‘A way to be heard’: the New Zealand Pasifika youth subculture devoted to emergency sirens

Siren kings battle their way through several carefully judged rounds to establish who has the loudest, clearest sound

On the streets of south Auckland, Pasifika youth equipped with plastic siren cones have created a new sound - one that stormed TikTok, and took over a moment in pop music. Sometimes disparaged or dismissed, they say their work with sirens is more than just a sound or a hobby. It's also about community, creativity and respite from struggle.

These are the Siren Kings - a street subculture devoted to the volume and clarity of music, channelled through the unusual vector of emergency-evacuation sirens.