A year and some change since touring HIRL, Marlin’s Dreaming will again bless Aotearoa’s main city centres for a short summer stint this January 2026.

Marlin’s Dreaming has long been associated with New Zealand’s balmier months, but this marks the band’s first summer tour since 2020, and a chance to play through the back catalogue of hits. 

Drawing songs from 2024’s sweet, nostalgia inflected album HIRL, its starry debut Lizard Tears, and the scores of sublime tracks between, it’s a chance for fans to get the complete Marlin’s Dreaming summer experience.

Renowned for its tightly choreographed live shows, the summer tour will add the talents of Tiare Kelly (Benee) on the keys & vocals.  

“We’re joining to play a couple of great festivals in Slackbarn and Festival of Lights so wanted to take a moment to get out to Christchurch, Auckland, and Wellington. As well as playing through our back catalogue, we also have new music to tease, that I’m really excited to try out live,” said Semisi Ma’ia’i frontman of Marlin’s Dreaming.

“It wasn’t until after booking these shows that I realised we hadn’t played a summer tour since 2020, which history has shown was one of the most significant things to happen that year.”

As well as its headline shows, Marlin’s Dreaming performs in the Hawke’s Bay at Slackbarn on January 10, and Festival of Lights in New Plymouth on January 11. 

ABOUT MARLIN'S DREAMING

Marlin’s Dreaming is an indie pop band from Dunedin, New Zealand. Combining angular guitars with dream-pop sensibilities, the band pushes the storied history of the Dunedin Sound - made famous by Flying Nun - into new and uncharted territory.

Formed in 2017 by longtime friends Semisi Ma’ia’i (vocals & guitar), Oscar Johns (bass), Hamish Morgan (drums) and De Stevens (guitar), the band found unexpected success with their debut album Lizard Tears (2017), which garnered international acclaim, including from COMPLEX, who called it an “exciting, intoxicating debut.”

Subsequent releases like Talk On/Commic (2018) and Quotidian (2020) showcased their evolution into sharper, more angular guitars and angst-driven melodies, earning praise from CLASH, NME and BrooklynVegan.

Marlin's Dreaming’s latest release, HIRL (2024), arrived to critical acclaim from Atwood Magazine, Rolling Stone and Americana UK, and saw the band play a string of sold-out shows across New Zealand and Australia at the end of the year.

They have toured with Parquet Courts, The Chills, Kirin J Callinan and Dope Lemon, and are currently hunkering down, writing new material.

Having played sold-out tours across Australia and New Zealand, Marlin's Dreaming continues to push musical boundaries, heightening guitar pop to a fine art.

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