Grammy-award-winning Kiwi muso Bret McKenzie is treating Kiwi audiences to a special solo tour of his latest work before his much-talked-about rumoured Flight of the Conchords reunion.
The 49-year-old musician and comedian will perform two shows, one in Wellington and one in Auckland, this April in support of his latest non-comedy album Freak Out City.
Written while touring internationally with his eight-piece band, Freak Out City is described as an album “shaped by life on the road”, touching on New Orleans-inspired gospel and soul influences.
While the album is no laughing matter, that doesn’t mean McKenzie’s shows will be a solemn affair.
The singer promises to play a barrage of old favourites, engage in storytelling, and even write songs on the fly using audience members’ real-life stories.
McKenzie will perform at Meow Nui in Wellington on Thursday, April 2, and in Auckland at The Hollywood in Avondale on Sunday, April 5.
Tickets go on sale Friday, January 16, at 9am via ticketek.co.nz.
Ahead of his tour, the Herald got the chance to chat with McKenzie about his life, work with greyhounds, and the upcoming Flight of the Conchords anniversary.
Bret, what’s something you did for the first time recently?
This year, I tried fly-fishing. With a few friends from Wellington, we went on a weekend trip to Taupō. We’re not very good at co-ordinating or planning and, by some miracle, we managed to book a weekend trip away.
We knew someone who knew someone who knew a fly-fishing person, and they took us for a lesson. It was so cool. I’d heard of lots of people coming to New Zealand to try fly fishing from all over the world, so I thought it’d be fun to give it a go. It was [also] really relaxing. I didn’t catch anything, but a fish bit the hook.
What’s the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning?
What are the kids going to eat for breakfast and taking the dogs for a walk. I also try not to look at my phone. I find that if I don’t look at my phone – and do a few things without looking at the phone – the day sets up way better than if I check the phone, press the button and open into the vortex of messages.
What’s the first thing you would do as Prime Minister?
I would make all New Zealand food a lot cheaper. I would make it so that butter and dairy products and anything we make here, we don’t charge the prices that we charge people overseas.
I go to Los Angeles, and it’s cheaper to buy New Zealand cheese in Los Angeles. I could buy it there and then bring it home on a plane. That makes me really angry that we don’t subsidise New Zealand-grown food for New Zealanders.
I spent some time in Europe this year. In Italy, they save all their best produce for themselves – we should do that. All the best fruit should be in our supermarkets, then ship the rest of it overseas. They won’t know!
Tell us about the first party you remember going to?
I went to high school in Wellington, and we had one friend who had really cool parents who let them have parties, and we were all at their house. Barnaby Weir from The Black Seeds was there. He was a couple of years younger than me. I guess I was 13 or maybe going on 14?
It was like the first teenage-type party where everyone’s kind of moving in groups and trying to figure out how to navigate socialising, you know? A lot of teenage awkwardness, but so cool. Lots of those people are still friends today.
What are your first things planned for the New Year?
I did an album this year, and I just got back from a tour with this big band of Kiwis I’ve been travelling around with. We’re going to do some shows in Australia in March and New Zealand around Easter, and we are playing at Electric Avenue in Christchurch the same night as Split Enz.
There’s also another Minecraft movie that’s going to be made in New Zealand. So I’m hoping – and looking forward – to being involved in that. With [Flight of the Conchords], it looks like we’re going to try and do something this coming year. It’s actually 20 years since our BBC radio show next year, so maybe we’ll get some sort of 20th anniversary thing.
Any other firsts you’re going to attempt over the summer period?
I feel like I’m getting very close to turning my computer off. For the first time, I’m going to try writing one of those out-of-office emails. I’ve never used one of those, but I think this year I’m going to try one of those. We are going up the Kāpiti Coast, and having a big family Christmas with my brothers and all their family. I can’t wait.
What was the last argument you had?
I feel like I’ve got the best Christmas gift ideas for our kids, but [my wife] Hannah’s not 100% behind my concepts. It’s an ongoing debate. I’ve had some pretty bad reviews in the past, so I think she’s on to it.
Who was the last person you said I love you to?
I think that was actually my son, dropping him off at school. [I remember] we were watching a video about a kid whose dad had never said ‘I love you’ to him, and my son said, “can you imagine that?” and it was so sweet. In our house, everyone says that to each other a lot, and it’s great.
When was the last time you cried?
It was this morning when I dropped my son off for his last day at primary school. We’ve been at this primary school for 11 years with our three kids, and this is our youngest son finishing, so it’s the end of a huge era for my whole family.
What are the last words you would like to say on your deathbed?
Until next time!
You recently partnered with Greyhounds As Pets for a special Simpsons-themed promotion. Can you tell us about that?
A couple of friends got in touch with me about [the Greyhounds As Pets campaign, which looks to raise awareness for more than 2000 greyhounds who need homes following the Government’s decision to ban greyhound racing starting in 2026]. John and Liz from The Beths were connected with it, and they introduced me to the team. It seemed like everyone in Auckland knew someone who was working on it, and I got multiple emails and texts around the same time.
They had this idea of getting The Simpsons involved. And, luckily for me, I’ve done a few things with The Simpsons, and I’ve got friends there. I emailed and said, ‘this is a long shot, but do you want to do this thing for greyhounds in New Zealand?’
The people at The Simpsons came back and agreed to do it. Now there’s this cool campaign with the show’s greyhound, Santa’s Little Helper. They’ve also done billboards for the cause – it’s pretty cool.
I thought greyhounds would just run around all the time, but they’re really pretty chill dogs. They’re quite gentle and quite calm in a way. There are only 2000 dogs that need rehoming, which is a lot, but for all of New Zealand, that doesn’t seem like too many dogs to me.
Responses have been edited for length.
Mitchell Hageman joined the Herald’s entertainment and lifestyle team in 2024. He previously worked as a multimedia journalist for Hawke’s Bay Today.