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Stuck for gig ideas across New Zealand this summer? Don’t worry, Tone Deaf has got you covered. 

As soon as the sun breaks through the Land of the Long White Cloud, Kiwis really have only one thing on their mind: going to concerts and festivals.

Seeing live music with your mates often involves a classic summer road trip, whether you’re driving into Auckland CBD for a headline show at Spark Arena or trekking to the South Island for Rhythm & Alps, and summer roadie season also means Driver Tax.

Us drivers know what that means: whatever your mates are munching on while you’re behind the wheel, you crave – nay, deserve – a cut.

Luckily Macca’s has you covered with a Driver Tax Calculator so you don’t have to calculate what you’re owed yourself. Simply download the Macca’s app to work out what your passengers owe you, and you can even help them pay it with cool food deals all summer long. When you get to pick the tunes AND get the Driver Tax, it feels good to be the driver.

Before you hit the road, check out Tone Deaf‘s list of the best gigs taking place around New Zealand between January 12th-26th below.

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Rodney Fisher and The Response

Friday, January 12th
Ponsonby Social Club, Auckland

Tickets: Under the Radar

Goodshirt icon Rodney Fisher is heading to one of Ponsonby’s favourite spots to celebrate his collaborative new album with The Response. Fisher and the Christchurch duo released Art School Dropout together in 2023, and fans will get the chance to hear the album songs in an intimate setting on January 12th.

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Summer Thieves

Friday, January 12th
Smash Palace, Gisborne

Tickets: Loop

Beloved indie rock outfit Summer Thieves are bringing their album release tour to Gisborne in the middle of January. Their latest album, Cigarettes in Space, was given a positive review by Rolling Stone AU/NZ, with the band noted as sounding “festival-ready.”

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Princess Chelsea

Friday, January 12th
Meow, Wellington

Saturday, January 13th
St. Peter’s Village Hall, Paekākāriki

Tickets: Banished Music

After winning the prestigious Taite Music Prize for her fifth album, Everything Is Going to Be Alright, earlier this year, Aotearoa’s art-pop queen, Princess Chelsea, is playing her prize-winning record in its entirety at shows around the country. Following a successful tour of North America, Princess Chelsea’s NZ album tour continues in the new year in Whanganui, Wellington, and Paekākāriki accompanied by her wonderful backing band.

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Daffodils X Wiri Donna’s Summer Sprint

Friday, January 12th
Leigh Sawmill Cafe, Leigh

Tickets: Under the Radar

Thursday, January 18th
The Yard Cafe & Venue, Raglan

Tickets: Under the Radar

Two rising stars of New Zealand’s music scene are coming together for a special joint tour. Indie pop band Daffodils and Auckland Live Best Independent Debut Award finalist Wiri Donna will perform together before both artists release new music in the new year. With Daffodils having previously played Laneway, Nest Fest, and Rhythm and Vines, and Wiri Donna having previously supported Fontaines D.C., The Beths, and more, expect a slick double set from the pair.

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Soaked Oats

Saturday, January 13th
The Yard Cafe & Venue, Raglan

Sunday, January 14th
Eggsentric Cafe, Coromandel

Tickets: Under the Radar

Soaked Oats are performing a brief run of shows in January around their appearance at Nest Fest in Hawke’s Bay. Expect to hear old favourited alongside new material, as they recently revealed to Rolling Stone AU/NZ.

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Nabihah Iqbal

Tuesday, January 16th
Meow, Wellington

Wednesday, January 17th
Neck of the Woods, Auckland

Tickets: Banished Music

Nabihah Iqbal is finally coming to New Zealand. The London-based musician and producer will perform two special shows in Wellington and Auckland this January. Iqbal is touring in support of her latest album, DREAMER, which was described as “unreal and otherworldly” by The Quietus.

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Gengahr

Wednesday, January 17th
The Tuning Fork, Auckland

Tickets: Moshtix

The English indie rockers are coming to New Zealand to celebrate their latest album, Red Sun Titans. The band’s fourth album was given a glowing four-star review by DIY, with the music magazine hailing it as “a spirited, sun-soaked journey.” Gengahr will head to Australia for three shows following their Auckland date.

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Brent Faiyaz

Wednesday, January 17th
Spark Arena, Auckland

Tickets: Live Nation

One of modern R&B’s most popular artists is returning to New Zealand for a massive Auckland show. Faiyaz brings his ‘F*ck the World It’s a Wasteland’ tour to Spark Arena on January 17th, armed with anthems from his second album, Wasteland, a number two hit in the US in 2022.

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Amanda Palmer

Sunday, January 21st
Sherwood, Queenstown

Wednesday, January 24th
Q Theatre, Auckland

Tickets: Banished Music

The one and only Amanda Palmer is bringing old and new songs to an intimate New Zealand tour at the end of January. The acclaimed multi-hyphenate unexpectedly found herself spending two years in this country with her young son during the pandemic, so the accidental Kiwi is looking forward to performing to catching up with audiences in Queenstown, Auckland, and Wellington.

“I wanted to come back for this short tour – not only because I’m homesick for my Kiwi friends, but because I’d like to share the music: the handful of songs that helped me survive this period of my life,” the Dresden Dolls member says.

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