The band started as a conversation in the line for the toilets at a local bar between Taylor and Jury (who writes all the guitar riffs), and evolved into a six-piece over a few months.
Crocodile Tears is their latest single with a neat drum take by Johnson accompanied by Te Wheoro Heke's strong bassline. It was their second or third song before they became a full band, and the first that features Fraser's trumpet.
We are likely to hear a lot more about Tahini Bikini, with other projects bubbling along such as more singles in the works and further collaborations.
Sureboy, the second act of the night, write songs based on storytelling, where heavy themes are discussed but garnished with humour.
“You think you want to be with me?/I think you just need therapy” goes one line from one of their fan favourites, Better.
“The main theme is often poking fun at some really shitty things that have happened and trying to put them in more of a humorous light,” Stewart said.
This sense of humour comes in handy, because the all-female line-up unfortunately means “good for a girl band” is a statement the group have heard more than once. The band have had a fair share of encounters Stewart patiently describes as “testing”.
“The best one that I can think of is when we were starting a show, and someone came up and was, like: ‘Do you know how to work the mic stand?'. And I'm, like, ‘Yeah, I've been singing my whole life. You think I don't know how to work the mic stand?' ”
Join six-piece band Tahini Bikini as they bring neo-soul, funk and hip-hop to Smash Palace, tomorrow, 7pm. Supported by Sureboy and Nervous in the Bus Lane. Tickets $15 from eventbrite.co.nz or $20 at the door.
