Okay. The sun is shining. Let’s start with a joke.

My desire to spontaneously sing ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ is always just a whim away. Ta da! And another: My girlfriend told me she’s never seen the film ‘Gaslight’. I told her: “Yeah you have…we watched it together”.

Right. Let’s move on. Those were from the recent Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The connection? Tauranga’s second most prestigious music festival is coming up in September.

I’m talking about Loserpalooza, now in its seventh year of spotlighting alternative bands at Totara Street to fundraise for Lifeline, 25 bands across 12 hours on September 7.

Second most prestigious festival? I have an idiosyncratic judging system. Much as I dig One Love and Baypark’s groovy summer fests, I tend to favour more homegrown attractions. My top three: The Jazz Festival, Loserpalooza, and Tauranga Fringe Festival.

Gained momentum 

Loserpalooza reinforces the depth of the alternative scene here, something I keep banging on about, and each year grows in importance. I remember years back when the jazz fest really gained momentum, bands timed album releases to coincide with it. Loserpalooza has reached that stage.

I’ll return and look at many of the weird and wonderful bands on offer but headline news this week is that The Knids, one of my favourite Tauranga bands, have not only issued a special compilation CD for the event but will be performing live for the very first time. With an eight-piece band no less.

The Knids are mainly one guy. That guy is Michael Baxter, who writes, plays and produces. Mikey Knid, as he’s known.

The other Knids are faithful sidekicking singers Coz and Chris Knid. If you have yet to enjoy the manifold pleasures of their music, it is sorta guitar punk with pounding 1980s synth rhythms and a catchy 1950s rock ‘n’ roll vibe.

Cool thing 

The new album, simply called ‘Lifeline Fundraiser’, will be their fifth since 2021’s ‘One Small Step For Man, One Giant Leap For Manknid’ and is a good representative sample of their sound. Great stuff, but I’ve no idea where to get it aside from Loserpalooza. Try Facebook.

Here’s another cool thing. On The Knids’ Spotify page they have playlists of songs that influenced each of their albums. For a confirmed anal retentive like me, who spends much time wondering about such things, this is simply brilliant. I wish more bands would do it.

Staying alternative, here are a couple more upcoming gigs...

A bunch of fun

Getting metally at Totara Street on August 23, East York launch their EP ‘Origins’ with support from Pull Down The Sun, whose debut concept album ‘Of Valleys and Mountains’ explores Maori heritage and local legends. They’re joined by Palmerston North emo-metalheads Bad Schematics and locals Dead Empire.

Closing the month at The Jam Factory on August 31, two more Loserpalooza bands: Te Puke genre-bending post-punk trio Dead Simple unveil new songs and new drummer Sheldon Magee, with support from hard-rockers Somacaine. It should be a whole bunch of fun.

Hear Winston’s latest Playlist: