UNI-FI celebrates a decade with a Smash Palace concert

Alt rockers UNI-FI play an acoustic set at Gisborne’s Smash Palace earlier this year. Tomorrow night they celebrate their 10th birthday with a concert at Smash Palace. Picture by Krystal Garrett.

Gisborne progressive rock band UNI-FI celebrates 10 years with a special show this Friday at Smash Palace.

The group is made up of Cory Garrett (lead vocals), Michael Shanks (guitar), Gana Goldsmith (bass guitar — vocals), and Genesis Burgess (drums).

“We’re thrilled to be celebrating our 10th anniversary as a band,” says Cory.

“It’s been an incredible journey, and we’re so grateful for the support of our fans, friends and whānau along the way.”

Audiences can expect to hear songs from across the band’s lifespan.

“We’ll be playing a real mix — songs from our early days, some from midway through our journey, through to our more recent material,” he says.

As they celebrate a decade of making music, Cory said one of the highlights for him was when they were selected to play at R&V in 2014 after winning a prize at Battle of the Bands.

The band is especially grateful to Smash Palace which they described as their home.

“We couldn’t have done it without the support and encouragement of Darryl Monteith and the team at Smash Palace which has provided us with a venue to play at.”

The band has toured the North Island with Lazy Fifty in the past and hopes to do more gigs around New Zealand in future.

They have a purpose-built rehearsal space and recording studio at the home of a band  member. This is where they recorded their debut self-titled album released in 2020.

In terms of the songwriting Cory said it was a collaborative effort with all members contributing.

“We have plenty of material and hope to release some new music in 2024 — watch this space,” he said.

Joining UNI-FI at the special milestone show this Friday are local band The Volt Thieves, Hamilton group Flesh Merchant and Rise the Wicked, made up of members from around the North Island.