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Amongst the chaos of a Saturday night in Ōtepoti, Pearl Diver was the perfect place to escape the Hyde Street goers and chill out to some slow jams, and up first was Dunedin’s own ambient folk-pop duo Hidden Ocean. During the preamble they encouraged the audience to sit down on the floor and get comfy, which made the gig feel cozy and laid back. Hidden Ocean’s music is dreamy and ethereal, with powerful vocals and soulful keyboard accompaniments. The lyrics are raw and emotional, and by far the worst part of the night was finding out that their songs aren’t available on any streaming platforms yet.

Then it was time for sloer, hailing all the way from Wānaka, who picked up where Hidden Ocean left off with some slow acoustic tracks and built up the sound as their set went on. Their sound blurs the lines between genres - incorporating elements of folk, pop and indie rock for a unique listening experience that left me wishing the setlist was just a few songs longer. I cannot recommend both of these bands enough and I’m so excited to see what they get up to next.

You can check them out on Instagram at @hidden_ocean.wav and @sloer_band for info on upcoming shows and new releases.

The Beths are a beloved four-piece indie rock band formed in Auckland in 2014. Since their debut, they’ve achieved global success and performed shows in Australia, North America, the UK, and Europe. Now they’re back home in Aotearoa to celebrate their most recent album ‘Straight Line Was A Lie’.

I’ve been patiently waiting for The Beths to come back to the south island ever since I first saw a grainy video of them performing at The Church Pub in Christchurch on a friend’s instagram story, and finally getting to see them live was the best way to end to a long week of Uni.

The vibe at the Glenroy Auditorium was curated to a T, with soft colourful lighting and several fog machines (which rendered all of the videos I took almost unwatchable) creating a hazy dream-like atmosphere to accompany The Beths’ indie sound.

The opening act was another band hailing from Auckland by the name of BUB. I wasn't familiar with them going in, but as soon as I heard their first song I was enamoured with their slow guitar-heavy sound which had the whole crowd swaying along. It was the perfect intro for the main act of the night, who came out shortly after to kick off their setlist with the titular track ‘Straight Line Was A Lie’. This was a great choice to get the crowd hyped up, and Tristan Deck’s punchy drumming really stood out to me in this particular song. Towards the halfway point, the energy wound down with ‘mother, pray for me’, which places lead singer Elizabeth Stokes' gorgeous vocals front and centre. The night finished off with an encore consisting of some of my personal favourite tracks – ‘Take’, which features great backing vocals from the rest of the band and ‘Uptown girl’, which blends vulnerable lyricism with a catchy upbeat melody.

Both BUB and The Beths gave fantastic performances and I thoroughly recommend snagging some tickets next time they’re in town- or checking out what else the Glenroy Auditorium has got going on.