Harper Finn – Whammy Bar: February 12, 2026 (13th Floor Concert Review)
Another night in Auckland, another gig – and on Thursday 13 February the mesmerising Harper Finn brought his rescheduled Silo Park live show to Karangahape’s Whammy Bar.
I’ve personally been lucky enough to see the opener, Jude Kelly, previously at an intimate fashion show (unfortunately missed her at last year’s Lewis Capaldi). But it was incredibly clear how she would have been able to captivate an entire arena – throughout her set her voice was carrying in a way that was almost operatic through the small space. Performing songs off her recent EP, including Clarence, she hooked in the audience with not only her vocals but her onstage vulnerability. We were even lucky enough to hear an unreleased track, If You Love Her Let Me Go. It’s undeniable that Harper chose a fantastic opener – she’s going places at meteorite speed lately.
With the audience more than sufficiently warmed up, Harper and his band burst onto the stage. That’s truly the only way to describe it – Harper has always had an electric energy performing, and nothing feels like it’s done by halves. Opening with Man or Machine, it wasn’t simply dancing he was doing on stage – he was positively grooving, stretching his energy across the stage and transplanting it onto his fans.
As it was technically a release show, we were lucky enough to hear Silo Park top to bottom, with Harper deftly switching between the roles of guitarist, pianist and vocalist throughout. Piano was featured for Love and Loneliness (the first single from Silo Park), and the wistful, contemplative Good for Me, during which the atmosphere felt extremely emotional.
But it was when he played his older, more famous tracks that everyone kicked into overdrive. Dance Away These Days was an instant hit upon release, and it was definitely the song that got people most excited, as did the closing song Conversations With The Moon.
I saw Harper a few years ago – before the Newcomer era – and it’s safe to say in every way he’s honed his craft. His vocals sounded much more compelling and controlled, his movements energetic but deliberate. And of course with a bigger catalogue, came a bigger number of attendees.
Paying homage to where he grew up, Harper mentioned how the night felt like seeing everyone he grew up with in one room, and it was a particularly moving moment. As everyone knows, NZ loves some local, homegrown talent and he’s no exception – yet another Kiwi who’s gone overseas to pursue his dream, but we stay lucky enough that he comes home to us occasionally.
Chantal Dalebroux
Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Chris Zwaagdyk:
Harper Finn:
Jude Kelly:
