This feature is part of a new Scene Report on Dunedin. Check out the series here.
Here’s an industry secret I probably shouldn’t write down: you end up listening to more bad bands than good bands as a Rolling Stone writer. (I’m looking at you, major labels.) A lot more. Way more. Like, the odds are stacked against the good ones.
Which is why when a good band — a really good band — cuts through the noise, it means something.
The fact that two of these such bands — Dale Kerrigan and Pearly* — have been quickly followed by another from the same city, Dunedin, highlights the current strength of the city’s music scene.
U-NO JUNO are Stefan, Ramona, and Jack, three musicians entrenched in their tight-knit alternative music community. In typical Dunedin fashion, they lend their talent to other bands and projects — Stefan, for example, also plays in The Pink Opaque — but the noise-punk trio have landed on a formidable sound together.
Like Horse Jumper of Love, or Horsegirl, or MJ Lenderman, their sound primarily harks back to the ’90s, particularly cited influences Unwound and the Pixies, but it never comes across as a cheap retread; instead, U-NO JUNO’s version of punk-meets-post-hardcore sounds fresh and alive, not stale.
In the grand tradition of Ōtepoti rock bands, you really need to hear U-NO JUNO live to get the full effect.
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If you’re unable to get down to the South Island city, WarPossumTV has the next best thing.
WarPossumTV is a new series started by local musician Tane Cotton, himself no stranger to a cool live session: he’s the multi-hyphenate artist behind post-punk project Sivle Talk, whose filmed Pioneer Hall set was named an Album You Need to Know for our Dunedin series.
WarPossumTV kicked off this week with a five-song set from U-NO JUNO, and the series is set to host live sessions from different local bands every month.
Watching U-NO JUNO’s session, it’s almost unnerving to see how poised they appear at such a young age. There’s clear self-belief in what they’re achieving together, even at this early stage.
Cotton’s stylish filmmaking makes it seem like you’re watching a dusty old VHS tape of a ’90s rock band, which suits the band perfectly.
The trio’s interplay was impressive on their debut EP, the wonderfully named Sex, Socialism, Science and Something Else, and the one-two punch at the beginning of their WarPossumTV set exemplifies their growing connection: “Ditch” opens proceedings with an almighty racket (“yeah, we like making noise,” they told me over the phone last year) led by Stefan’s anguished vocals, before they seamlessly transition into Ramona’s quieter but no less meaningful delivery on the pointed “Tuff Girl”.
You can watch their electrifying set in full above, and read our interview with the trio below. With a bit of luck and support, the rest of the country will be hearing a lot more from this band in future.
U-NO JUNO’s Sex, Socialism, Science and Something Else EP is out now. Follow WarPossumTV here.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ: How much did music influence you in your early life?
Stefan: I started taking piano lessons to get out of classes in school. Eventually the holy spirit of rock n’ roll took my hand and I started playing guitar in a band.
Ramona: My parents have always played a wide variety of music, a lot of alternative and punk stuff so that’s something I’ve always known, but [I] didn’t really tap into [it] until I started going to gigs when I was 16.
Jack: A lot… I thought better listening to music when I was younger.
What artists influenced you growing up?
Stefan: Pixies was the first band I ever got really into. Radiohead came next and it was all downhill from there.
Ramona: Dead Moon, Nirvana, Aldous Harding, Benjamin Booker, and Ween were my household staples growing up.
Jack: Josh Homme’s stuff, Dale Kerrigan, Die! Die! Die!, and High Dependency Unit.
What are some career highlights so far?
We toured Aotearoa in Feb[ruary] this year… day-to-day life kinda sucked ‘cos we had no money and nowhere to sleep, but the shows were real fun.
We also recently got to open for Koizilla and Dale Kerrigan… those bands got us into local music and we have always looked up to them.
Tell us about your latest album/EP.
We recorded [Sex, Socialism, Science and Something Else] at the end of 2024 in our friend Sam Charlesworth’s bedroom. [We] ended up mixing it on tour in the back of the van, it was a super DIY release which we’re all super into. Looking back, we’ve definitely matured since then — it’s a good point to grow off of.
Credit: @ethmon
How would you describe your music to a potential fan?
Post-Post-Post-Post-Post Hardcore.
What are your goals for 2026 and beyond?
Getting some of our music pressed on vinyl and collaborating with other bands on a release would be awesome. Also improving our cooking skills.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source au.rollingstone.com ’
