Gillian & Dave. For many, this was the show they waited 12 years for. That’s how long it’s been since Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings performed in New Zealand. The vibe outside the Civic was similar to when Nick Cave performed his solo shows there a couple of years ago. Sure, the music was different, […]
Lou Barlow has been a fairly regular visitor to our shores over the past few years, as a member of Dinosaur Jr and Sebadoh, and as a solo performer. This overfamiliarity may explain the somewhat sparse crowd that turned out on a Saturday night at Auckland’s Kings Arms, which is a shame because Barlow […]
It seems January gigs at The Kings Arms hold a special kind of charm. Often the venue is hot, sweaty and jam-packed with fans anxious to start the new year off in a rock and roll frenzy. On this particular evening the weather wasn’t so hot, the room not so packed, but the band was […]
With a handful of solo shows in the cards for the rest of the country, Kurt Vile treated his Auckland fans to a show featuring his band, The Violators. Not surprisingly Kurt was at his best when he locked in with his three bandmates and cranked up the volume. As I entered the St […]
Here we go…the first concert review of 2016! Texas retro-soul man Leon Bridges made his NZ performing debut on this Saturday night at Auckland’s St James Theatre. The 26-year-old has gotten rave reviews for his album, Coming Home, but can he keep a live audience entertained? The answer is “no” and then, “yes”. Bridges […]
Reviewing concerts has become our bread and butter here at The 13th Floor. Personally, I went to over 100 shows ranging from tiny local gigs by the likes of The Cavemen and Holly Arrowsmith up to stadium fillers like Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles. For me, a live show is the ultimate way to experience […]
San Francisco-based singer-songwriter Jessica Pratt cast her spell over Auckland’s Tuning Fork, just 11 months after she did the same at the Golden Dawn. In the interim she has released a new album and picked up an additional guitarist.
The last time I saw AC/DC it was 1978. They were playing in upstate New York, opening for Blue Oyster Cult, on their journey to the long way to the top. 37 years later, and a lot has changed both within and outside the band, but one thing remains constant, Angus Young’s connection to […]
Ruban Nielson and his bandmates took their fans on a fanciful musical journey that took quite a few unexpected detours as Unknown Mortal Orchestra played to a sold-out crowd at Auckland’s St James Theatre. There was a good energy in the old St James tonight, perhaps left over from the previous evening’s Save The St […]
The music did the talking last night at the Kings Arms as Mono played a blinding set proving that you don’t need a vocalist to tell a story when it comes to music. Before the Japanese quartet took the stage, a couple of Auckland’s finest got things started. Unfortunately I missed Greenfog’s set, but arrived […]
