Gig Review: Katie-Lee @ Big Fan, Auckland – 25/04/2026

Big Fan has this magic trick where even a small crowd feels huge, and on a cool (yes cold) April night it was buzzing for a triple hit of rising Aotearoa pop talent. Kenzy and Jessica Leigh warmed the room beautifully, but most people were there for one thing: the long‑awaited return of Katie‑Lee. With a tidy bar, a cozy crowd of twenty‑ and thirty‑somethings (plus a few proud parents), and a merch table ready for action, the place felt primed for a proper celebration. And with I Wish dropping that very day – Katie‑Lee’s first new release in five years – the air had that rare mix of curiosity and excitement.

Fifty to seventy people doesn’t sound like much on paper, but when everyone’s pressed in close, leaning forward, and listening, it feels like the whole of Tāmaki Makaurau has squeezed itself into Morningside. The lights were low, and the crowd had that classic Big Fan energy; warm, curious, and ready to fall in love with whoever stepped onstage. Perfect conditions for a comeback, really.

Kenzy opened the night with nothing but a guitar, a grin, and the kind of nerves you can see from the back row. But the moment she hit the first notes of Reflexology, the whole room shifted forward. Her voice carried that nostalgic, diary‑page honesty she’s known for, and by the second song the crowd had quietly abandoned the back wall and drifted right up to the stage. It was one of those sets where you could feel her confidence building track by track. So, Cavities landed exactly the way her Spotify numbers suggest it would, and Dear God had a few people doing that soft sway that means they’re properly invested. By the time she strummed the last chord of Run Me Dry, the relief on her face was almost as sweet as the applause rolling back at her. A tiny victory in a tiny room, but it felt big.

Jessica Leigh followed with a slightly different flavour polished indie‑pop with a soft rock edge. She’s got this mix of swagger and vulnerability that works beautifully live, and her set was tight from the first line of Ooh La La. Then A Lot Like You came with a story about being drunk in a car, which the crowd appreciated. And Dream Girl arrived with a clever Teenage Dirtbag twist that had everyone grinning. It’s always fun watching an artist who knows exactly what they’re doing, and Jess held the room with ease. If there was one surprise, it was that I Wanna Be A Star didn’t make the cut but with a five‑song set, still a great warmup for the main act. Next time, surely.

Then came the moment everyone was waiting for. Katie‑Lee stepped out onto a dark stage to a wave of cheers that felt less like hype and more like “welcome‑back-energy”. Five years is a long time to be absent from releasing music, but tonight wasn’t about explaining the gap – it was about celebrating the return. From the first notes of Changing Is Lonely, it was clear they were ready to be back in the spotlight.

Katie‑Lee’s sound sits somewhere between alt‑pop confession and indie‑rock, with that Holly Humberstone, Boygenius emotional weight but filtered through a distinctly Aotearoa lens. Live, it hits even harder. They moved between keys, drum pads, and guitar with this restless, creative energy, and by the third song you could see the relief settling in. The kind that comes when you realise the crowd isn’t just polite, they’re genuinely with you.

The middle of the set was a run of emotional heavy‑hitters. I Wanna Feel It and Descend For Loneliness both landed beautifully, and For Life came with a self‑aware “this one’s a bit dramatic,” which only made the room love it more. Naked was introduced as a favourite, and it showed the delivery was raw, open, and one of the night’s standout moments. Then came Hate It, prefaced with a laugh and a line about being “neurodivergent as hell,” which the crowd responded to with self-recognition. It’s always special when an artist lets you in like that, especially in a room small enough to hear every breath.

One of the most charming moments of the night came with I Don’t Like It Here, a song about hating the supermarket so much you start treating it like a person. It’s the kind of concept that shouldn’t work but absolutely does, especially when delivered with Katie‑Lee’s mix of humour and honesty. Stranger followed with a sting, an ex‑best‑friend story that clearly still had teeth and then came a surprise: Roadkill, matching Kenzy’s earlier set. The crowd loved the connection.

But of course, the real centrepiece was I Wish. Released that very day, the song marked the whole reason for the show a proper comeback moment. Live, it felt bigger than the room, full of longing and lift, the kind of track that makes you want to replay it the moment it ends. The crowd knew it too; you could feel the shift, that quiet “oh, this is the one” moment.

After leaving the stage, Katie‑Lee barely made it backstage before the crowd started chanting for more. The story goes they turned to their mum and asked, “Mum, Mum, Mum, what do I do?” which is possibly the most ‘Big Fan’ thing ever. The answer, of course, was to return with an acoustic version of I Wish, stripped back and glowing. It was the perfect ending intimate, honest, and exactly what the night was about.

Walking out into the cool Auckland air, you could feel that shared buzz that only happens after a genuinely good gig. Three rising artists, one tidy venue, and a comeback single that absolutely deserved the spotlight. If I Wish is the start of Katie‑Lee’s new era, then it’s a very promising one.

Photo Credit: Coen Cramer for Muzic.NZ
Katie-Lee Photo Gallery
Jessica Leigh Photo Gallery
Kenzy Photo Gallery