Concert Review: Aaron Tokona Tribute Buzz, Whammy Bar, 7 August 2020

The Buzz was out in full force in sonic overdrive with pyrotechnic guitars, rhythmic thunder and soulful heartfelt vocals as musical friends and collaborators of the late and supremely talented Aaron Tokona kick off a series of tribute shows in Auckland’s sold-out Whammy Bar this Friday night.

Wild, fruity, flamboyant, extravagant but most importantly, a musician of great depth and vision. This celebration of his legacy was charged with that energy and spirit.

The Skinny Hobos – Alex Ferrier and Sam Holdem open the evening. A guitar and drum Progressive rock duo, they are not too far away from Cairo Knife Fight, where Tokona served for several years as a band member.

The first song begins with rapid drum fills and the guitar rolling in with oceanic droning waves. Vocals match this with a monotone tenor. The momentum gathers and builds with riffs appearing out of the maelstrom. This could be from Husker Du’s Zen Arcade.

Second song and a bass guitarist is added on stage. A Devo-style jerking rhythm with a heavy bass bottom. Simple rhythm riffs until the guitarist rises and sends out sheets of nerve stimulating electricity.

There are a lot of gadgets and guitar pedals in use. Third song has feedback, from which a slow moody sound emerges. Moody to howling and seems to be coming from Finnish black metal. Fjords and ice.

A song off the Colossus LP from Cairo Knife Fight. Speed metal guitar with more Husker Du riffs. Drums sounding like incoming incendiary artillery.

Second band sets up, led by Jason Kerrison of Opshop. They perform about half of the Weta Geographica album. Tokona left the group soon after this debut album was released. It reached platinum sales figures.

Let It Go is waves of guitar again with wails and squalls. Melodic soul vocals insert themselves around the elemental noise.

If I Will I Can is a great song title. Suggests the alchemy and magical power of music and where inspiration comes from. Electronic beeps and bird sounds from the keyboards to begin, then the music builds into a psychedelic electric sound matched with great vocals. Not too far from the Sixties Rock/Psychedelic outfit 13^th Floor Elevators.  

Geographica has an acoustic guitar beginning and is a stand-out Soul Pop song. An inspirational electric guitar mantra soon comes in.

It’s time to make a change/ Time to give it up again/ How can you find a way?

Conversations is Seventies Soul with stand-out vocals.

Got the Ju closes the set with a soft a capella vocal opening as the audience are taught the chorus. Then we are off again with a Husker Du guitar drone and metal riffs as the energy winds us all up.

Jimi Kara leads the band for the third set. Formerly Kara Gordon. A great powerhouse of a guitarist and one I immediately recognised from a Fly My Pretties set I caught in passing. This band performs most of the Ahoribuzz album Into the Sunshine, Tokona’s last musical project.

They start with a loose jam, then the Bo Diddley beat appears and pulls things together. The jam progresses to Glitter in the Gutter and funk grooves come loping in. Some Soul Jazz vocals.

Sugar has Kara singing with a great Soul voice. Turnaround is Soul Funk with a Parliament rhythmic feel as the keyboard adds electronic texture and the guitar fires off blasts of shredding.

Azatron is an original tonight, and sounds like a disciplined James Brown Rock and Funk workout, as he practised in Nineties. With the influence of Rap and Hip-Hop it is fast and rhythmic.

And then we go straight into Jimi Hendrix’s Little Wing. Name change is justified as Kara takes this classic, sings it beautifully and then takes the guitar into orbit and out into space and back again.

Providence is good hard Funk. Matched with great Soul Disco vocals from a female singer I failed to catch the name of. Tough like Chic, and then moves into some Rap toasting. Guitars put in some chicken-scratch riffs mixed with psychedelic Hendrix shredding.

The finale pulls in more musicians for the title track, Into the Sunshine. A great Soul ballad with a bit of a Funk motor, an uplifting song about the power of love.

If I could change anything/ Maybe I’ll start with thee/ We can all go to war/ The weather might change tomorrow.

This is exactly the time we are in. On climbing out of the Wine Cellar cavern, I reflected that this was a perfect tribute to a phenomenally gifted New Zealand artist.

Rev Orange Peel

Click any image to view a full-size gallery thanks to Muzic.net.nz and Morgan Creative.