Rising stars Tono and the Finance Company competed well in the recent Otago University Students Association Battle of The Bands, taking out one of the early rounds, before going on the road with their music for a national tour.
Frontman Anthonie Tonnon, aka Tono, is a songwriter for the Rogernomics generation.
This month he released an EP called Love & Economics, on Jody Lloyd's She'll be Right Records.
He plays with his band, Tono and The Finance Company, which he describes as, "like indie pop in a jazz hall".
Born in 1986, the year after Roger Douglas floated the dollar and sailed New Zealand into the free market, Tono grew up at a time when New Zealanders were trading in their tattered old social consciences for the sexy promises of neo-liberal economics.
More recently, Tono has been setting the city abuzz with his music, with or without his Finance Company - which initially came together to record the EP.
"I've been playing solo for a couple of years. Tono and the Finance Company formed in June of last year, initially just to arrange and record the songs on Love & Economics.
"After we had recorded the EP, we played a couple of gigs at the start of this year. It was fantastic and I realised I couldn't let the Finance Company leave.
"We recorded with Andy Straight [drums], Chris Miller [bass], and Matt Bodman [keys], but because Matt is a teacher in Auckland we usually play as a three-piece."
Tonnon and one of his band mates play a little experimental music on the side and another member enjoys a bit of biff.
"Chris and myself play in an experimental band called Emergency+Phone. Andy is the lead guitarist in Biff Merchants."
He says the band's debut EP is going well so far, and the band is stoked,"We've been getting good reviews, and EPs are selling well at gigs.
"Our song Daffodils and a Cashbook spent a couple of weeks at the No 1 spot on the Radio One top 11. The EP has just been released in stores."
The tour has involved some solo gigs and well as dates with the band.
"Well, it's already enveloped Invercargill - we supported Biff Merchants down there a couple of weeks back.
"I'm playing solo as part of Anna Coddington's tour in Oamaru today [Wednesday] and Wanaka on Thursday. Then we're playing in Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington.
"We're spending about a week in each place to try and give folks a few chances to see us. We'll be doing a lot of busking to keep up with petrol prices, and we're performing in Real Groovy stores."
So, what's next for the band? Once back in Dunedin, the band will be getting up close and personal with some video cameras, shooting a video before Tono gets back to putting pen to paper.
"As soon as we get back we'll be filming the music video for the title track, Love & Economics.
"I'm working on the last songs for an album at the moment. We're hoping to record it in September-October, and release it about this time next year."
"I think it's going to have nine tracks - I'm a believer in short albums for an era of short attention spans. It's also going to be a Tono and the Finance Company record, rather than just a Tono one."
There are also plans to play a few shows offshore in the not too distant future.
But before all that, the band plays Backstage tonight. What can the punters expect?
"They can expect clever lyrics, mind-numbing backing harmonies, and hope - in the face of another winter and a looming recession," Tonnon says.
