Concert Review: Tribute to Lauryn Hill and the Fugees at The Ponsonby Social Club, 20 May 2021
Ponsonby’s favourite tribute band do a superlative job of laying out some of the classic sounds of celebrated Soul Hip-Hop pioneers Fugees and their band-member Lauryn Hill.
If you have caught some of their previous shows, which include tributes to The Roots, Wu-Tang Clan and Radiohead, then you’ll know they expand and improvise out on classic songs and add their own eclectic spin on proceedings.
They are seventy-five percent Yoko-Zuna. That is, Kenji Iwamitsu-Holdaway bass and lead guitars, JY Li saxophone, flute and electronics and Swap Gomez drums. Guy Harrison from Avantdale Bowling Club on keyboards.
Straight into Lost Ones and some sampled treated lyrics in the background. It’s funny how money changes the situation. The minimal bass on the original stretches out and becomes more fluid. Saxophone plays urban noir jazz lines and later comes in with a melodic solo. Keys lays out rhythm riffs. Underneath it all is still that soft Jamaican dub sound.
Fu-Gee-La keeps some of the Ska tones with the saxophone. Pretty straight-up conventional Jazz piano leads off the song from the ou-la-la-la vocal intro.
Drum’n’Bass on the bridge and the sax comes back with a harder Jazz solo.
Final Hour and both the piano and flute play peaceful, pastoral tones and work it up to great effect. Off-beat drum accents. Gets a little harder and darker as it moves into urban Jazz noir.
To Zion and Kenji steps up with the electric guitar and tears off shimmering high-tone drone riffs to wow the attentive audience. Sends out sparks which shear off like rays of glass. The flute winds in there as well. The vamp gets extended out.
Come back with Ready or Not. There is atonal piano but the drums lead the attack. The bass becomes a wall of sound whilst the drums roll and drive. The piano returns with treated sci-fi effects.
Everything is Everything is all Funkadelic with the bass leading and the piano playing guitar tones.
First guest singer Molly Johnson comes on to do a fairly straight up version of Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. The old Frankie Valli chestnut is done pretty much that way on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
Then comes Jessica Penson to give a similar faithful and soulful rendition of Killing Me Softly with His Song.
The two duet on Nothing Even Matters. Tasty medium tempo Soul with sweet melodies on the piano and a sax solo to take it out.
Close the set with bass-led rhythms riffs and a jumping version of Doo-Wop.
Another night of classic songs given a fresh and exciting revamp and taking off. The band is tight and keep it all together with musical telepathy.
They have a following and there are more tribute shows to come.
No name besides The Band yet (and that is already taken). Let’s see. The old Stax bands come to mind. MG’s, Bar-Keys, Mar-Keys. How About P-Funk, as in Ponsonby? Do a George Clinton tribute to keep him sweet.
Rev Orange Peel
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