Gig Review: Parrotdog Presents @ Parrotdog, Wellington – 1/08/2026

Ah. Nothing like a cold brew on a hot day. But does that work the other way around – a warm beer on a freezing cold, frosty night on the South Coast of Te Whanganui-a-Tara. It does if you add some mates, a few decent bands and a good reason for a 15th birthday knees-up. Yeah. Nah. Yeah!

Fifteen years ago, at the height of New Zealand’s emerging craft beer revolution, Parrotdog began as a humble home-brewing project between friends in Wellington. The brewery traces its roots back to 2009, when co-founder Matt Kristofski started brewing beer from a kit at home, before joining forces with flatmate Matt Warner and later Matt Stevens. The quirky name came from an inside joke involving a pet parrot and the nickname ‘dog’. What began as a way to save money on beer soon evolved into a serious passion, and by 2011 Parrotdog had officially launched, becoming part of the wave of independent breweries that helped establish Wellington as the craft beer capital of Aotearoa.

Over the past decade and a half, Parrotdog has grown from a student start-up into one of New Zealand’s most respected breweries. Known for iconic beers such as BitterBitch IPA, Sundog Pilsner and Birdseye Hazy IPA, the brewery has consistently earned recognition on the national stage. In 2024, Parrotdog was named Champion Large Brewery at the New Zealand Beer Awards, ending Garage Project’s three-year hold on the title. The brewery also collected major trophies for Sundog Pilsner and its L.B. Series Cold IPA, cementing its reputation for quality and innovation. Through its commitment to approachable, high-quality craft beer, Parrotdog has played a significant role in growing New Zealand’s brewing culture and introducing countless drinkers to independent beer.

Parrotdog’s influence extends well beyond the brewery floor. From its Lyall Bay headquarters, it has become a hub for community events, supporting local artists and helping strengthen Wellington’s live music scene. The brewery regularly hosts gigs and festivals, providing a stage for emerging and established New Zealand acts alike. In 2026, Parrotdog marked its 15th anniversary with Fifteen Years In Flight, a free music and beer festival featuring bands including DARTZ, The Circling Sun, There’s A Tuesday and Felix Bird. By bringing together great beer, live music and the wider community, Parrotdog has helped foster the creative culture that makes Wellington one of the country’s most vibrant cultural centres.

The reveries started in the early afternoon, with music getting going post dinnertime. First to light up the stage was Felix Bird, a Welly-based alternative rock artist whose music moves between folk, indie, lo-fi and alternative rock, combining clever lyricism with lush sonic textures. Unfortunately, a clashing schedule meant that I missed this early start, much to my chagrin. Reports from various reliable and still sober sources gave me instant FOMO – distinctive songwriting, jangling guitar hooks, blending bedroom indie sensibilities with a broader alternative rock sound. I’d already heard a sample from the debut album, Haircut (2025) and was gutted I missed the performance, which included a full band. Dang!

Fortunately, I had time to woof down some smart snacks from the food truck before the next act started up. I pushed my way through the capacity crowd to the front to find out what was sounding so sweet. And they were definitely barking up the right tree (sorry!). Ōtautahi indie-pop favs There’s A Tuesday have won hearts and ears at student gigs, bars, festivals and even spent time on RNZ’s Friday afternoon airwaves. They blend dreamy indie-pop, folk and heartfelt song writing into their own big, beautiful noise. Formed by high-school friends Nat Hutton and Minnie Robberds, the band expanded into a four-piece with Joel Becker on bass and Gus (Angus) Murray on drums. Tonight’s line-up had a few swaps, including producer Will on bass, and a different drummer behind the kit but that didn’t hold them back from charming the pants off us. Much of the set came from their excellent debut album, Blush (2025), including the APRA Silver Scroll Award nominated single, Water Baby and crowd favourites Cotton Mouth, Brighton, The City, and the almost perfect jangle-pop Amsterdam, which won over every vocal chord, sang the chorus back with full hops-tinged heart and soul.

Auckland collective The Circling Sun are one of Aotearoa’s leading contemporary jazz ensembles, blending spiritual jazz, Afrocentric rhythms, Latin influences and deep groove into an expansive, cinematic sound. Formed in the mid-2000’s, the group brings together some of New Zealand’s finest musicians, including Ben Turua (acoustic bass), Julien Dyne (drums and percussion), J.Y. Lee (saxophone, flute and bass clarinet), Guy Harrison (keyboards and trumpet), Cameron Allen (saxophone and keyboards), Finn Scholes (trumpet and vibraphone) and Matt ‘Kenny Sterling’ Hunter (percussion and production). Tonight, there were a couple of swaps, with Jonathan Crayford and Bill Rickards helping out on the percussion and vibraphone duties.

Musically, their sound is pure hot jazz inspired – Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Yusef Lateef. And can these guys play. Don’t be fooled by the jackets and scarves. By the time their set was up the stage was blazing! Their richly textured compositions have earned acclaim both in New Zealand and internationally, with appearances at events including the Wellington Jazz Festival and releases through respected UK label Soundway Records. Check out their albums Spirits and Orbits. Tonight we got but a sample of that. Unannounced though their music was, it whetted appetites for more. Crate digging, here we come!

Loud and proud of it, ‘The Band from Wellington New Zealand’, DARTZ have become one of Aotearoa’s most celebrated and entertaining live acts since forming in 2019. Blending punk, garage rock and pub rock with sharply funny, uniquely Kiwi storytelling and a truck load of ‘class and cheek’. I mean, who opens their set with a hardcore version of Cruisin’ On The InterIslander. The current line-up, Daniel ‘Danz’ Vernon on vocals, Christian ‘Crispy’ Pianta on guitar, Clark Mathews on bass and Hakopa ‘Rollyz’ Kuka-Larsen on drums (I think I’ve got that right) totally nailed it.

They had the whole room in the palm of their hands whipping up a frenzy of energy and chaos with choice rants and raves from their debut Dangerous Day To Be A Cold One. No wonder they turned heads at Aotearoa Music Awards snatched a Taite Music Prize nomination to boot. Tonight they brought the whole flat to the party! Fans hit the mosh to soak up the full DARTZ treatment: trademark humour, singalong choruses, chaotic punk energy and crowd favourites such as Earn the Thirst, Toyota Corolla, Gender Reveal (in which Danz gets just a little bit toooo explicit – nuff said), Walking Around, a bit of Back Street Boys improvisation, and, the closer and obvious choice for this venue, No Dogs At This Party.

Every song was better than the last. With fish burger recommendations, legal document references, various cultural assassinations, and the obligatory can sculling this party went off! DARTZ are super fun and the perfect way to end the night. Or was it. I left in search of a late-night snacks, but those who stayed on heard more grooves for moves from Last Light to close out the night. DARTZ had the crowd singing along but I’m gonna say it, too – happy birthday, Parrotdog. Here’s to many, many more years! Cheers to that! Woof!

Photo Credit: Tim Gruar for Muzic.NZ
DARTZ Photo Gallery
There’s A Tuesday Photo Gallery
The Circling Sun Photo Gallery