Dylan Irvin

[02/05/2026] My second concert of the year that took alot of hard work and saving up to make happen, and it was a personally special one for me. Special because Mumford & Sons were my FIRST EVER concert back in 2015! So seeing them again after all this time had me overwhelmed with nostalgic joy. I had so much fun singing along to one of my favorite bands of all time. Oh, and I won a vinyl copy of their latest album by being a die-hard fan / music nerd. Thanks @umusicnz for quizzing me 😁 Man I love @mumfordandsons

[28/03/2026] CUBA DUPA I've never actually made an effort to go, but this year, when circumstances led to me having the ability to go, I made the most of it. SO MANY of my favorite local bands and artists all performing on the same day!? This was my Coachella 1) Aesthetic logo 2) Danica Bryant at Hamodava Coffee Co 3) Sofia Machray with her band at a completely packed Flying Nun Records 4) Floyd Marsden at Hamodava Coffee Co (shout-out Melissa on keys) 5) Floyd Marsden & Danica Bryant performing POP SONG 6) Floyd with her band 7) Tahini Bikini with backup from Sofia Machray 8) Tahini Bikini at one of the main outdoor stages 9) Mothburn bringing the house down at Valhalla 10) First Reserve at Hotel Bristol 11) Josie Moon's first live show in several years! A real treat and an awesome way to wrap up a full-on day!

[19/03/2026] Third gig of the year. Got back from seeing Linkin Park live in concert and pretty much hopped off the plane and headed straight to an @adultfriendsband gig. What a sick way to end a little getaway 🤟🏻 I still had a little bit of energy left to give and used it all up on that INCREDIBLE encore! Love the new song, LOVED the return of my favorite track off the debut album's return to the live setlist, and @spiralbandnz put on an awesome opening act.

[18/03/2026] I GOT TO SEE LINKIN PARK!!! My first concert of the year was a HUGE one! Linkin Park was one of those bands that was always present in my youth (especially with the live action Transformers movies), but it wasn't until I was older that I really got into them. Their 2024 album 'FROM ZERO' helped me through some really devastating times. And after numerous Australian dates were announced, when they finally threw Aotearoa a bone and gave us one concert date, I knew I couldn't miss it! (Thanks Mum & Dad for the concert ticket Christmas present) The journey was long, and it was so much fun! I got to attend a LPU (Linkin Park Underground) event the night prior. THAT was just as exciting for me as I won a karaoke competition thing and scored a drumhead signed by the band 😁 New friends were made. New core memories were created. It was a blast and I'll treasure these memories forever! Thank you @linkinpark ! Congrats on shattering the Spark Arena record for most tickets sold for a single concert! Please come back soon!

[11/03/26] Second gig of the year, another Floyd Marsden set. Who can say no to free music and cheap pizza? (I did not indulge in pizza but thoroughly enjoyed the tunes)

[23/01/26] My first gig of the year was Floyd Marsden's 'What Does It Mean?' album release show. I assumed it would be a quiet little set with maybe one guest singer, but I was pleasantly surprised by the huge setlist and massive amount of talented collaborators! There were so many awesome performers contributing to the night. I was blown away by how great the new songs sounded and overjoyed to hear some @newteeth.band bangers get played. It was a truly magical way to spend one of my last nights before the big stressful apartment move (hence why it took me over a month to post these).

[300th Insta post] Bye-bye Sussex Street, hello Martin Square! My last 3 years at the Basin Reserve have been a real rollercoaster, but partway through 2025,I knew I wanted to leave (not realizing I was locked in to a lease until February). It was a nice apartment, but over time,I got sick of: - Noisy neighbors blasting music or having screaming matches at all hours of the night. - Guy at the end of the hall SMOKING CIGARETTES INSIDE his apartment all the time, stinking out the hallway and other apartments including mine. And despite reporting it over and over again, the landlord and building manager did nothing about it. - The inconsistent laundry facilities that cost a minimum of $12 for a single load, but the machines broke constantly so I had occasions where I'd have to pay up to $24 just to wash a single load of laundry! And good luck getting your money back from the horrid office / building manager who blames YOU for all the machines breaking. - Package thieves who are literally captured on camera but still get away with it. I was tired of the non-existent freezer space and not having an oven. I liked my tiny little shoebox apartment and often wished I could just pick it up and move it somewhere else... well, I kinda got what I wanted. A new shoebox apartment that's practically identical, just with shelves on the opposite wall (and maybe a smidge more space). Still no oven, but hey, I have an actual freezer drawer now that ACTUALLY freezes, and the laundry facilities seem to work fine. The move was a nightmare as the new apartment was FILTHY disgusting. Took so long to clean, and I'm still trying to get rid of the rancid stench in the fridge. There's alot that can improve as I've traded one set of problems for another, but I'm still looking at it as a positive. I won't miss Sussex Street. I spent some of the hardest months of my life living there alone. I'm just so happy I can stay in the city of Wellington. The city I love. Thanks to the family and friends for keeping me here.

Christmas 2025

[13/12/2025] On Saturday, FIRE AND ASH came to Wellington for the Avatar 3 Australasia Premiere. It was an honor to be one of the many worker bees behind the scenes (mostly making popcorn for hundreds of hungry people). While it wasn't as exciting on this side of the glass, it was nevertheless an experience I'll remember forever. #AvatarFireAndAsh #Avatar3 #AvatarPremiere #AvatarFireAndAshPremiere #AvatarNZ

[12/12/25] Last gig of the year. HAD to make it to Bad Schematics! Despite being crook all week, I couldn't miss these guys play Wellington for their last show of the year! @flux.nzband made a heck of a first impression. If I end up back in Palmy, I know I'll be sorted for awesome local music. @donalgunningatb and co have come such a long way since I caught one of their first Welly gigs forever ago. They are EVERYWHERE now so I'm surprised it's taken me so long to see them again. And of course, @badschematicsband are THE BOMB! What a set! Old bangers, new bangers, the works. The guitars shred, the drums smashed and the vocals hit hard. Hey @jimbeamhomegrown , get these guys on your line-up for real. Apologies to Sidewinder that I couldn't stick around. Had a massive once-in-a-lifetime day at work the following day.

[06/12/25] Second-to-last gig of the year. Had to make it to Mothburn's last performance of the year! Pretty sure this was my first time going to a gig put on by the 'Start Today' crew. Man, the crowd had some intense moves! Such a unique, energetic show. I came for Mothburn but stayed for a couple of other awesome bands. Sorry to the ones I missed, I was shattered after a massive day of capitalism. Shout-out to that one guy who said he liked my YouTube channel. Dude made me feel like a champ. P.S. It should be illegal for the sun to be up when it's gig time.🤟🏻

Cheers