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Waterfalls Release Party

waterfalls flyer

Waterfalls is the solo project of Wellington musician Amber Johnson, who recently organised an excellent release party at the Pyramid Club for her eponymously titled debut EP, available as ‘pay what you like’ via Bandcamp. It was a night of eclectic laptop funk, alt-pop and enticing strangeness that kept a happy audience enthralled and dancing.

Strange Stains, the ‘leaning on a bench wave DIY shedband’ of solo electronic musician Cooki M. started the evening off. Strange Stains creates ‘euphoric-to-the-pinnacle Electro Pop while lyrically exposing herself at the psychic precipice’. Her vocally

Cookie M. aka Strange Stains
Cookie M. aka Strange Stains

enhanced soundscapes were both intriguing and mesmerising and she is yet another surprising find in the seemingly endlessly creative underbelly of this city. Check her out here.

Next up was Eyeliner, aka Luke Rowell, aka Disasteradio – ‘MIDI Fantasist, theoretical luxurist and deep-thought enthusiast’. Conceived as a side-project to his main outfit, Disasteradio, Rowell switched to performing Eyeliner live after a knee injury meant he couldn’t dance onstage. In 2015 the most recent release, ‘Buy Now’ enjoyed three weeks at number one on Bandcamp in New Zealand.

Luke Rowell aka Eyeliner
Luke Rowell aka Eyeliner

By the time Waterfalls took the stage everyone was nicely warmed up and ready for her ‘deconstructed modal pop music’. She uses analog synthesisers and processed flute to create compelling backdrops for her songs about love, power and pain – which she delivers with a great voice. Live she is more dancefloor orientated than her EP suggests and from the start she had the whole place rockin’. Like most good creative artists, she is difficult to pigeonhole and her EP is well worth exploring.

A great night and a reminder of how worthwhile it is to take the time to dig a bit deeper and explore what is going on under the radar in Wellington.

Amber Johnson aka Waterfalls
Amber Johnson aka Waterfalls

All images used with permission.


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