Cameron Winter<\/strong><\/p>\n Holy Trinity Cathedral, Auckland, NZ<\/strong><\/p>\n Wednesday, February 4th<\/strong><\/p>\n The first verse of \u201cThe Rolling Stones\u201d, track one of Cameron<\/span> Winter<\/span>\u2019s debut album Heavy Metal<\/em>, boldly states: \u201cI will keep breaking cups until my left hand looks wrong \/ Until my miracle drugs write the miracle song \/ I will keep rolling down until my best shirt rolls off \/ Until the conga line behind me is a thousand chickens long.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Arriving at Parnell\u2019s Holy Trinity Cathedral on Wednesday evening, the massive, snaking line of fans was easily a thousand chickens long. No more cups need to be broken. The ceramicists can sleep easy tonight.<\/p>\n I haven\u2019t spent a lot of time in churches, but that night I was glad to be there. The building is beautiful, the acoustics phenomenal, and a gently sloping floor made viewing easy even for a seated show.<\/p>\n The crowd filtered in and quickly filled up every available seat in the house. Those who missed out on tickets \u2014 clearly a lot of people \u2014 stood outside and viewed through the windows. On stage stood a grand piano and a microphone. There was no opening act. As soon as the clock hit 8pm, the lights dimmed, and a hush fell over the crowd. Winter<\/span> came out to rapturous applause as the first notes of \u201cIt All Fell in the River\u201d began.<\/p>\n Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian\/New Zealand music and globally.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The silence resumed and the crowd hung off every mumbled word, every gentle chord, and every yelling smash on the piano. We were treated to unreleased songs like \u201cEmperor XIII in Shades\u201d, with the lyric \u201cIt\u2019s too bad what happened to Jesus \/ But Friday was alright\u201d<\/em>, which got a chuckle from the crowd.<\/p>\n Credit: Nico Rose\/@nicorosepenny<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Dynamic and moving, Winter<\/span> made excellent use of the vocal microphone\u2019s proximity effect: lean in close and the sound is booming and bassy; pull back and it thins out; hit it from the side and it changes again. This was a masterclass in proximity.<\/p>\n He\u2019s got songs, that\u2019s for sure. \u201cLove Takes Miles\u201d and \u201c$0\u201d worked wonderfully in the intimate setting. Throughout the precisely 58 min performance, not one word was spoken to the crowd. Songs flowed into each other, interludes were had. There were moments of near-musical-comedy where outros became playfully extended, and the crowd were lapping it up. At one point, it got so quiet you could hear the birds chirping outside, a backing chorus from nature\u2019s finest. A short and sweet new song,<\/p>\n \u201cBen\u201d, was debuted. \u201cBen, Ben, Beeeeeeeeeeeen, Ben, this is your fault not mine\u201d<\/em> gained another round of laughter and applause from the crowd. This ran straight into \u201cNina\u201d and \u201cField of Cops\u201d, an intense, pounding piano howl and definitely a highlight of the night. \u2028\u2028As the final song ended with the line \u201cTake it with you when you leave,\u201d<\/em> applause rang out and the house lights came on. Safe to say we all took something with us when we left.<\/p>\n Cameron Winter at Holy Trinity Cathedral Auckland 04\/02\/26 \u271d\ufe0f Praying now that all of those who missed out on this show get another opportunity in future \ud83e\udd7a Felt so so sorry for all the people walking around trying to find tickets in line \ud83d\ude2d #cameronwinter<\/a> #heavymetal<\/a> #lovetakesmiles<\/a> #laneway<\/a> #geese<\/a><\/p>\n \u266c original sound \u2013 LuAzerti<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n There is no doubt\u00a0Winter<\/span>\u2019s star is on the rise, but it wouldn\u2019t be right not to mention Geese<\/a>, his band that exploded into every corner of the internet last year, with probably one of the biggest promotional campaigns I\u2019ve seen for an indie band. Geese are truly massive and it\u2019s absolutely fascinating to watch their snowballing success. Winter<\/span>, still young at just 23, shows age is irrelevant. Where he goes from here will be something to behold, both in his solo music, with his band, and with whatever else comes next. I look forward to seeing where his music goes.<\/p>\n When I watch an artist perform, I like to get an understanding of who that artist is. In such an intense and stripped-back environment, that can be a special opportunity to share a glimpse of this, but I think that was something that we didn\u2019t get. This is by no means a criticism \u2014 artists don\u2019t owe the crowd anything, they can show what they choose and give what they want. Pull back the curtain or put up a fence, it does\u2019t matter, there\u2019s a beauty in that. At the end of the night I\u2019m still not sure who Cameron<\/span> Winter<\/span> is, but maybe that doesn\u2019t really matter. He sure can play the piano.<\/p>\n James Sullivan is a musician based in T\u0101maki Makaurau. His Jim Nothing project won Best Alternative Artist at the 2025 Aotearoa Awards. Find out more about his music here<\/a>. Check out Geese\u2019s upcoming tour dates here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nLove Music?<\/h2>\n
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Somewhere between Brat Summer and Geese Winter<\/span>, we had Heavy Metal<\/em>,\u00a0Winter<\/span>\u2019s debut solo album. It\u2019s a heavily orchestrated and ornate record. For those who are fully soaked in Geese, having the winter<\/span> of their lives, what they saw on Wednesday night at the Holy Trinity was really very special to them. We all felt it.<\/p>\n