Wednesday
Canterbury
Week 5
Paid
All Ages
Rufous Whistler 'National Panic' album launch (AUS) and Butter Wouldn't Melt (NZ)
WEDNESDAY MAY 28, 7:30PM
Rufous Whistler (AUS) and Butter Wouldn't Melt (NZ) Live at Wunderbar
Celebrate the release of National Panic, the debut album from Rufous Whistler, the Australian folk & alt-country act turning heads across the globe.
Hailing from Northeast Victoria, AUS (Wiradjuri Country), Rufous Whistler combines raw, heartfelt storytelling with modern arrangements, warm, commanding vocals, and virtuosic musicianship. Their live shows are dynamic and gripping, featuring guitars, fiddles, mandolin, and harmony-rich vocals, all delivered with sharp wit and toe-tapping energy.
With their first three singles from the album in 2024 landing international airplay, topping charts, and quickly amassing over 30,000 streams, Rufous Whistler has already made a big splash. In 2025, they’re hitting the road for over 30 Australian dates, a New Zealand tour, and their first UK and EU shows, all in support of National Panic.
Joining Rufous Whistler are Butter Wouldn't Melt (NZ). Butter Wouldn't Melt are Andrea Reid (Guitar - vocals), Nick Burfield (Guitar - vocals), Cara Rose (Fiddle) , Marz Connelly (Double Bass)
Wellington based, americana-folk band Butter Wouldn't Melt are about to celebrate the release of their sophomore album - Where the roots grow deep, available everywhere August 9th 2025.
Finalists for the 2023 Best Folk Artist Tūī | Te Kaipuoro Taketake Toa with their first album 1931. Butter Wouldn’t Melt is the very definition of a grassroots, do-it-yourself band. Every note, every frame, every brushstroke is their own— written, recorded, mixed, mastered, promoted, filmed, and designed.
Butter Wouldn’t Melt blend folk, americana bluegrass, and country influences with a distinctly New Zealand flavour, promising an evocative performance defined by their poetic lyricism, powerful harmonies and thought provoking stories.