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Schkeuditzer Kreuz brings the Swan Grinding tour home with Auckland and Wellington shows

Empty Spaces

08 Jan 2026 — 1 min read

Auckland and Wellington are set to close out one of the most relentless touring runs by a New Zealand underground artist in recent years. Schkeuditzer Kreuz will return to Aotearoa in January for two shows that mark the final chapter of the Swan Grinding Tour, following months on the road across Europe and Australia.

The Auckland show lands first, with Schkeuditzer Kreuz taking over Dead Witch at Ding Dong Lounge on Friday 23rd January followed by Wellington the next night at Underworld Tavern.

While these shows bookend the tour, they also serve as a homecoming. For Kieren Hills, the New Zealand born and Australian based artist behind Schkeuditzer Kreuz, the past two years have been defined by extensive touring. With a sharpened live setup, the release of Swan Grinder, has pushed the project further into international visibility while staying fiercely rooted in punk ethics.

Swan Grinder hits with industrial synth pressure pushed up against the raw force of crust and hardcore. The sound feels mechanical and human in equal measure. Drum machines grind. Synths snarl. Vocals cut through with the urgency of a system under strain. Written in isolation and sharpened on the road, the album was shaped by repetition, endurance, and constant live testing.

That process defines Schkeuditzer Kreuz. This music is built for rooms filled with bodies, volume, and shared release. Touring through squats, bars, and underground spaces across Europe hardened the live set and clarified its purpose. That weight carries into the Aotearoa shows. These dates bring the tour full circle, presenting a project at full force, refined, focused, and uncompromising.

Friday 23 January – Dead Witch, Ding Dong Lounge, AUCKLAND

With TRAUMA PARTY, DEATH PORTAL, and CREASSAULT

Saturday 24 January – Underworld Tavern, WELLINGTON

With LUNG, EURYDICE, BREACHES, and DJ VIRAGO

Tickets from Under The Radar.

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