Kate Bollinger – Double Whammy: January 9, 2026 (13th Floor Concert Review)
Kate Bollinger brought 2026 in with a whisper rather than a roar as she opened her tour at Double Whammy in Auckland.
Phoebe Rings
Double Whammy was still sparsely populated but welcomingly cool when Phoebe Rings opened the night. They began with Daisy, whose pace and brightness felt communal, voices melding together to mark both the start of the show and a belated happy new year. Lazy followed, slower and more grounded, its danceable groove settling the room rather than lifting it.
Between songs, Crystal Choi reflected on the band’s recent six-week US tour supporting The Beths and the pleasure of being back home, before their album title track Aseurai unfolded at an unhurried pace. Across the set, dream-pop textures from keys and guitar were anchored by bass and drums that kept the rhythm gently moving forward and an atmosphere of ease and togetherness accumulated.
Get Off deepened the mood, with bassist Benjamin Locke stepping forward on vocals and shifting the band’s centre of gravity through its deeper groove. Drifting pared things back, resting on guitar and Choi’s voice before keys and light percussion joined. From there, Fading Star lifted the tempo and sharpened the rhythmic focus.
By the time Cheshire closed the set, Phoebe Rings had gathered real momentum. Its skipping drum pattern and layered textures gave the performance its most propulsive moment, the band locked in and flowing, ending on a note that felt confident and forward-looking. It was a carefully shaped opening set that built patiently and left the room attentive.
Kate Bollinger
Postcard from a Cloud playing over the system announced Kate Bollinger’s arrival. The crowd had grown, and the room remained mercifully cool. Bollinger emerged flanked by her band, striking white Gretsch in hand. Much of the set that followed drew from her debut album, Songs From a Thousand Frames of Mind, released in September 2024, grounding the performance in a familiar and cohesive body of work.
A run of three songs from the album opened the set: firstly What’s This About (La La La La), short, pop-leaning, and immediately light on its feet. God Interlude followed with its clipped, ticking rhythm, before Any Day Now began with a small mistake and the good humour around that seemed to relax her.
After introducing the band, Bollinger leaned into the faster, swinging feel of Out of Time as the band shifted gear and the punches began to land. The flourish at the end was met with loud appreciation, the sense of the audience being onside unmistakable. That momentum carried into Yards / Gardens, Bollinger’s vigorously strummed guitar anchored by a steady drum backbone.
As the set progressed, Bollinger appeared increasingly at ease, both with her band and with the room. As she paused to retune her guitar or adjust her monitors, the audience chatter grew rather than receded, and she met it comfortably, her dry humour and easy charm drawing people in rather than shutting things down.
Bollinger’s songs sit in a space of folk-tinged indie pop: light and understated, melodic, with a deliberate jazz feel that shapes how they land live. Black Balloon rested heavily on voice and simple strum before gradually building, while Devices unfolded slowly, echoing guitar lines ringing out at the close. Running began tentatively, its pacing restrained even as the sound filled out. Later, Dear Bobby reintroduced energy, vocals echoing as guitar and keys cut through, the song swelling, pulling back, then returning before a clean stop.
After more relaxed band and audience banter, Fun Fun Fun! briefly reset the room with punchy pop instincts, before Postcard from a Cloud appeared again, this time in live form, its bright hook drawing one of the strongest responses of the night.
The final stretch confirmed the set’s shape. I See It Now and Sweet Devil began quietly, guitar set aside, before piano joined voice, bass, and drums and the mood lifted again. More bodies began to move. All This Time closed the main set with Kate Bollinger back on guitar, controlled and unforced, gently easing the room down without deflating it.
The encore landed decisively. Pictures of You arrived buoyant and assertive, riffs brightening as drums built beneath her voice. I Never Wanna Say followed with guitar set aside once more, keys supporting her warm hushed vocals and carrying the song’s weight through carefully placed pauses. The end of set response was loud and sustained, the audience fully with her and the band, appreciation clearly earned.
John Bradbury
Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Chris Zwaagdyk:
Kate Bollinger:
Phoebe Rings:
Setlists:
Phoebe Rings
Daisy
Lazy
Aseurai
Get Off
Drifting
Fading Star
Cheshire
Kate Bollinger
What’s This About
God Interlude
Any Day Now
Out of Time
Yards / Gardens
Black Balloon
Devices
Running
Dear Bobby
Fun Fun Fun!
Postcard
I See It Now
Sweet Devil
All This Time
Encore
Pictures of You
I Never Wanna Say
Kate Bollinger plays SLACKBARN! Havelock North, Hawkes Bay…tonight.
