Close Counters Live · Auckland · Jan 22, 2027

<p><strong>Close Counters</strong> bring their soulful, jazz-infused dance sound to <strong>The Tuning Fork on 22 January</strong>, following a huge 2025 that saw the duo take their live band around the globe. They&rsquo;ve played dream festivals including <strong>Glastonbury, Love Supreme, Brick Lane Jazz Festival, The Great Escape and Lost Village</strong>, alongside <strong>sold-out shows at Ronnie Scott&rsquo;s Jazz Club</strong> in London and a packed 1000-capacity Croxton in Melbourne. Back home, they&rsquo;ve also played <strong>Meredith Music Festival, Let Them Eat Cake, Falls Festival, Strawberry Fields and Party in the Paddock</strong>.</p><p>2025 saw the release of their first full-length original record, <em><strong>LOVERS DANCE ACADEMY</strong></em>, which climbed to <strong>#3 on ARIA&rsquo;s Jazz &amp; Blues Album Chart</strong> and was widely supported by <strong>Jazz FM, BBC Radio 1Xtra, 6Music, KEXP Seattle, Double J, RRR and PBS</strong>. UK tastemaker Tina Edwards called it <strong>&ldquo;the best dance album of the year&rdquo;</strong>.</p><p>Allan McConnell &amp; Finn Rees are a prolific <strong>jazz-trained production pair</strong> creating soulful soundscapes, with collaborations including <strong>Young Franco, Denzel Curry, Shiv, Lyric Jones and Allysha Joy</strong>, and remixes for <strong>PNAU, Bebe Rexha, Hiatus Kaiyote&rsquo;s Simon Mavin and Genesis Owusu</strong>.</p><p>With a fresh record in early production stages, 2026 is shaping up strong for <strong>&ldquo;Australia&rsquo;s version of Kaytranada&rdquo; &ndash; Tommy Faith (triple j).</strong></p><p>Tickets on sale 25 August at 5pm. Let&rsquo;s dance! </p>