‘Loud guitars. Melodic hooks. A healthy amount of fuzz.’ That’s how Kiwi songwriter/guitarist Liam Atkin sums up his Manchester-based alternative rock band Venus In Spirals, who released their debut four-track EP titled ‘WORN’ in October 2026. Liam first adopted the Venus In Spirals moniker for his solo music output, which back then he described as indie alternative fuzz rock.

Now into his 30s and living in the heart of Manchester, Venus In Spirals is a noise rock trio rooted in the raw energy of ’90s alternative rock, drawing inspiration from the likes of Dinosaur Jr., Pixies, Medicine and My Bloody Valentine. Combining Liam’s hook-driven songwriting, fuzz-heavy guitars and walls of distortion the sound is both abrasive and euphoric. Excited about the band’s future prospects Liam talked with NZM soon after release of the EP’s first single, I Love My Sweater.

Where are you originally from and when did you learn guitar? 

I was born in Thames. My parents were dairy farmers, so I moved around NZ quite a bit as a child, even had a stint in America. The last school I attended was Cambridge High. I was around 14 years old when I started to learn guitar, though I wrote my first song at 12! I remember walking around the house humming a melody. I think the chorus was, ‘I’m living in one big lie…’ It was not great!

I also remember being around 6 years old, me and my sister Shannon would steal my dad’s Van Halen and Nirvana records and use her teddy bears as band members – have them mimic playing along! I think my first real band was playing bass in Sweaty Betty’s with Bethan, Aiko and Kaitlyn. I got into guitar after the death of my older sister Amanda. I was extremely lost and confused during that time in my life and being able to focus on this got me through some dark periods.

Were there some key steps that led to you aspiring to be a professional musician?

I studied music in my first year of high school and only just passed! But when I was around 22 I enrolled at MAINZ and eventually received a degree! Melon Heart and Mikaela Cougar were among my contemporaries there, but to be honest I was never really part of the Auckland music scene.

Before going to MAINZ I didn’t think it would be possible to have a career in music, it just seemed so foreign to me. Especially being from NZ, it just seemed so removed from everywhere else. Getting played on student radio was a big moment for me, and receiving those first royalty checks, that really gave me confidence in thinking I could have a career in music.

Between 26 and 30 I really didn’t do much music. I completed a GradDip in Arts, majoring in History, and then worked at the University of Auckland in student support. I thought that music was in the past, but you really can’t turn that off. I will always be a musician regardless if anyone listens to my music or not.

What was the goal when you left NZ?

I was 28 when I left and by then I really wanted a change. I’ve always felt a draw and a connection to the United Kingdom. London seemed too big for me so and I’ve always loved the music that came out of Manchester – so it felt the stars aligned and it was the right time for me to explore that long-held passion. I knew I wanted to get back into music and Manchester still has such a rich and prosperous music scene, but it was extremely jarring at first, I would say it took me a solid six months to actually feel a little comfortable.

Ever since I discovered Joy Division, The Stone Roses, Oasis, Happy Mondays, the Buzzcocks, and the Smiths I’ve wanted to experience Manchester, and see why so much great music comes out of it. There really is something in the air, everybody is extremely friendly and willing to help each other in the music scene, there is no gate-keeping here, everyone is so supportive. I was living in a shoebox studio apartment before, moving into my current flat has helped make it feel like home now.

Any key people or helpful bits of luck along the way? 

So many. In Manchester; Dusty Pop Entertainment, especially Sam O’Reilly has always been so supportive of Venus In Spirals, he gave us gigs when we were nobodies! Same to aatma, Broken Knees promotions and Michael from Bread Records. Without these venues or people we would be playing to nobody in our small damp rehearsal room.

Back home I’ll forever be in debt to the MAINZ tutors – Tony Waine, Josh Sorenson, Buzz Moller, Mark Baynes and Johnny Fleury. Without them and their support/advice over the years I would be absolutely lost. I am grateful to have had all those people in my life.

How did your UK trio Venus In Spirals come together?

Venus In Spirals formed at the end of 2025. I placed an ad on a music forum for band members and that’s how I found Ethan [Ranson – bass]. We jammed for around several weeks before we found Alex [Cullen – drums] through a Facebook post.
I would say our main focus is on the music itself, being as pure as we can when it comes to recording and playing live. We aren’t shy of not being perfect, to me energy and passion is more important than a perfect sounding recording or performance. We’re not a flashy bunch and we’re not in music to be famous or get rich. If I never made a cent from music I would still 100% be releasing music and playing gigs.

Getting noticed and accepted as a new band hasn’t been a challenge at all! We got offered our first gig six weeks after Ethan and I started playing together, before we even had a drummer!

We rehearse at least twice a week, whether we have a gig or not. We take rehearsals seriously too, we don’t treat it as a hangout, don’t drink or invite friends to watch. It’s strictly business, focusing on new songs and going over and over our setlist. I’m of the opinion that if you practice and write the best songs you can people will eventually find you, the cream rises to the top.

How do you cover the expense of being in a new band and life in England? 

I’m lucky to earn quite a good salary from my 9-5 job, and we typically split expenses for rehearsal rooms, mixing and mastering, photos etc. three ways.

It’s been an incredibly busy year for me so far. Week to week it typically consists of working 9-5, then as soon as work finishes I turn my attention to music. That may be writing new songs, recording new tunes, creating videos for social media, reaching out to promoters, radio stations, publications etc. Then we often rehearse on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Since the announcement of our EP we seem to be getting more attention. We have five gigs booked for October alone, with more hopefully in the works for the end of this year.

The band have moved pretty fast towards the release of the debut EP. 

Getting the EP completed was a bit of a mission. We recorded it and had it done in March/April, but it wasn’t mixed and mastered until recently. We’re releasing two singles before the release of our EP. Our first single is I Love My Sweater, released on September 25. We’ve also done a music video for that.

We’ll follow the same path for the second single Around Colourful Way which will be released on October 9. To me that is the best ‘pop’ song I’ve written to this point. I love the melody, the lead guitars, the bassline, the drums and the production – plus I’m extremely happy with the lyrics and chorus. It’s also my favourite to play live.

With most songs I will write the basic structure, chords and melody, in about 10 minutes. If it takes me any longer than that it’s usually not worth it and the tune probably isn’t that great! I like to think of songwriting as like going fishing. You cast a line out and hope something bites. If I’m lucky enough I’ll catch this song before another person does.

What will success for the EP look like, or come from? 

I just hope whoever discovers this EP enjoys it, I hope they listen to the EP and think, ‘Wow, they sounds like they are a great live band!’ I feel like the EP captures our energy and intensity quite well. I hope it leads to future opportunities like more tours, opening slots with more established touring bands and possibly some buzz within the music industry.

You’re the songwriter, what input do Ethan and Alex have? 

Their songwriting responsibilities are coming up with the bass and drum parts. I typically come to rehearsal with a rough demo but I prefer to have them fully write their parts for the songs. I get excited when I hear what they’ve come up with because it’s usually something I wouldn’t have done, which makes it so much more interesting.

When I was writing these songs I didn’t have any plan or specific theme, but listening back as an EP and reading my lyrics they all tend to be about struggling with issues such as anxiety, addiction, depression, loneliness. The EP’s title ‘WORN’ is symbolic of how I feel at times – life can really wear you down and sometimes I feel a bit used and worn out.

Band plans onward into 2027? 

We’ve recently finished our second EP, it just needs to be mixed and mastered. That’s looking to be released in early 2027, followed by a third EP midway through the year.

I then think it would be cool to release the three EPs as a compilation album, with extra tracks. Other than that it will be us continuing to play as many gigs as possible across the UK, really start expanding our wings out of the northwest.