Article Summary
Tāmaki Makaurau band Bub released their debut album, Can’t Even, on Thursday evening at Neck of The Woods on Karangahape Road. The album has been a long time in the making, with the first single ‘King of Wands’ released in 2019. Frontwoman and songwriter Priya Sami, known as a “powerhouse vocalist” and “emotionally shattering” lyricist, was joined by an ever-shifting band and special guests for the release show.
What This Means for You
- Get ready to discover new music: Bub’s debut album, Can’t Even, is now available for your listening pleasure.
- Experience live music like never before: Bub’s release show featured an incredible guest line-up, hand-made decorations, and a high-energy atmosphere.
- Support local musicians: By attending local shows and purchasing their music, you are directly supporting the growth and success of local artists.
- Stay tuned for future releases: With the next single, ‘Another Girl’, expected to be released with a video on May 16, there’s more to look forward to from Bub.
Original Post
Tāmaki Makaurau band Bub released their debut album, Can’t Even, on Thursday evening at Neck of The Woods on Karangahape Road – featuring a couple of stand-out songs, a loving crowd and some star guests.
At the end of their set, Bub had already played all the songs on the album, but the crowd wouldn’t let up with their cheering. “I guess we could play ‘New Amsterdam’ again,” wondered frontwoman and songwriter Priya Sami. But how to make it new the second time around? She cajoled a very special guest from the crowd, a friend called Steph, with the incredible ability to imitate the sound of a cowbell with her mouth (“mouthbell” according to Sami) for the entirety of the song.
Bub is Sami’s project, with songs written by her and performed by an ever-shifting band. She has, for a few years, used it a vehicle to sing heartbreak anthems with touches of new wave, post punk, doo wop, this and that around Auckland’s indie gig scene. She’s become known as a “powerhouse vocalist” with “emotionally shattering” lyrics. The album, Can’t Even, has been a long time in the making. The song that started it all, ‘King of Wands’, was released in 2019. Now, 10 songs are etched into purple vinyl for those with players and uploaded to Spotify for everyone else.
To celebrate its release, Sami was joined by Daniel Barrett on bass (“my ride or die”), her older sister Anji Sami (of She’s So Rad and obviously The Sami Sisters) on backup vocals who stood about 5cm from the edge of the stage and looked like she’d rather be in the crowd, Ruby Walsh and their various hand-held percussion instruments hiding at the back of the stage, David Harris in a cloud of smoke on the drums and Joe Kaptein making his way around three synthesizers. The band shared the stage with guests that popped on for certain songs and super-sized hand-made cardboard decorations – a giant sun, legions of clouds, an apple tree and sunflowers on every amp and foldback.
The incredible guest line-up started with Sami’s high school jazz teacher, Edwina Thorne, on the trumpet for a song Sami first wrote in high school and has now re-vamped, ‘Mrs Julian Casablancas’. Thorne, in a sequinned top, had her time to shine during a solo and nailed it, hip thrusting and all. “She looks the same as 20 years ago,” said Sami. “So hot!” Sami is known almost as much for her hilarious and self-deprecating stage banter as her musicality. While beloved, the banter has in the past undercut, or distracted from the emotional impact of the songs. In the 2025 version of ‘Mrs Julian Casablancas’, Sami has found a way to bring her comedic genius in. Deep inside the nostalgic pop tune, she breaks into a sort of soliloquy. “Dearest Julian, it’s been nearly 20 years! And that’s a really long time to ignore someone lol.
Key Terms
- Bub
- Can’t Even
- Tāmaki Makaurau
- Neck of The Woods
- Priya Sami
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