The Others Way Festival – 13th Floor Review #2: November 29, 2025
The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda files this report after last night’s Others Way Festival. Photos by Chris Warne & Philip Chignall.
Yes, the ears are ringing, but I’m otherwise in good shape after enjoying six hours of live music up and down K’Rd in central Auckland. Before I get into the nitty-gritty, first let me commend the festival organizers for a well-run, efficient, safe, entertaining night on the town.
With the weather pretty much perfect and no hassle (or lines) getting my wrist band, I got started at 5:30 in, what was listed as “Flying Out” on the timetable, but was, in reality, a cement-lined garage/basement/cave located around back from the shop.
As it turned out, it was the perfect venue for the guitar-driven bands I caught there, the first being:
Capricore
Despite the un-appealing name, the band itself was one of my favourites of the evening.
Best described as “gendre and gender fluid”, the sound of the quartet was a mix of glam and punk and the look was heavy on black eyeliner. Led by the green-haired singer/guitarist Aidan Ripley, the band played all there “hits” including J.A.F.A. and Don’t Shank Me, their tribute to the Auckland bussing experience.
The other members include bassist Jerrick Wilcox, keyboard player, guitarist and sign-waver James Zambucka and a drummer of unknown origin tucked away in the back.
The sound was surprisingly solid in the cement-lined room and the crowd was digging the vibe.
I need to hear more than just 25 minutes of this band.
Holly Arrowsmith
With that I sneak into the adjacent Pitt St Church where Holly Arrowsmith is still preaching to the converted. The place is packed…but, as this is 30 minutes into her set, some folks are leaving, making room for latecomers like me.
Holly sounds great, and, as it turns out, I show up just in time to hear her introduce Anita Clark (aka Motte) on to play her violin.
Sublime!
Crying Ivy
With church service over, I head back into the den of inequity from whence I came…back down into the basement of Flying Out to catch Crying Ivy. Even though I’m on time, they have already started!
Sludgy metallic riffs assault my eardrums and I’m back into the dungeon. It’s fast becoming my happy place.
Crying Ivy are an Auckland-based band of “heavy psych drifters”. Fresh off a gig at Big Fan, they sound well-oiled and well-rehearsed. I found myself enjoying the instrumental “jams” more than the proper “songs”, but maybe that was due to the vocals getting buried in the mix anyway…if that makes any sense.
What does make sense is…these guys rock.
Isla Noon
And now for something completely different.
It’s the electro-pop of Isla Noon and her band. Isla’s on stage at Whammy Bar and she is playing material from her just-released debut album, Out Of Body. What is immediately obvious, is that Isla is more that a singer, she is a performer. Also obvious is her drummer “Scott” is very talented.
Isla and the band sounded very good, particularly during the first half of their set. There was a brief technical issue and Isla gamely told jokes while the problem was ironed out.
I thought the final few songs missed the mark as far as pacing went, especially when Isla went into a lengthy explanation of one of the songs, when the crowd just wanted another banger. Save the deep thoughts for interviews Isla, the fans just want to have fun.
Georgia Knight
Friends had been asking me earlier in the day, what act I was most keen to see, and my answer was “Georgia Knight”.
I just discovered Georgia through her just-released debut album, Beanpole. And I had a brief interview with her the previous day…neither prepared me for what her live show was like.
In a word, she was “stunning”.
Armed with her trusty autoharp and dressed in a long black dress and wearing bright red lipstick, Georgia referred to herself as a “air hostess from hell”.
Well, one person’s hell is another’s heaven.
It took a bit of time for the Double Whammy crowd to settled down and give Georgia the attention she deserved. But after one frustrated fan shouted out for everyone else to shut up, things got very good.
The highpoint for me was when Georgia replaced her microphone with an old-school telephone handset and sang Heart Like A Wheel…an Anna McGarrigle song recorded by Linda Ronstadt in the mid-70s.
I was smitten.
So was beau Marlon Williams who I spotted after the show. This is an artist worth watching as, judging by her performance at Others Way, there’s more amazing music to follow.
Dropper
One more visit to the dungeon to catch Dropper, the Wellington band who just released their debut album, Be A Little Kinder, a day earlier. The testosterone level had risen and a mosh pit was forming when I arrived.
I could barely see the band, but I sure could hear them…and they sounded tight!
With bodies slamming into each other, I kept a healthy distance from the action, but that didn’t keep me from enjoying the band that evolved out of the ashes of another Wellington outfit called Bleeding Star.
I believe lead singer Jude Savage is celebrating his 20th birthday this weekend…it seemed like this set was the perfect way to do just that.
The Phoenix Foundation
My next mission was to try and see The Phoenix Foundation over at The Studio. Never one of my favourite venues, this night did nothing to change my mind. The place was over-populated and over-heated by the time I got there.
The band was doing a bit of celebrating themselves, playing their 2005 album, Pegasus, in it’s entirety. I got there just in time to catch guest sax man Jeff Henderson reprise his solo on Cars Of Eden.
And while the band sounded great…especially on the following track, Damn The River…I had to split as it was just too overcrowded and hot.
The band deserved a bigger venue and so did their fans.
Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory
Which brings us to the “headliners”.
I’ve seen Sharon three times before this and enjoyed every minute of it. Tonight was no exception.
With things running like clockwork, Sharon and her band took the “Heavenly Pop Hit Main Stage” at the advertised time of 9:40 and gave us 55 minutes of bliss.
This was my only time at the main stage…located in the middle of K’ Rd…and when the initial sound of opening song, Live Forever, seemed low in volume, I was worried that this may be less than ideal.
But the volume faded up….I think that was the plan…and Sharon…a black silhouette…sounded excellent.
The Attachmewnt Theory are: Teeny Lieberson (synths/ keys/guitar), Jorge Balbi (drums), Devra Hoff (bass) and Shanna Polley (guitar).
The setlist focussed (rightly so) on tunes from the latest album. Sharon told us how thrilled she was to be in New Zealand again, and that she caught her old friend (and former opening act) Bob Scott’s band The Bats.
The latter half of the set featured old favourites like No One’s Easy To Love and Every Time The Sun Comes Up.
I couldn’t help think that, if the city wants to solve the problem of the disintegration of the CBD, they should just leave the stage set up on K’ rd and…problem solved!
I can but dream!
Which is what I did after Sharon and co.
There was more music to be heard, but these legs had been standing for almost six hours and it was time to head home. Again, thanks to the artists, the promotors, the organizers and everyone who helped make The Others Way Festival the success it was.
Keep fighting the good fight!
Marty Duda
More Photos!
Hina:
The Bats:
Tiny Ruins:
Jim Nothing:
