Iceage & Memory Foam – The Tuning Fork: June 6, 2023

Iceage was last here as part of Laneway 2015. Eight years and two (proper) albums on, they finally returned, adding Wellington to their trophy list.

Iceage is a post-punk band from Copenhagen (Denmark) The band was  formed in 2008 by friends Elias Bender Rønnenfelt (vocals, guitar) Johan Wieth (guitar), Jakob Tvilling Pless (bass), Dan Kjær Nielsen (drums) and Casper Morilla (guitar) who had been (mostly) hanging out since they were 11, and to date have a glut of albums under their belts: New Brigade (2011), You’re Nothing (2013), Plowing Into the Field of Love (2014), Beyondless (2018), and their most audacious and transformational, the ​​Peter Kember aka Sonic Boom produced Seek Shelter (2021)

Transformational in that Seek Shelter saw Iceage, adolescent-punk-nihilists (“What are you rebelling against? What have you got?” Marlon Brando in The Wild One) have done what Wire, Howard Devito and The Saints all did, and reinvented themselves as post-punk-bohemians that foresee a future. AKA a band of merry soothsayers!.

Memory Foam

Are a Tamaki Makaurau based Japanese/Māori/Aoteroa indie punk band (Think Bikini Kill meets Black Flag meets the Cars) who released their debut album ‘Steel Magnolias’ a year ago, featuring Yuko Miyoshi (Vocals), Samual Moore (Guitar), Sinisha Milkovic (Bass), Samantha Webb (Synth) and Guy Innes (Drums.

Vocalist Yuko Miyoshi is upfront, not just on the stage but in connecting with the audience “’We are Memory Foam. Let’s get started. Come to the front.” It’s a schtick repeated, but the animated voice and movements invites attention, and as an intro it grabs the audience. Memory Foam has a Ramonesish energy, a sense of urgency prevails as the band bursts through a set of rhythm and punk, like FEAR and Flipper but much more energised. Yuko Miyoshi vocals are relentless and enthralling, while the sneaky synth sound slips through almost Deep Purple-ish at times, but other times with a quirkiness that is endearing. But surfing on  a focussed and driven bed of punk rock energy, Yuko Miyoshi is theobvious star of the band.

Iceage

Last onstage, Ellas dominates instantly, in trench coat, he cuts like a Nick Cave/ian Curtis composite and enthrals with sultriness of Serge Gainsbourg, as his angst driven vocals melds with his contorting his body movements onstage and into the audience. He will be listened to, tonight he is our muse.

Iceage start off with fan favourites On My Fingers and Hurrah, Elass looking intense, looking like he doesn’t suffer fools lightly, while the rest of the band seem immovable, focussed, stoic, both songs are from earlier albums, we don’t know it yet, but Iceage are going to play a mix of old, contemporary and future songs.

There are bass pedal/lead problems, and the band switches between English and Danish fluently (to efficiently sort it), it’s a European phenomenon, somebody makes a quip, and Elass looks like he could kill. Abundant Living suffers as Elaas’s microphone disintegrates, politely asking for a new one, no tantrum, a polite switch over. Painkiller follows, it’s another song from their 2018  album Beyondless. I’m wondering if they are going to play anything from their latest album Seek Shelter (2021).

I spoke too soon. Shelter Song from Seek Shelter is introduced by harmonics, the trench coat has come off, Elaas seems to have transformed into a Jeff Buckley/Bobby Gillespie like figure. Shelter Song acts as medium for Elaas to display his own harmonic singing, it evokes  ‘Let It Bleed’ (Rolling Stones), mostly but like my favourite album, it is missing the Brian Jones riffs, though the lead guitar mirrors the vocalist endeavours.

I want more from Seek Shelter. This is the reason I’ve come to see Iceage, they don’t play ball as Thieves Like Us, a song that sees them be as quiet as Iceage can be, it’s not connecting with me. But i don’t remain disappointed for long as a brace from Seek Shelter follows momentarily, Vendetta and Holding Hand re-energize the audience, Vendetta, a powerhouse with the lyrics that confront “Every man is someone’s successor”  with Holding Hands ending in a penultimate extended crash of noise.

It dawns on me that there is a dearth of science between the songs, not banter between band and audience. It seems that their sound guy is playing gentle soundscapes between songs – very cool!

Throughout the performance, Elaas never runs out of energy, years of being onstage as the Iceage’s frontman has developed his skills. He combines mystique with enthralment. The fans at the front of the stage are attracted to the onstage theatre, and their hands and gaze are directed towards him, wanting to connect with him, a few sing his words back to him.

 A last trio of song are played: My Lords Favourite is an almost country ballad, High & Hurt another from Seek Shelter is a superb example of a band in punk rock transformation, and then a lurch back to 2014 with White Rune (from a more controversial period) it jams out in psychedelic-driven ending to end the set.

“Thank you Auckland sweet dreams” as the Sound of Music theme plays over the audience. Not quite “One more if you like” as Ecstasy ends the night in an Iceage punk rock noisefest..

Simon Coffey

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Brenna Jo Gotje

Iceage:

Memory Foam:

Iceage Setlist

On My Fingers

Hurrah

Abundant Living

Beyondless

Painkiller

Shelter Song

Thieves Like Us

Life Time

Vendetta

Holding Hand

My lords favourite

High & Hurt

White rune

Catch It

Encore – Ecstasy