Originally published in Waikato Times, Tuesday 25 November 2025.
By Mike Mather.
Bic Runga has recently announced her first album of all-original material in 15 years.
PHOTO: Tom Grut.
Star singer-songwriter Bic Runga - who headlined the Hamilton Arts Festival in 2024 - is the latest artists to announces she is heading to Hamilton to play at the Waikato Regional Theatre.
The newly-constructed venue, which will open its doors on January 19, is already proving to be a magnet for top level performers.
Sir Dave Dobbyn, Teeks, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Th’ Dudes, Mockers and Stellar - which is coincidentally led by Runga’s sister Boh - are among the acts already scheduled to perform there.
Bic Runga’s date at the theatre is some time after her big sister’s show in late January. She will be performing on Saturday, March 21, showcasing her forthcoming album Red Sunset.
Bic Runga head to Hamilton for the show at the Waikato Regional Theatre on March 21.
Recorded in Paris during the winter of 2025, the album is now available for pre-order and is Runga’s first collection of all-original material since 2011’s Belle, marking a new chapter for one the beloved artist.
The album’s lead single and title track - also called Red Sunset - is out now. A torch song of longing and desire, it evokes the tumultuous emotions of being left behind.
The song and album were co-produced by Bic Runga and her partner Kody Nielson - who will be the opening act for the March 21 show under his playing moniker, Silicon.
Nielson, the former vocalist of the art punk band The Mint Chicks, has also performed with Runga as a duo, under the name Opossum.
The show is one of numerous upcoming concerts featuring New Zealand acts in Hamilton and nearby. The majority will be part of the upcoming Homegrown festival - which features the likes of Six60, Dragon, L.A.B, Fly My Pretties, Head Like a Hole, Devilskin and many others - on March 14.
Hamilton’s heavy rock band Devilskin - which boasts legions of supporters - also have an upcoming date at the Waihi Beach Hotel on December 27, where they will be supported by Black Comet and The Boondocks.
Another revered rock act, Push Push - led by musician, raconteur and broadcaster Mikey Havoc - will be playing at the Last Place bar in Hamilton on February 19. The gig will be the first show in a four-date North Island tour marking 35 years since the release of the group’s hit single Trippin’.
And a show at Nivara Lounge titled The Trifecta will feature a trio of top alternative acts: False Waltons, who hail from Tauranga; Auckland’s Bobby Holidays; and The Changing Same - who are led by veteran Hamilton musician Matthew Bannister - on Friday, December 12.