#8 Reb Fountain, Tuning Fork

15 September 2017

Walking to the Tuning Fork tonight I called in to see the redesigned Freyberg Square. It's become an elegant multiuse public space, perfect for the lunchtime coffee and the evening summer concert. White Chapel Jak were performing some seriously get down and boogie acoustic numbers and the small but appreciative crowd were lapping it up. 

As I walked from there via High St, the shared space on Fort St and Fort Lane, and the Matuku Park by the arena, I realised how much the public spaces in Auckland have been transformed over the last 15 years, thanks to some great design and a lot of determination. When the Linear Park is built along Victoria St, and together with the bike lanes crossing the city, Auckland will be footing it with great cities like Montreal, Barcelona and Melbourne, which have all used public spaces as key platforms in reimagining city centres. 

Sorry, did you think this was only going to be about music? Bless... 

On then to see Reb Fountain, with Hopetoun Brown. The duo of Nick Atkinson and Tim Walker, with the aid of Finn Scholes, performed their soulful merriment to the delight of all. Reb joined them for an especially southern number that was sultry and dark, and which presaged her own powerful performance soon after.

I set myself the 52 gigs challenge because way too many great performers were passing me by, and by crikey I'm grateful to have been alerted by Under the Radar to Reb and her band.

What a stunning artist in her own right, and what great support she gets from the band she has brought with her. There was a poignancy to the concert with the launch of her album Little Arrows, which she had initially recorded some years earlier with the late Sam Prebble. 

Describing her music is not straightforward, she has the story telling of Emmylou Harris with the intensity of Gillian Welch, and the strength of Vika Bull, with an alt country vibe. But the songs are entirely her own, beautifully crafted and passionately delivered. Her live performance on RNZ is well worth a listen, but doesn't capture what a self-confessed badass she is on stage. She swore like a trooper and spoke from the heart, about her appreciation of the people she performs with, of being a single parent and her hope for a Green-Labour government. Hers was an enthralling performance that left none disappointed.

#7 Midnight Oil, Spark Arena

9 September 2017

I saw Midnight Oil back in 1988 when they were touring with Diesel and Dust, performing on a hot summer night at the Mt Smart Supertop with Joe Walsh and Herbs. It was a time that I recall a lot of rednecks from the back blocks thinking that if they owned a kickarse album they could be born again land rights activists, at least until they went back to Mum and Dad's farm for the university holidays.

I'm being a bit harsh. Diesel and Dust came at a time when land rights issues were still relatively fringe, and there's nothing like some seriously catchy music with heart to shine a harsh light on things many would rather not talk about. And it's typical of Midnight Oil's determination to challenge on issues that matter.

So moving ahead 30 years, the concert at the Arena opened with Redneck Wonderland and took us through a succession of hits, with a bit of thematic arrangement. We had the New Zealand dedicated set, with Shipyards of New Zealand and Put Down that Weapon; an injustice set, with tracks like US Forces and When the Generals Talk; and the land rights set with Dead Heart,  and Beds are Burning. All these were interspersed with tracks from across their recording history. Not to mention a deliriously-received Kiwi tribute with Counting the Beat to lead into the encore.

The performance was a procession of uncompromising anthems, with their trademark industrial sound. In the dark and dangerous times that we face, it's good to be reminded that those tracks from the 80s that rallied against injustice haven't gone away with the new world order. 

And even from the lofty heights of the Arena's top storey, it was freaking good kickarse stuff. Dead Heart brought tears to my eyes, Blue Sky Mine was a cracker, and Forgotten Years lifted the roof. 

#6 Fazerdaze, The King's Arms

8 September 2017

There's no doubt that Fazerdaze is at the exquisite end of the Flying Nun continuum. Cascading melodies and rhythms that capture a sense of both joy and melancholy. 

Amelia Murray brings a quiet and warm presence that draws the audience in and leaves a Friday night sense that whatever the week has delivered, that is in the past and now is the time to live in the moment. It was a captivating progression through songs like Jennifer, Reel, Lucky Girl and Little Uneasy. The crowd loved every moment, and happily acceded to her request at one point to be quiet so that she wouldn't mess up the looping on Somethink. 

With a Special Housing Area axe poised over the future of the King's Arms, tonight felt like a moment to savour both the intimacy of the venue, and one of those close connections with a performer who will soon be playing in much larger space.  

For most of us, going to see a band is simply a choice we make with our money for the pleasure it brings. We do our jobs and for the most part are paid out of the funds accumulated by the people we work for and with. 

We often don't think about the risks that young musicians and other artists shoulder in the pursuit of their passions, where earning a living is about backing yourself and owning the work you produce, yet is wholly dependent on the reception you get from the art you display.

Fazerdaze is the expression of a quiet determination to craft a unique sound that enriches and enlivens. Girl, we're the lucky ones. Please, keep backing yourself, because it's bringing nothing but joy on a Friday night.

#1-5 Others Way Festival, K'Rd

1 September 2017

#1 Grayson Gilmour, Galatos  

A detail of really big security guards emerge from backstage. I'm just hoping it's smoko rather than anything serious. And immediately afterwards Grayson Gilmour appears on stage. Maybe the band were given the hard word that there's a timetable they're running to. 

Intense, moody, atmospheric stuff, made all the more so when the stage lights go out momentarily. Some of it reminds me of Wilco's more reflective pieces, with a bit of Bon Iver in there too, but there's nothing introspective in how they perform, Grayson especially is clearly enjoying himself. 

The combination of two keyboards, guitar and drums with no bass puts the melodies front and centre, and the drums give the performance a menacing edge.

A great way to start.

#2 Bic Runga, Galatos 

It only took two and a half songs of Kane Strang for me to realise that there are limits to being exposed to edgy new sounds with this 52 gigs challenge.

So I took advantage of being at a festival and made my way back to Galatos. Walking in to the loving embrace of Something good will come my Way restored my sense of purpose.

Bic, playing acoustic with Cass Basil of Tiny Ruins on bass, took us through old and new, traversing songs like Winning Arrow and Arthur Lee's And More Again. 

Over all too quick, but that's the beauty of The Others Way. 

#3 Hopetoun Brown, Neck of the Woods 

"Tuba and bass clarinet, how many times do you hear that combination?" 

Not often, but we loved it. Very cool what the horns section of Supergroove can come up with. 

#4 Sneaky Feelings, The Studio 

That was a treat. Opened with Husband House and delivered old favourites like Coming True, and Cry You Out of My Eyes, along with new songs from their Progress Junction album. Lovely to have special guests Bic Runga, Don McGlashan and Alice Bulmer to share the stage. 

Last time I saw them was at a sparsely attended gig at the Gluepot, I think in 1989. It may have been their last performance. This time around people knew that this was something special not to be missed, and the large crowd at the Studio weren't disappointed.

#5 Lawrence Arabia

A sweet indy pop set to finish the night. Gorgeous songs with a southern flavour mixed with some almost Beach Boys harmonies. James Milne and his crew barely spoke to the audience as they packed as many numbers as they could into their gig, but the rapport was evident, both among themselves and with the audience. As they said at the end, it's been really nice.