Play It Again, Strangeways

Strangeways Radio music library from A Fine Frenzy
 to Zwan (below) is extensive and growing quickly 

There is no shortage of good radio here in NZ, the BNet stations for example would all rank highly on a global standard of good radio, but a recent proliferation of online radio stations means that there is even more opportunity to streamline your listening tastes to suit any given mood. One such station, Strangeways Radio, will be of interest to indie fans as an alternative option, although 'indie' is too generic a description. Strangeways sounds British, partially because it is the name of a famous Mancunian prison, but also because much of the station's sound could be described as British - "dreampop, trip hop, Brit pop, shoegaze, electronica, indie pop, indie rock, post punk, dark wave, alt. classics" - the genre tag on the station's front page announces. Strangeways Radio is based in the USA, the brainchild of one DJ Mikey and is only 6 months old but is gaining traction fast with shows by the likes of Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins), Detroit indie legend Darren Revell and Matt Sebastian, founder of legendary college music blog 'Slicing Up Eyeballs.' Highly recommended...

Cryptozoology Groove-ology

A photo of the boys frying up some death worms on the George back balcony

Here comes the sound of the Mongolian Death Worm and other assorted Cryptid treats. Rhys Darby, perhaps the funniest New Zealander of recent times, and David Farrier who has done amongst the funnniest things a New Zealander has done in recent times, are joining forces on the radio. George FM could well have a radio winner on their hands when the pair combine to unleash The Cryptid Factor, every Saturday morning, on the station's nationwide network. Given the international star status that Darby now attracts, it is great to see him hanging around Aotearoa, performing and popping up regularly in local media and now doing a radio show. Farrier has been adding spice and interest to TV 3 news over the past few years and his inquisitiveness, which recently sent him on a documentary search for the Mongolian Death Worm, will add plenty of random moments to be sure. In a nutshell, Rhys Darby perhaps describes the impending show best; “If I ever had the time in my busy Hollywood schedule to listen to radio, this would be the show I would listen to, it’s a show about mystery, adventure, monsters and bollocks."

The Cryptid Factor with Rhys Darby and David Farrier on George FM. Saturdays, 8-10am, George FM.