This feature is part of a new Scene Report on Dunedin. Check out the series here.
There must be something in the water at Logan Park High School.
The North Dunedin school has seen a remarkable number of wonderful musicians pass through its doors, from indie-folk singer-songwriters Nadia Reid and Aldous Harding to The Verlaines’ frontman Graeme Downes and experimental sound artist Alastair Galbraith.
If the school has a “notable alumni” wall, they might soon be adding some newer students to it.
Sogg are a nascent noise-rock band composed of Ollie Kemmett (vocals, guitar), Noelle Hill (bass), and Rue Tulloch (drums).
Another success story to recently emerge out of Ōtepoti’s thriving all-ages music scene, the trio, still in school, have been making music together for a few years now.
“When we were all 13… we started just playing punk-adjacent stuff. We were all into Minor Threat and stuff,” Kemmett tells me over the phone from his hometown.
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“So we just started jamming some like ’80s hardcore-inspired stuff. And then as we grew and got more into Dunedin music, we started experimenting with noise-rock and that kind of stuff. So we kind of call ourself post-noise-punk!”
Credit: Ethan Montanẽr / @ethmon
He lists Fugazi (unsurprising), Sonic Youth (unsurprising), and High Dependency Unit (one of Dunedin’s best bands — definitely not surprising) as influences on their fearless sound, which seems to fit perfectly with their surroundings. “We don’t limit ourselves to what we listen to and bring to the band… being from Dunedin, which is a grey and rainy place, you kind of learn to embrace the jank,” he says.
Playing live as much as they can has been hugely important in their development. “Since you’re playing shows every weekend, every second weekend kind of thing, it gets to a point where you’re quite comfortable to experiment…” Kemmett notes.
2025 was a big year for Sogg.
Their searing debut album, Kill Yr Oppressor, which dropped in August, is a guttural outpouring of abrasive noise and righteous anger. The lyrics are, it’s fair to say, to the point: “The only good nazi is one who’s dead / The only good fascist is one who’s dead,” Kemmett screams venomously on thrilling closer “Fuck Bigot Scum.”
Songs like this one show how politically minded this exciting current crop of Dunedin bands are — Sogg hold nothing back, and nor should they.
Sogg’s debut even earned a nice little review from Under The Radar: “Repping the fine Ōtepoti tradition of grunty sonic scuzz are Sogg, ripping through seven scorching tracks in under 20 minutes on their debut album Kill Yr Oppressor — we have been informed they rule live too,” the publication wrote.
Do they, in fact, “rule live too”?
Yes. Yes, they do.
There’s a reason that Sogg have already secured opening slots for Dick Move and High Dependency Unit, despite being so young.
“[T]hat was… eye-opening because they’re one of my biggest influence, one of my favourite bands. Just talking to the guys was fucking awesome,” Kemmett says of supporting High Dependency Unit.
Sogg summed up the big year that was 2025 for them best in a social media post, listing the “fun things” they accomplished in just 12 months, including playing at the premiere of Life in One Chord, the documentary about legendary Dunedin musician Shayne P. Carter.
Credit: Ethan Montanẽr / @ethmon
Their post finished with a declaration: “Catch us at a Pioneer Hall or Yours near Port Chalmers and Ōtepoti in 2026.”
They’ve stayed true to their word, as Sogg are preparing for an unmissable all-ages show at Pioneer Hall on Saturday, March 14th.
Supported by Radio One 91FM, the gig features Sogg alongside Talking Furniture, Deaf Racoon, Eris, and the Foo Fighters’ soon-to-be best mates, SEEK HELP!.
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It’s only $10 for a ticket, so if anyone reading this is going to be anywhere near Dunedin on the 14th — head along (ticket information here).
Kemmett isn’t content to stop there, though.
He reveals that he wants Sogg to play a show outside his hometown this year. “We’re definitely going to record some more stuff because we’ve been changing [our] sound so much that we need to document it,” he adds. “I think we’re going to not play as much but play bigger.”
Song’s Kill Yr Oppressor is out now.
