention span. What more is there to say?Who: BAILEY WILEY
Venue: WHAMMY BACKROOM
Where to start: 'DOS FEUGOS' (Remix) feat. ENO x DIRTYWhen she's not showing up on songs from the likes of Melodownz and SWIDT - the latter of which is an adults only slow-jam you need to hear - Bailey Wiley is slowly becoming a force to reckon with in her own right. Her solo work might be informed by neo-soul, but her output proves that it's not a genre she's about to be locked into whatsoever. "For me as an artist, I feel stuck if I stay in one place for too long," she told Noisey last year. Take it from us and catch her while you can.Who: HIM
Venue: PEACH PIT
Where to start: 'LAVENDER'For something a little more subdued, you'll want to head to Peach Pit for up-and-coming experimental musician Him. Judging from her Bandcamp page, the Auckland-based performer - otherwise known as Jazmine Rose - has spent the year quickly growing her collection of eerie and evocative songs. Catch her alongside Sean O'Reilly (King Loser, The Renderers), Christoph el Truento and Psychic Glands DJ Aaron Yap.Who: THE PLEASURE MAJENTA
Venue: WHAMMY BAR
Where to start: 'FELL'Over the past few years, Lawrence Goodwin has been involved with producing some of the most challenging-yet-gratifying experimental music to come out of New Zealand. His latest project, The Pleasure Majenta, is no different. The band are set to release their new record In Your Dreams this week, which makes the timing that much better. One word of advice: bring your earplugs.Follow Hussein on Twitter.
Advertisement
Venue: THE WINE CELLAR
Where to start: 'SWEET RIDE'
Auckland newcomers Magic Factory are a supergroup of sorts, featuring members from The DHDFDs, The Raw Nerves, The Drab Doo-Riffs and probably some other bands that start with "The". Working With Gold is the name of the rowdy nine-piece outfit's debut album—due out next month—and with singles like 'Sweet Ride' and 'I Don't Mean To Presume', it's clear they're here to party. Both songs recall the dirty sound of late-60s/early-70s bands like The Flying Burrito Brothers, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Sticky Fingers-era Rolling Stones. "We're a family band," they say. "Magic Factory can swell or contract. People come and go but family is family."Who: MELODOWNZ
Venue: WHAMMY BACKROOM
Where to start: 'THE ANTHEM (INTRO) feat. BAILEY WILEYFresh off the release of his excellent debut EP, Melodownz—the self-proclaimed "Jack Sparrow of rap"—is bringing his Avondale-inspired songs to Whammy Backroom as part of the True School Hip Hop curated stage. Consider it a chance to see what's in store ahead of his official EP release shows next weekend. As he tells us: "one day I might be talking about peace and love, and the next day I'll be rapping about 'fuck the world' and stuff like that. I'm pretty much saying I'm a human—we're all human and no one is perfect."
Advertisement
Venue: THE WINE CELLAR
Where to start: 'LOSER'Great band name, even better artwork. You have to respect an act whose songs all clock in at under two minutes and Club Stupid's brand of in-your-face punk-rock is perfect for those with a short attention span. What more is there to say?Who: BAILEY WILEY
Venue: WHAMMY BACKROOM
Where to start: 'DOS FEUGOS' (Remix) feat. ENO x DIRTYWhen she's not showing up on songs from the likes of Melodownz and SWIDT - the latter of which is an adults only slow-jam you need to hear - Bailey Wiley is slowly becoming a force to reckon with in her own right. Her solo work might be informed by neo-soul, but her output proves that it's not a genre she's about to be locked into whatsoever. "For me as an artist, I feel stuck if I stay in one place for too long," she told Noisey last year. Take it from us and catch her while you can.Who: HIM
Venue: PEACH PIT
Where to start: 'LAVENDER'For something a little more subdued, you'll want to head to Peach Pit for up-and-coming experimental musician Him. Judging from her Bandcamp page, the Auckland-based performer - otherwise known as Jazmine Rose - has spent the year quickly growing her collection of eerie and evocative songs. Catch her alongside Sean O'Reilly (King Loser, The Renderers), Christoph el Truento and Psychic Glands DJ Aaron Yap.Who: THE PLEASURE MAJENTA
Venue: WHAMMY BAR
Where to start: 'FELL'Over the past few years, Lawrence Goodwin has been involved with producing some of the most challenging-yet-gratifying experimental music to come out of New Zealand. His latest project, The Pleasure Majenta, is no different. The band are set to release their new record In Your Dreams this week, which makes the timing that much better. One word of advice: bring your earplugs.Follow Hussein on Twitter.