DERYA YILDIRIM & GRUP ŞİMŞEK - SUNDAY 15 MARCH - DOUBLE WHAMMY
‍One of the latest signings to Big Crown Records (Lee Fields, Surprise Chef), Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek are making their way down for one very special Aotearoa show only. German-Turkish singer and bağlama player Derya Yildirim leads a quartet of international players to create a sublime blend of Anatolian folk with psychedelia, pop, soul, and funk thrown in the mix. The band’s latest album Yarin Yoksa was produced by Leon “El Michels Affair” Michels, and had The Guardian swooning over their “fuzzy, hypnotic beats, soulful saz-funk and emotive balladry”. If you’re not already a fan of this truly unique sensation, you soon will be.

Grab your 2026 calendars and put a big red cross through the month of March, because Banished Music and Strange News have teamed up for a phenomenal series of shows in your favourite venues across Tāmaki Makaurau.

Ladies and germs, introducing Strange Universe - Autumn Edition, featuring the return of American psych lord Ty Segall and his scorching band, Norwegian duo of the moment Smerz, Swedish noise makers Les Big Byrd, Anatolian psych-folk sensation Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek, and eternally excellent Flying Nun favourite The Bats celebrating their 2025 already-classic album Corner Coming Up!

‍“I knew we were crazy, but I didn’t know we were this crazy”
- Reuben Bonner, CEO of Banished Music

‍Having both run their own shows separately for two decades or more, independent Tāmaki Makaurau-based promoters Banished Music and Strange News put their heads together in 2022 and realised that by their powers combined they could throw on shows beyond either of their wildest dreams. Since then, the dynamic duo have brought us the likes of Pavement, Amyl & The Sniffers, Lucy Dacus, MJ Lenderman, Vieux Farka Touré, Parquet Courts, Bikini Kill, Weyes Blood, Tinariwen, and countless more.

Now, it’s time to ramp things up and really get the party started! The full line-up across March is yet to be unveiled, but this first announcement is enough to melt our minds and have us looking forward to the new year like never before… And you better believe we are planning Strange Universe WINTER Edition already…