OdESSA

OdESSA is a funk/soul/rock band based in Wellington. They were first active between the years 2002 to 2009 and were regarded as one of the country’s most outstanding live acts, with singer Matthew Pender named by the music press as “one of the greatest front men NZ has ever produced.”

They played high-profile events including the 2006 Big Day Out Festival, the red carpet parade of the King Kong movie world premiere that same year, multiple Cuba Street Carnivals, Newtown Festivals and shared the bill on numerous occasions with such local acts as Fat Freddy’s Drop, Kora, Connan Mockasin, Flash Harry, Trinity Roots, Supergroove, Liam Finn and Goldenhorse. They also played support slots on tours by international acts such as Electric Six, Hothouse Flowers and Bomfunk MCs.

OdESSA’s debut album Oak Park Avenue was released in 2005, crashing into the top ten of the national charts and received wide critical praise, including the nationally-distributed Sunday Star Times which awarded them 4.5 out of 5 and heralded them “the band that can make all of New Zealand stand up and dance.” The lead-single Bring The Money Back was a ubiquitous hit that appeared in multiple television presentations. The other singles from the Oak Park Avenue album were Promises, Promises which won the ‘Best Indie Video’ award for director Simon Ward at the 2006 Juice TV Music Video Awards, and Baby Don’t Go Home which made the final of the 2005 Handle The Jandal music video competition for director Grant Buist.

OdESSA followed up the success of Oak Park Avenue with their 2007 album The Prize. At the end of 2009 OdESSA announced they were splitting up to each pursue new projects and played a national farewell tour which culminated in two sold-out Wellington shows.

In late 2020, OdESSA reformed with Pender back on vocals and bassist Paul Mouncey from the original lineup, plus a rotation of some of Wellington’s finest musicians. The capital was quick to welcome them back – inviting them to both open and close the two-day 2021 Cuba Dupa Festival.

Shortly after, they released their first new single in over a decade, It’s Gonna Get Better, a collaboration with New York-based, Latin Grammy-winning artist Mireya, plus Te Whanganui-a-Tara’s own Richter City Rebels. They are currently writing and recording material for a brand new album, Mistakes I Wish I’d Made, which the singles I Think There’s a Curse On Me and Ancient Ruins are drawn from. The album is scheduled for release in early 2026.