Ukulele Death Squad Set Their Sights on New Zealand for Explosive Three-Date Tour

Adelaide’s genre-bending groove masters, Ukulele Death Squad, are gearing up to bring their electrifying live show across the Tasman, with three highly anticipated dates in New Zealand this March. Known for their theatrical stage presence and boundary-pushing approach to the humble ukulele, the eight-piece outfit is set to deliver a high-energy fusion of folk, R&B, and cinematic flair that has earned them a cult following worldwide.

Fresh off a whirlwind year of sold-out shows across Australia and Germany following the release of their EP Baby Don’t F*** With Me, the band is no stranger to commanding audiences with their addictive hooks and signature groove. Their dynamic sound recently earned them the “Most Popular Soul/Funk/R&B” title at the South Australian Music Awards, while their visually striking music video for Hands Tied received international recognition at the Melbourne Queer Film Festival and Italy’s LGBTQ+ Cinema Festival.

With upcoming stops at Auckland’s Whammy Bar, Wellington’s Last Place, and a major set at WOMAD Aotearoa, the band is more than ready to win over Kiwi crowds. We caught up with Ukulele Death Squad ahead of their New Zealand tour to talk about their explosive live shows, their unique sound, and what fans can expect from this must-see run of gigs.

You’ve built a reputation for your theatrical live performances and high-energy shows. What can New Zealand audiences expect when Ukulele Death Squad takes the stage?

You name it and it has happened on our stage! Including an audience member partaking in a live breastfeeding by Matty, smashed ukuleles (RIP), Ali B’s flips, Nacho’s high kicks, Reuben’s musical battles, Ash stealing the soundguy’s lunch money and power struggles to decide who is the ‘real’ front person of this band. Matty even went head over heels (literally) in Germany after slipping on a rainy stage and he didn’t even miss a beat with his powerhouse vocals.

Our band formed as an Adelaide 2-piece in 2017 and has been musically impregnated as years progressed, giving birth to a democratic vehicle of creative chaos that knows no bounds. We are deeply inspired by a diversity of music genres including Anglo-Celtic Folk, Balkan, RnB, Latin, Soul, Pop and Bluegrass – so musically, we’ll keep you on your toes and we love to leave room in our live shows for antics and New Zealand will be no exception.

You mentioned that Kiwis are a tough crowd to impress—what’s your game plan to win them over?

We haven’t had any strategic meetings to confirm the formal plan to win over the Kiwi Audience. However, uncontrollable energy leads to some pretty wild stage antics that makes every performance one of a kind. When you come to a Uke Death Squad show you know that you are getting a bespoke experience even we can’t predict!

Your music has been described as a blend of folk and R&B with a Tarantino-esque groove. How did you develop such a unique sound, and how do you push the ukulele beyond its usual boundaries?

Our band is in a long distance relationship – four members live in Melbourne and four in Sydney. Therefore, songwriting involves a lot of sending voice memos and manic jamming of a plethora of random ideas when we touch down in the same location so our music is a melting pot and at times feels genreless. Our sax and drumkit player, Reuben, is an accomplished jazz musician, whilst our percussionist Ignacio grew up in Argentina so brings Latin influences. Alice, one of our lead vocalists and trumpet player, is a complete choir nerd and loves vocal arranging and hip hop. Ash, a powerhouse lead vocalist and trombone player loves a soulful belty banger. You get the idea, we all love different music and use that to our advantage when writing.

The Ukulele is misrepresented as not a ‘real instrument’ and it takes the right fingers to set it free from its perfunctory boundaries. Our tenor ukulele player, Pidge, is a classical guitar virtuoso and Julian, our baritone ukulele player, was originally an incredible violin player because his mum thought his hands were too small for guitar. Both Pidge and Julian apply their vast musical knowledge, skills and ripper solos to this little 4 stringed instrument with epic results. Additionally our Uke-Bass player, Silky, creates the fattest, wonderful sounds that rival its “regular” bass cousins.

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New Zealand has a deep appreciation for folk and roots music. Are there any local artists or aspects of Kiwi music culture that inspire you? 

I am super inspired by the New Zealand singer songwriters Aldous Harding, Kimbra and Marlon Williams. They’re such powerhouse writers and their beautiful vocals know no bounds. It is also impossible to talk about Kiwi music and culture without referencing the incredible Kapa Haka song and dance tradition from the Māori people. Any time I have had the opportunity to witness Maori traditional song and dance I have always run, not walked because it is always such an incredibly evocative, powerful and deeply special tradition to witness.  

Your recent EP Baby Don’t F*** With Me has taken you from Australia to Germany with sold-out shows along the way. How has this tour shaped the band, and what have been some standout moments?

Let’s just say that several band members now wear mouth tape whilst sleeping and we now have a ‘talking stick’ 😀 Haha But seriously, how incredibly special and lucky we are to travel the world, writing music with your best friends and family!

Performing at Rudolstadt 2024 Festival in Germany, which was set in an idyllic medieval city with an incredible world music offering, was so life-affirming. Everyone was so welcoming, we felt we’d found a home away from home, which made for a very special few days. We were lucky enough to have some of it captured here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV4VXllBQUQ

With three big shows lined up—including a set at WOMAD Aotearoa—what are you most excited about for this New Zealand run? Any surprises in store for the fans?

OH MY WORD! The lineup looks incredible and it’s hard to narrow down what we’re most excited for! We will probably be manically running from one stage to another and probably suffer from major F.O.M.O. and decision fatigue by the end of the festival.  Personally (Alice, Vocalist, trumpet player and marketing exec of UDS) I am super excited to see Amaru Tribe. I know Ash is chomping at the bit to see Queen Omega and Silky is most keen for 47Soul after we missed seeing them at WOMADelaide.

I think whatever surprises are in store for Uke Death Squad audiences, will be a surprise to us as well. We don’t know what’s about to happen before we go on stage a lot of the time – but just know, you’re safe with us and a good time is guaranteed.

Tour Details:
March 8, 2025 at Whammy Bar in Auckland
March 12, 2025 at Last Place in Wellington
March 14-16, 2025 at WOMAD AOTEAROA Festival in New Plymouth