Hello my friends!

Happy New Year’s eve with all its windy bluster! I am not sure what your NYE traditions are, but imagine they’re quite close to mine, which is to gather with friends in a warm house, have a couple glasses of fancy drink, and read the latest Airhorn newsletter aloud, all the way to the final line of “Thanks for reading this long-ass email, and getting all the way to the end. Anyway, I have to go” as your friends applaud.

Well then, in celebration of tradition, here is a new sweet Airhorn newsletter for you!

Airhorn 2025 Recap!

It was a wild year for us at Airhorn. Can you believe it started with a breakout fight at the February show with the Newtown City Council? And then we had the Fringe Fest Fight Night, with our first official dance number, an endorsement from the mayor, and a ketchup soaked brawl where we defeated the NCC once and for all?!

photo credit Ayla Chamberlain

Or that shortly after we had our "lost episode" with the blood-soaked disney adaptation Oedipus Becs...plus Mog ate 8 hard-boiled eggs in a row?

photo credit Ayla Chamberlain

Or that we then had our galalala, with our first official sponsor of Wattie's. That sponshorship has gotten increasingly complicated, full of promise but not a lot of cash, but back in May, oh what a flash-frozen honeymoon! We had dozens of comedians in fancy dress giving their fest best and the first appearance of the Wattie's Family Fun Time Photo Booth. What a night!

We took off some time after the galala for comedy fest stuff...because a bunch of Airhorners (Booth, Hoani, Jak, Lesa) wee nominated for the Billy T. Award and Hoani won! Look at these beautiful people onstage.

Then in August we just had a...normal Airhorn? Which meant dance, poetry, sketch, horror, a story about Buc-ee's (the biggest gas station in the world), and the introduction of Concrita the concrete plum?

And who can forget then our Election Special, commissioned by our second sponsor VoteNZ who, the day after, quickly dropped us! Our plan was to inspire everyone to vote through playful recreations of the orange voting guy. We ended up with something a bit different (screaming at you through horrific orange masks before quietly twirling off beat and leaving the stage in a panic). It was a physically upsetting show for us, but based on the responses in the voting ballots handed out during it, y'all loved it!

What we imagined what we ended up with

Reeling from the election, we then had our first "Airhorn Calms Down". This was a warm, calming night of the gentlest comedy. We had toast, we had tea, we had a stim booth filled with videos of exploding monster trucks for those who needed it, and we became the first comedy show in the world (we think) to feature an act where a person builds a chair from scratch.

We had our first tour, to Christchurch, a grand success at the beautiful Little Andromeda Theatre. The Christchurch crowds were lovely and I'm already wanting to get down there for those gardens and those hot pools!

Our final show was the second annual Airhorn Holiday Special, with jubilee and festivities and the introduction of new Christmas traditions with the Acorn Children, a delightfully prickly group of forlorn seat warmers. They are all now nestled in a bed of wet leaves and soil, their digestive tracks slowing down as they prepare for their long, dreamless sleep until next Christmas.

And to end the year we got a wonderful review in the NZ Post, nominated for best comedy show of the year by the NZ Comedy Guild, and nominated for best regular show by the Wellies! It makes me feel humble and aglow!

2026: what lies ahead?!

2026 is going to be exciting and different. We are changing up the show in ways we aren't fully ready to announce yet. Our plans are increasingly ambitious, including one show that has me legit stressed with its scope, entering artistic domains we and Newtown have not yet seen.

But first, we have a FANTASIA to give you. This February 20th, as part of the Fringe Fest, we will have the Airhorn Fringe Fest Fantasia, a double-stuffed night of dreams and wonder! As evidenced by our past shows listed above, this one will be weird and strange and heartfelt and made just for you. Keep an eye on your inbox in the new year for more details!

Truly, Airhorn is my favourite time of month and favourite thing to do. It is lucky to be able to make weird comedy with your friends and have it be received so warmly by you beautiful people. Thank you for continually coming out and supporting what has been called, in the paper of record (NZ Post, online only edition): "an institution in the making".

Yah, a mental institution! Just kidding. But seriously though.

Recommendation Corner: best of the year

And lastly, cos I just can't stop chatting at ya, here are some favourite things not by us that I enjoyed this year. These are personal favourites of your humble newsletter writer, not necessarily widely endorsed by the Airhorn crew. Some came out this year, some didn't. Time, as evidenced by us continually caling Airhorn an 'hour-long show', is an illusion.

Good show: Haha, You Clowns!

This is a wild looking new show on Adult Swim with incredible gargantuan men loving and supporting each other. The biggest goof of this show is how sincerely heart-warming it is. You continually think it's going to veer into something grotesque or off-putting and instead it just ups the charm! Delightful.

Good movie: Don't Let the Riverbeast Get You

The best movie you can watch for free on Plex. This year, DJ BBGun and I discovered Motern Media and it changed our life. Sincerely funny and great films made on no budget with just family and friends as the actors, shot over a few weekends. The most ramshackle and roughshod films that transcend their meager budgets to become something hilarious, epic, and beautiful. The writer, Matt Farley, is an oddball inspiration and if you like the film you can give him a call and tell him directly, as he advertises his personal number directly in his films! We've had a couple chats and he is a charmer.

Good game: Nana (or Trio)

If you got a deck of cards and at least a couple of friends, then Nana is your new favourite 10 minute game. This is a japanese card game of smarts, luck, and memory with minimal rules but BIG fun. If we are hanging out in person, be certain I am wondering if there's a lull coming up in convo where I could reasonably suggest we play a round. It's addictive and so fun. You can buy a copy in English under the name Trio, but it really can be played with a standad deck of cards. Read the rules here and you're good to go!

Good Food: Cutie Pie Pizza

Wattie's asked me to say my favourite food this year was a can of stewed tomatoes, but I must be honest and say sometimes fresh is best! Cutie Pie is a new pizza place in Hataitai with a strong lineage (related to Tommy Millions) and delicious "'za". They have a minimal and confident menu that would make Gordon Ramsey proud and a dessert pizza that reminds me warmly of regional pizza chains of my youth. Come to Hataitai and "have a slice".

Good Listen/Read: 2025 Albums of the Year by Gimp Leg

Not sure how well my love for this will translate, but here goes: This is a best of list on Start-track, a fave music blog with rotating writers. This is the best albums of the year by a writer named gimp leg and it cracks me up to read it because every single album is ska. I am not a ska afficionado, and cannot tell the nuances between sounds, and it's delightful to be baffled by someone who can. They talk so glowingly and poetically about each album, and will say someone is "the most important artist working today" who is stretching the genre forward, and then you hit play on the track and...it's ska! It just keeps happening, 10 albums in a row, I expect to hear something different, and keep getting tricked with those bright bouncy horns. I find it so charming. So if you been meaning to get into the cutting edge of Ska in 2026, this is a great way to start.

Thanks for reading this long-ass email, and getting all the way to the end. Anyway, I have to go!