Miller Yule – The Tuning Fork, 15 October 2026: Review & Photo Gallery

16th October 2026

Miller Yule is a genuinely world-class singer-songwriter. His voice is superb, his guitar playing is excellent, his songwriting is intelligent and heartfelt and he has that rare natural charisma that you simply can’t manufacture.

Every now and then you come across a musician who reminds you why you fell in love with music in the first place. For me Miller Yule is one of those artists.

I first saw Miller perform around ten years ago, back in 2017 at an intimate Sofar Sounds gig in someone’s house somewhere around Parnell. I’d actually gone along to see my friend Aaron Carpenter perform, but it was this young singer-songwriter with an acoustic guitar who completely blew me away.

I remember thinking at the time, this guy has something special. A fantastic voice, brilliant songwriting and that rare ability to hold an audience with nothing more than an acoustic guitar and a handful of great songs.Fast-forward ten years to a rainy Thursday evening at Auckland’s Tuning Fork and there he was again. Only this time, instead of one man and an acoustic guitar, Miller had brought along a ten-piece band to celebrate the release of his latest album Surrender.

And what a bloody fantastic show it was!

Around 150 people turned out despite the miserable weather, and from the opening notes of I Can’t Stop Thinking About You it was obvious we were in for something special.

Dressed casually in faded jeans and a white T-shirt, sporting a beard and looking every bit the handsome, ageless rock star, Miller kicked things off with I Can’t Stop Thinking About You, playing a beautiful Gibson ES-335-style semi-hollow electric guitar.

The band initially took the stage as a seven-piece, featuring drums, bass, two guitars including Miller’s, keyboards and two female backing vocalists.

Behind the drum kit was none other than legendary Welsh producer Greg Haver, who co-produced Surrender with Miller. Greg has an extraordinary musical pedigree, having worked with artists including the Manic Street Preachers, Melanie C, The Feelers and numerous other international and New Zealand acts. He’s also a phenomenal drummer, and it was an absolute pleasure watching him perform.

The second song, Get to Know You, continued the momentum with infectious melodies and some wonderful musicianship. Interestingly, Miller barely spoke to the audience during the first two numbers, preferring to let the music do the talking.

But once he started chatting, his relaxed personality and natural sense of humour really shone through.

Introducing Lonely Together, he asked whether anyone in the audience was partial to a bit of line dancing. What followed was a delightful country-flavoured number that soon had people moving.

By this stage the atmosphere was fantastic. The sound was excellent, the lighting was beautifully executed and the band was incredibly tight without ever sounding overly rehearsed or mechanical. There was a wonderful sense of freedom about the performance.

My personal favourite of the evening came with the fourth song, Please Don’t Let Me In.

Miller strapped on a harmonica holder, picked up his acoustic guitar and delivered a beautiful slice of Americana that immediately reminded me of Ryan Adams, one of my favorite musical influences.

This was the kind of songwriting I absolutely love. Honest, heartfelt, slightly melancholic, with just the right amount of country-rock/Americana grit. It was a real standout.

How You See Me followed, another wonderfully crafted song that demonstrated just how much Miller has matured as a songwriter.

One of the things that struck me throughout the evening was the depth of his lyrics. There’s a real sense of reflection, self-discovery and philosophical thinking in these new songs. They’re not simply catchy tunes about relationships. There’s something deeper going on here and I found that incredibly refreshing.

By the sixth song, Stuck on You, the brass section had joined the party, transforming the group into a full ten-piece band. Two saxophones and a slide trombone added a completely new dimension to the arrangements. The brass was used tastefully, complementing the songs rather than overpowering them.

Miller had the audience singing along, first encouraging the ladies, then the men, before bringing everyone together. It was one of those wonderfully spontaneous moments that make live music so enjoyable.

As a guitarist myself, I was particularly impressed with Miller’s playing. Not only is he a brilliant vocalist and songwriter, he also handles lead guitar duties alongside guitarist Nathan Boston.

It’s not often you see a frontman who can sing, entertain, play rhythm guitar, switch to lead guitar and then pull out a harmonica without missing a beat.

The musicianship across the entire band was outstanding.

Miller took time to introduce his fellow musicians, including Nathan Boston on guitar, Mike Moo on bass, his two excellent female backing vocalists, the keyboardist and of course Greg Haver on drums.

There was also some genuinely funny banter.

Before Don’t Know, Don’t Care, Greg clicked the band in, momentarily forgetting that Miller was supposed to begin the song alone on acoustic guitar. Miller immediately joked that Greg might have produced the album, but he still needed to remember how the songs started!

The audience loved it.

And that’s what made this concert so special. Despite the extraordinary musicianship, there was nothing pretentious about it. Everyone seemed relaxed, genuinely happy to be there and clearly enjoying playing together.

Don’t Know, Don’t Care was another highlight, featuring acoustic guitar, harmonica and some beautiful backing vocals. The lyrics explored the challenges of life, the importance of perseverance and learning not to take everything quite so seriously.

To me, these songs demonstrate a songwriter who’s lived a little, thought a lot and come out the other side with something meaningful to say. Feeling What I’m Feeling followed, featuring some absolutely gorgeous slide guitar from Nathan Boston. It was a wonderfully catchy country-rock song, with the audience enthusiastically singing along.

At one point Miller stopped the show to acknowledge a friend named Bella, who was celebrating her birthday. Naturally, the entire room joined in singing Happy Birthday.

Another lovely moment.

Then came TNT, a punchy, high-energy rock number that really lifted the room. Miller and Nathan delivered some fantastic harmony lead guitar lines that reminded me of the Allman Brothers.

I absolutely love that twin-lead guitar sound, and these guys nailed it.

By now the crowd was dancing, the lights were pumping and the whole venue had come alive.

When It Rains began with Miller singing without his guitar before picking up his acoustic partway through the song. It was another example of his confidence as a performer and his ability to hold the audience with his voice alone.

Later in the evening, out came an eight-string ukulele for a delightful, almost Hawaiian-flavoured sea-shanty-style number. Once again, the lyrics reflected themes of self-acceptance, freedom and personal growth.

What I particularly appreciated was how naturally Miller moved between musical styles. Americana, country, folk, rock, pop and even a little Hawaiian influence all found their way into the show, yet somehow everything still sounded unmistakably like Miller Yule.

Then came a song that transported me straight back ten years – Shot in the Heart.

This was the song I remembered from that little Sofar Sounds gig in Parnell, and hearing it again brought back some wonderful memories.

After that first performance, I bought Miller’s EP on CD and a friend of mine even purchased one of his clever little revolver-themed necklaces, a brilliant piece of merchandise promoting the song. But my strongest memory of Shot in the Heart comes from the Coromandel.

My daughter Faith Wilde and I used to drive around Matarangi in our Jeep Wrangler, windows down, singing along to that song at the top of our lungs. Hearing it again immediately brought back memories of long summer days, beautiful Coromandel beaches and some very special family moments.

That’s the power of a great song. It becomes part of the soundtrack to your life. And Miller has written some genuinely great songs.

The final number of the evening was an absolute belter. Beginning with atmospheric keyboards and guitar reminiscent of Dire Straits, the song gradually built into a huge stadium-rock arrangement.

There was another amusing little false start while Miller stopped to retune his G string, but nobody minded. In fact, those little imperfections only added to the charm of the evening.

When the full band kicked in, complete with Saxophone, soaring guitars and Greg Haver driving everything from behind the drums, the sound was enormous.Nathan delivered another blistering guitar solo, Miller joined in with some a fantastic Harmonica solo and Greg treated us to some brilliant drumming. It was the kind of song that could easily fill an arena.

And that’s something I kept thinking throughout the evening. Why isn’t this guy playing to thousands of people? Give this man a big stage, he has a great band, give this man an international audience and I honestly believe he could hold his own anywhere in the world.

The production of Surrender deserves recognition too. Greg Haver and Miller have clearly created something special and hearing these songs performed live with such an accomplished group of musicians was an absolute treat.I also loved the fact that Miller was so generous in acknowledging his band. Great artists surround themselves with great musicians and he certainly did that tonight.

If I had one small disappointment, it was the absence of merchandise. I would have happily purchased the new album on CD or vinyl and I mentioned this to Miller when I caught up with him after the show.He was an absolutely lovely guy to chat with and I’m hoping we might see Surrender released on vinyl in the future.There’s something special about owning a physical copy of an album you genuinely love, particularly when it’s made by an artist you want to support.

Walking out of the Tuning Fork, I couldn’t help feeling excited again about New Zealand music. We have some extraordinary talent in this country and Miller Yule is unquestionably one of those artists who deserves a much bigger audience.

What impressed me most wasn’t simply the technical brilliance of the musicians or the excellent sound and lighting. It was the sincerity of the whole performance. There was heart, humour, vulnerability, passion and some bloody good Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Ten years ago, I watched a young man with an acoustic guitar perform in a little house in Parnell and thought he had something special. Tonight, watching that same musician front a ten-piece band performing songs worthy of the world’s biggest stages, I realised my first impression was absolutely right.