Greta O'Leary and Goodnight My Darling

Transport yourself into an ethereal evening of original sound and space.

Under a steeply pitched roof and behind a façade of angles and planes you'll find two Wellington gems. Come visit a place of stories woven in wood, stained glass and brass for an evening of music you won’t forget.

A culmination of dreamy vocals and experiential sound, Goodnight My Darling is the vision and project of up and coming Wellington based singer-songwriter Maxine Macaulay.
With elements of shoegaze, folk and dreamy melody, Macaulay says her ever evolving vibe is a poetic expression of her life and the places around her. Her songs take you on a cinematic journey, while her ethereal vocals lull you into a quiet sense of peace and appreciation.

Goodnight My Darling started as an electronic project when Macaulay released her EP of self produced songs “Levitate”. She then joined forces with a band Kim Andrews, Mitch Kirk and Toby Lloyd, to create and release her latest nine-track self-titled album, with a mix of soul-stirring tunes including ode to love, loss and rebirth ‘The Carriage’, ‘Until I Return’ and the story of a relationship’s end in ‘The Trees Have Eyes’.

A thoughtful and calming presence, Macaulay draws inspiration from art, travel, food and film. Her dreams often form the foundations of her hypnotic lyrics, where she weaves in themes from her slumber and subconscious. She says her songs provide a platform to express emotion, and are a cathartic release for some of the tougher moments in life. Her recently released single ‘The Empress’ touches on the Auckland floods, and the tears of mother earth in an era of climate change.

Last year Macaulay took her debut album on tour, visiting Auckland, Whanganui, Hamilton, Levin, Wellington and Kapiti for live performances. She’s also performed at Gardens Magic and Newtown Festival. It’s on stage where Macaulay says she feels most present, connecting to a moment in time that she believes brings peace to her and her audience.

Her floaty sound and poetic lyrics are an amalgamation of ideas, and an extension of the artist who admits to always wearing her heart on her sleeve.

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Spook-folk Sweetheart Greta O’Leary is a songwriter and musician whose pervasive yet spacious sound cuts through the thickest of skins. Poignant, heartbreaking, and occasionally absurd, O’Leary seizes us with her dynamic voice, bending the folk-genre to another plane. Think Angel Olsen meets Vashti Bunyan.

Coming of age during a few nomadic years hitching the globe, O’Leary’s lifelong love of music was ignited through the folk scenes of Australia and beyond, a contrast to her childhood home of bourbon, blues and rock and roll. O’Learys' debut single 'Outnumbered' released in early 2022 charted on independent radio stations such as BFM, RDU, Radio One and Radio Control, and gained 140,000 views for its self directed music video. Writing and feeling is truly all that has ever made sense to me.

Releasing her EP Treasure Horse in 2022, O’Leary took the collection on a 7 date national tour. At times crushingly fragile, then surging and frenzied, Treasure Horse is “an insanely atmospheric and wonderfully crafted debut” (Ratworld Magazine). Bursting through the seams of traditional songwriting with a sound that is truly hers, O’Leary soothes and disrupts us with stories of grief, love, and belonging, wrapped in nostalgic and archetypal imagery. Quickly she is establishing herself as a rising force in the local music scene.

Receiving NZ on Air development funding and mentorships from the inimitable Liz Stokes (The Beths), Frances Dickenson (Establish Music) and Aston Road, O’Leary was recently the recipient of APRA’s Aotearoa Artist Mentoring programme, and is currently working with mentor Tom Healy (Tiny Ruins, Marlon Williams) on her newest collection, due out in 2024.

Join these stunning wahine songwriters and their bands for a special evening of texture, warmth and feeling.