Conan Gray – Spark Arena: November 13, 2022

Conan Gray has the air of a Michael Jackson Pop King about him as he performed to a highly excited audience of Millennials, capping a weekend of great music in Auckland with style and charm.

Gray was born in California and raised in Texas. He has a European father of mostly Irish stock, and a Japanese mother. He lived for two years in Hiroshima when his grandad was sick. Dad’s a military man, which meant continual moving. That’s enough material for another James Ellroy classic novel.

Gray addresses his difficult upbringing pointedly on stage. It seems like his large fanbase knows it too.

Family Line is an outstanding song addressing this, from his recent album Superache of which this tour is promoting.

My father never talked a lot/ ‘Til all his anger took a hold of him/ And then he’d hit/ My mother never cried a lot/ She took the punches, but she never fought.

Performed with passion and the song is delivered with huge drum bursts standing in for the physical hits. I’m so good at telling lies.

A world of triumph over adversity there in one great pop song. Which is what defines great art.

Gray started putting out music on social media when he was fifteen. He is barely 23 now.

His voice is distinctive. An androgynous boy-band tenor which hits smoothly in the upper register and melds seamlessly into falsetto. He absorbs some of the Smokey Robinson style in the way MJ did after his voice broke.

He has Jackson’s overtly friendly and intimate style of stage banter, with a definite European Asian intonation. Slim with bushy black hair. Fluid athletic grace on stage without busting out too many dance moves. He’s as handsome as Marc Bolan at his peak. Maybe that’s where Jackson was aiming for with his obsessive plastic surgery.

He looks and sounds great. He has talked at length about how much of an influence Taylor Swift has had on his whole persona. His level of songwriting is a fair match for hers. He will speak equally to the light and to the dark. The music elevates it all into pop grandeur.

There’s A Tuesday

An up-and-coming indie pop band from Auckland who have graduated to the big stage. I last saw them at the Tuning Fork venue, stuck out at the far end of the Spark Arena.

Two young women, Nat Hutton and Minnie Robberds front the band on guitars and vocals. The rhythm section is taken care of by Gus Murray drums and Joel Becker bass.

They are surfing in behind the Beth’s as a talented indie pop or power pop act. They have connections to Benee; on whose new label they appear.

An increased sonic presence tonight with some heavy percussion thunder for the big arena. The first two songs have the engine room drums and bass coming over the top and the guitars sounding a little muted.

The hooks are there. The vocals are down in the mix.

Baby Blue slows down the rhythm and is minimal in arrangement. Allows their unison voices to come to the fore and shine. Becomes louder and faster after the bridge.

One with lyrics… It was never gonna happen/ I don’t wanna leave the city. They combine higher and lower tone vocals like a seasoned country duo. Works well as an answer to Jam’s In the City. 

That Eighties new wave pop sound is what makes Amsterdam one of their current best. Nice ringing guitars. Check out the similarities to Elvis Costello’s song New Amsterdam.

 Conan Gray

Most of Superache is covered. The show starts with some big drum thunder heralding Disaster.

Astronomy and Gray sits on a stool with an acoustic guitar to sing a quieter one about social classes. It’s astronomy/ We’re two worlds apart.

Jigsaw has some western guitar twang to give it an eerie Twin Peaks atmosphere. Sinister in intent. The jigsaw is… killing parts of myself to fit you/ Clear as shit I was not the issue.

Lyrics can slice smoothly to reach the heart of the matter, whilst retaining quite a bit of black humour.

The Story throws up some of The Smiths’ sympathy in style and sentiment. Played gently on an acoustic guitar. Vignettes about missing your important connections.

Heather aims for the sentimental observation of a Ray Davies song and succeeds. But you like her better/ Wish I were Heather/ But how could I hate her? / She’s such an angel.

Gray emphasises that most of his songs are about depressing themes. Wrapped in minimalist indie pop music. A four piece of drums, bass, electric guitar and keyboards eschew any grand-standing solos. The tempos are generally swinging and dance oriented.

Overdrive had disco rhythms and good heavy body shots thudding into you. Telepath is a smooth dance groove indeed. At these times his stage moves mimic Michael J.

Conan Gray delivers a smooth, practiced show. It is great, passionate pop music and it is timed to perfection. Like his idols before him. He tells us he loves Piha beach, and he wants to come back. If just for that.

Rev Orange Peel

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

Conan Gray:

There’s A Tuesday: