There’s nothing worse than reviewing catchy music: it messes with your head.

Many reviewers listen to albums once and make notes.

But, sticking mainly to local stuff, I’m not too busy so I try and live with albums a little; play them in the car, get familiar like a regular listener.

Then you hit The Knids’ new album ‘Monochrome’ with its ridiculously catchy opening song ‘Big In Spain’ and the bloody thing just gets lodged in your brain like some cheerful tapeworm. Aargh!

Back to them in a moment; first a couple of quickies...

Shirley Ryder has released a new song, on Facebook only, for late local legend Graeme Hardaker (of The Shirleybyrds) who passed away in December.

‘A Song For Graeme’ features Paul Higgins on drums, Pat Hawkins on bass), Mike Kirk on guitar and Neil Pepper, keys, all of whom played with Graeme, and has a lovely sepia-tinged video from Shane Davies, who recorded it at Soundtree Studio.

Folk club turns 30 

There are also upcoming gigs in danger of passing under the radar.

Next Wednesday, March 20, Katikati Folk Club presents Good Habits – one of the most exciting recent folk duos from the UK. Bonnie Schwarz, on cello, and Pete Shaw, accordion, mix virtuoso musicianship with vocal harmonies and their award-winning, genre-fusing sound has taken them to Glastonbury, the Cambridge Folk Festival and more.

It’s also a prestigious night, being the club’s 30th anniversary

. To celebrate, founder members Don Wallis, Craig Workman, and John and Di Logan will open the evening at 7pm at The Arts Junction, entry costs members $15, public $20.

Red Street 

Move to Friday, March 22, and friendly local four-piece Red Street, who seem as much a family as a band, led by singer/songwriter Jonny Baird and featuring – again! – Mike Kirk on guitar, play the Jam Factory with support from Christchurch’s Frances Ellen, who just released her third single.

They’re both on Spotify, mainstream and accessible and worth a listen.

The gig begins 7pm, and costs $20 per person.  

Okay. The Knids and that song my brain can’t expunge... There are three Knids and this is their fourth album, another chance to wallow in the warm bath of Michael Baxter’s fertile imagination.

A maestro of lo-fi home recording, he writes and plays the songs – with one lyric each from John Baxter and Nigel Gregory of new band The Metrognomes – and is joined by singers Chris Shennen ‘Chris Knid’ and Corrine Rutherford ‘Coz Knid’.

This is a more guitar-oriented album than last year’s ‘With a Hard ‘K’ but mines the same ironic observational territory and heavy synth-grooves.

That opener, an ode to the weirdness that is Spotify, gets me every time and ‘Mr Average’ is something of a sequel to last year’s Coz Knid-sung ‘He Was Alright’, another laconic take on low-rent romance.

So little space and I still have so much to say.

There is a lot packed into these 10 tracks: emotive singing, clever lyrics, groovy production tricks, catchy hooks, weird sounds.

Once again I find there is almost nothing I don’t like about The Knids. Do check them out.