“May you be surrounded by friends and family, and if this is not your lot, may the blessings find you in your solitude.” If you're reading this on Friday (September 21), it's Leonard Cohen's birthday, so how could I not start...... Read More

We return to the occasional series wherein Winston expounds on things currently making him happy. And this week Winston couldn't be happier. New albums are here and on their way, interesting gigs are just around the corner. Love is in the air and...... Read More

Despite missing it in last week's column, the New Zealand International Film Festival is still underway at the Rialto Cinema. It runs through until next Sunday (September 16), and a friend of mine berated me about not supplying more coverage. He...... Read More

Three gigs, that’s what we’ve got this week: business as usual with an extra dose of  spring optimism. And since September and that spring thing starts tomorrow, let’s skip this weekend and all those Father’s Day shenanigans...... Read More

Of the things I wanted to mention this week, by far the most exciting news is the return of Model Train Wreck. They’ve been pretty much my favourite New Zealand band since their self-titled debut album in 2014. Now, after a four year hiatus,...... Read More

Perfection, when it comes to music, is a dubious concept,  and one I place little stock in. Music does many things. It can make you happy or sad, make you dance or doze; it can elevate the soul and send spirits soaring. But, in my experience,...... Read More

Changes are afoot, but then changes are always afoot. And the more you write it, the weirder the word ‘afoot’ seems... I have a few public information announcements this week, with very little connective tissue, so I'm just going to...... Read More

It takes a lot to render me speechless, but last week did it. Alarmingly, it seems the Curse of the Column is still alive and well. There is a small window between a paper being ‘put to bed’ and the printed edition hitting your letterbox. A...... Read More

Since I wrote about the (possible) end of the world, this column  has been cursed. I'm not sure how it went so wrong. Maybe it was the Trump jokes. Maybe the Orange Ogre set his minions on me. Or got his Russian mate to. Was I was tempting...... Read More

Go away for a week and everything falls apart... A couple of weeks ago it seemed a good idea to write two columns in advance before jetting off to sit beside a tropical swimming pool sipping cocktails involving small umbrellas and pineapples. But,...... Read More