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When we put together our year-end New Zealand albums list for 2025, much of the top 10 sorted itself out. Marlon Williams? Of course. The Beths? Naturally. I think it would have been a New Zealand criminal offence to have Lorde and Virgin<\/em> lower than 10.<\/p>\n Nestled amongst the more established names, at No. 6, was Dale Kerrigan, whose HEAVY GREASY<\/em> album fully deserved to compete with the best Kiwi releases of last year.<\/p>\n Because in a just world \u2014 a more just music industry \u2014 Dale Kerrigan would be as well-known as Dick Move or The Beths or any number of \u2018bigger\u2019 local bands.<\/p>\n Alongside the likes of Pearly* and the 4EPs<\/em> bands<\/a>, Dale Kerrigan are one of the bands making \u014ctepoti Dunedin\u2019s music scene so exciting in the middle of the 2020s.<\/p>\n They are Shlee Nicholls, Josh Nicholls, Connor Blackie, and Joel Field, who all orbit a variety of different musical projects in the Otago city, but come together to do some of their finest work as Dale Kerrigan.<\/p>\n In the same year HEAVY GREASY<\/em> dropped, they became the latest Kiwi act to tour China, under the impressive guidance of Kristen Ng: originally from P\u014dneke Wellington but now based in Chengdu, China, Kristen started the well-received multimedia blog Kiwese<\/a> just over a decade ago, using it to promote independent music and culture across both China and Aotearoa. Two years later, in 2015, Kiwese expanded into a touring label for Kiwi acts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n