Dean Cameron saw New York hardcore outfit Sick of It All play Squid in Auckland on Thursday 20 April 1995.

The opening set of Tudor madrigals was heavenly; the refinement and blend of the men's ensemble mesmerised.

In 1972, Roy Colbert was writing a column for The Evening Star in Dunedin, earning $4 a week less tax, and spending $150 going up to Auckland to see rock concerts. And he flew north to see Led Zeppelin play Western Springs on Friday 25 February 1972.

You haven't heard of them yet, but you will soon. Band of Skulls, three super-confident Brits, look set to fill the giant boy-girl blues-rock void left vacant by the demise of the White Stripes.

It's a shame the most interesting Beatles at the time of their 1970 break-up - Lennon and Harrison - are no longer with us, because the post-Beatles legacy is carried into the second decade of the 21st century by these two albums.

For Van Halen's first album in 14 years, and the Pasadena hard rock band's first album in 28 years with singer David Lee Roth, they went back and dug out some demo tapes from the 70s and used it as the starting point for their 12th album.

There's a sense of teetering on an edge in this debut album by 22-year-old Auckland songstress Lydia Cole.

This latest seven-track collection is an aural assault of electronica-dubstep-pop, designed to incite as much jumping, fist-pumping and head-banging as possible.