Openside

Erstwhile queer pop icons Openside assembled in Auckland, New Zealand in 2012 and maintained a loyal fanbase until their breakup in 2020. Initially comprising singer Jen Newton, guitarist/vocalist PJ Shepherd, bassist Harry Carter and drummer George Powell, the group's original singer was replaced by dynamic vocalist Possum Plows in 2014. Having started out largely performing covers, the Harry Potter-inspired emo-pop group (whose name is a reference to the fictional wizarding sport of quidditch) changed their title to Openside from Maybe Rave in March 2015 dropped their first single, "Worth It" later that year. After signing with Warner Music NZ, the group released their debut EP, Push Back, in 2016, which reached Number 2 on the New Zealand Music Albums charts and Number 12 on the New Zealand Album charts. Following the release of their fourth single, "I Feel Nothing" in 2017, Possum Plows publicly came out as gender nonbinary. Openside released their second EP, the sparky electropop and R&B-tinted Episode One: Character Flaws, in 2018 and released a follow-up EP, Episode Two: Waiting for Love, in 2019. In February 2019, Possum Plows was verbally abused in a homophobic rant at a Countdown Supermarket in Ponsonby, New Zealand after they kissed their girlfriend in public. Openside performed at Big Gay Out for the second time that same month and debuted a new track, "Waiting for Love," which was later released as a single on in March 2019. The candid emo-pop bullet of "FCK U" came in 2019 and the soaring pop of "I Just Wanted You" also reared its head that year, but on January 16, 2020, Openside announced their breakup via Facebook. The following year, Possum Plows admitted to having had a sexual relationship with Openside's manager Paul McKessar, which lasted for four years. However, Possum Plows doesn't hold Paul McKessar solely responsible for the band's breakup.

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