The first album in nine years from Billy Idol might not hit the highs that made him a star in the 1980s, yet Kings & Queens Of The Underground is an interesting study in genre blending that, somehow, doesn't come across as an exercise in mimicking the latest musical trends.
Jimmy Barnes' latest album, 30:30 Hindsight, might offer a retrospective glimpse at an enduring career, yet the Australian rocker prefers to look to the future, writes Shane Gilchrist.
An Arts Foundation award will help songwriter Dudley Benson realise his ambition of recording with the Southern Sinfonia. It's nice to get some recognition, too, the former choirboy tells Shane Gilchrist.
Christchurch string band the Eastern has honed its lyricism to a razor-sharp edge for its latest album, writes Shane Gilchrist.
New Zealand's largest short-film festival, Show Me Shorts, celebrated its 2014 launch in Auckland this week before spreading its tentacles all the way to Stewart Island. As festival director Gina Dellabarca explains to Shane Gilchrist, it's become a bit of a beast.
Nature's random acts provide the magic in a new ''blue-chip'' collaboration between NHNZ and TVNZ. But, as with all good stories, it's all in the telling, writes Shane Gilchrist.
Magpie musician C.W. Stoneking has made his discoveries his own, writes Shane Gilchrist.
A multifaceted arts event has sprung out of a deep connection to the Solomon Islands, Shane Gilchrist writes.
Zombies, apparently, have a taste for brains. Yet our brains might also have a taste for zombies. As Halloween nears, Shane Gilchrist examines why being scared is such a treat.
Penguins might be regarded as cute, comedic characters because of the bumbling manner in which they walk, but these birds have been shaped not by the air or land, but by the sea.
Dunedin biologist Lloyd Spencer Davis' latest book is on one of his favourite subjects: the bird that swims like a fish, writes Shane Gilchrist.
One in five New Zealand adolescents or teens will suffer from a depressive disorder by the time they're 18. So let's do something about it, says John Kirwan, who discusses parental concerns and the importance of "stepping up'' with Shane Gilchrist.
From The Unicorn to Drunken Sailor, the Irish Rovers' set-list is long and varied, just like the group's half-century career, writes Shane Gilchrist.
David Bowie, Judy Collins, Tom Jones, Dionne Warwick ... many have been influenced by the songs of Belgian Jacques Brel. Add to the list Micheline Van Hautem, who is preparing to summon the spirit of her late compatriot, writes Shane Gilchrist.
Tim Finn's latest work is a personal, theatrical and, of course, musical reflection on what it means to be Pakeha in New Zealand. As the esteemed songwriter tells Shane Gilchrist, sometimes you have to look back to know who you are now.
Dunedin writer Laurence Fearnley, who this week released her latest novel, Reach, discusses motivations and maritime minutiae with Shane Gilchrist.
Philip Temple's new novel depicts a world riven with war, food shortages, epidemics, economic chaos and totalitarianism. Yet that bleak outlook is not fantasy, the Dunedin author tells Shane Gilchrist.
Is New Zealand the land of the long white shopping bill? Shane Gilchrist reports.
Never far from the headlines, the armed offenders squad marks its 50th anniversary this year. Shane Gilchrist discusses training, teamwork and tactics with Inspector Jason Guthrie.
The tuatara may be regarded as a national treasure but don't call it a living fossil, biologist Alison Cree tells Shane Gilchrist.