Pavement Announce New Zealand Shows

"There's some bands I'd like to namecheck, and one of them is..." Pavement! Titans of the '90s US indie rock era and beyond, the massively influential team of Stephen Malkmus, Scott “Spiral Stairs” Kannberg, Mark Ibold, Bob Nastanovich and Steve West are returning to Aotearoa for two theatre headline events, happening at Auckland's regal The Civic and Wellington's St James Theatre in March 2023. Creators of such hands down classic albums as Slanted and Enchanted, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, Wowee Zowee and Brighten the Corners, Pavement are famed aficionados of sounds from New Zealand's underground — Malkmus notably covered The Verlaines' anthem 'Death and the Maiden' on Flying Nun's 2002 Under the Influence tribute collection. Recently reunited and now embarking on their first major international tour in over a decade (directly following this year's Terror Twilight: Farewell Horizontal deluxe edition release), these shows will be an absolute treat for both seasoned fans and newcomers to Pavement's wonky guitar-pop universe, brought to you by the gang at Banished Music, Strange News and Solid Entertainment. I'm personally stoked as I've somehow missed their previous visits — here are the details...

Tuesday 7th March - The Civic, Auckland

Wednesday 8th March - St James Theatre, Wellington

Press release:

One of the most beloved and influential bands to come out of the American underground; Pavement return to their spiritual home New Zealand in March 2023 to perform two theatre headline shows as part of their wildly acclaimed world tour.

Prolific and revered in their output Pavement have become a worldwide touchstone for alternative rock music for music lovers and makers alike. The band recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of seminal 1992 debut album Slanted and Enchanted, which coincided with the return to the stage of one of the most pivotal bands of the last 30 years.

Highlighted by a flurry of demand from audiences across the globe, it is their first tour since their 2010 reunion saw them play four sold out benefit shows in Central Park and top the bills of worldwide festivals including Coachella, Reading & Leeds, Primavera Sound and Pitchfork Festival.

Pavement is Stephen Malkmus, Scott “Spiral Stairs” Kannberg, Mark Ibold, Bob Nastanovich and Steve West. The band released five era-defining albums – Slanted And Enchanted (1992), Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994), Wowee Zowee (1995), Brighten The Corners (1997) and Terror Twilight (1999) – before disbanding in 1999.

The band’s catalogue has seen a myriad of incarnations and bonus material unearthed, including career-spanning 2010 compilation Quarantine The Past, 2015 rarities collection A Secret History, Vol 1, deluxe editions of the band’s first four studio albums, and a 2019 picture disc commemorating the 25th anniversary of Wowee Zowee. Music lovers and slackers of Aotearoa rejoice.

One of music’s most important bands are coming to a town near you and you won’t want to miss these shows.