Gig Review: Little Gay In @ Asgard, New Plymouth – 16/04/2026

As part of the New Plymouth Pride Festival, Asgard was transformed into something intimate and quietly magical – a queer lounge glowing with flags, fairy lights, sparkle, and the soft comfort of a crocheted blanket draped across a couch. The atmosphere was warm, inviting, and unmistakably communal. A large and enthusiastic crowd turned out, signalling both the appetite for and importance of events like this within the local scene.

Enter Jason Parker, resplendent in a sparkling suit and pink shirt, catching the light like a human disco ball. Joined by Livi Whitehead on acoustic guitar, he opened with a new, unreleased track, To Be A Man. The mood shifted immediately. Beneath the glamour sits something more complex – the songwriting revealing depth, nuance, and a willingness to sit in contradiction. Parker emerges not just as a charismatic host, but as a writer with substance.

Little Gay In is structured as both performance and conversation, celebrating queer musicians while deliberately placing the focus on their artistry rather than their identity. Parker’s interviewing style is relaxed and perceptive, allowing each artist’s work to take centre stage. The result is a collaborative space that feels generous – bridging seasoned performers and those newer to performing.

First guest Renee Millner delivered a set marked by soulful vocals, deft guitar work, and emotionally direct songwriting. There are echoes of Joni Mitchell and Melissa Ferrick in her sound, but her voice remains distinctly her own. So Much landed with punch and conviction, while Stay softened the room into a shared stillness. A duet with Parker on 90’s classic More Than Words became an easy crowd singalong.

Pianist Jack Mosser, current artist-in-residence at Eden Park, followed with a set that leaned into romanticism. Armed with a rich baritone and self-taught piano style, he opened with a duet cover of Nightclub Love, before moving into originals. Lying To You, reflecting on the experience of coming out, carried emotional weight, while Old Fashioned Love revealed Mosser as an unabashed romantic.

The evening took a turn with Zara Losch, making her debut behind the decks. Originally a guitarist, Losch retrained in DJing and production in Berlin, and brought an ambient, textured dance set that shifted the energy entirely. It was a bold programming choice – and it paid off. The room moved, people lifting to their feet, the earlier intimacy evolving into collective release.

Parker and Livi returned to close the night, keeping the energy buoyant with How to Be Lonely, Good Judy, and a moving tribute to his mother, You Rescued Me. The set finished with crowd favourite Fairy Bread, sending the audience out on a note of joy.

What makes Little Gay In resonate is its refusal to be narrowly defined. As Losch observed during the evening, “the dance floor is beyond labels.” That sentiment extended across the entire event. This was a room full of ordinary people – each, in their own way, extraordinary. It’s in that recognition that community begins; not just in spectacle, but also in shared presence, listening, and connection.