sloer + Edband

Wānaka indie folk-rock band sloer are hitting the road this spring for a six-date national tour, taking their raw, atmospheric and deeply felt live show to Auckland, Waiheke Island, Wellington, Wānaka, Dunedin and Christchurch.
The tour comes ahead of the release of sloer’s debut album in March 2027, following a run of intimate South Island shows that has established the band as one of the lower South Island’s most intriguing emerging acts.
For fans of Julia Jacklin, Portishead and Cowboy Junkies, sloer blend sparse, intimate songwriting with expansive full-band arrangements. Piano, synth, guitars, bass and drums create a sound that moves from delicate to quietly overwhelming, centred around vocalist and lyricist Sophie Askin’s distinctive voice.
Founded in Wānaka by Askin and guitarist Jacob Smith, the band now features pianist Sophie Omer-McWalter, drummer Mark Orbell, bassist Aaron Hosking and guitarist/synth/percussionist Aria Nader-Turner.
Recent shows have drawn strong reactions, with Dunedin musician and writer Jeff Harford describing the band simply as: “There’s something special going on here.”