Concert Review: Baynk – Powerstation July 10, 2019

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It was a homecoming, of sorts, for Baynk, the Kiwi producer/songwriter who got his start performing at the Laneway Festival just a few years ago.

Now, with festival appearances booked at Coachella and Lollapalooza, Baynk returned to New Zealand for a show at Auckland’s Powerstation.

Even though it was a wintry Wednesday night, the fans were out in force to show their support, and Baynk delivered the goods.

Armed with a couple of keyboards, full of samples, a microphone and a clutch of songs from  various single and Eps he’s released over the past few years,  Baynk (aka Jock Nowell-Usticke) kept the crowd on their feet and moving throughout his hour plus long set.

Dressed in an all-white jump suit, with his shoulder-length hair hanging over his face, Baynk got the party started with Water, the leadoff track from his latest EP, Someone’s, followed quickly by crowd-pleaser Poolside, from 2017.

A cheer went up as Baynk reached for his alto sax and wailed over the electronic beats.

The first half of the show focussed on tunes from Someone’s, with brief forays into samples from the likes of KC & The Sunshine Band.

As the show progressed there seemed to be a tension developing between the artist and the crowd and the material.

The audience could be heard chattering away during the more “intimate” portions of songs such as Settle and Off Limits, but then they would be back on board as soon as that dance beat kicked in.

For his part, Baynk did a neat job of presenting his more sensitive love songs, but still allowing the audience to whoop it up.

Finally, after Be In Love, Baynk seemed to give in to the urge to party, serving up a mashup beginning with Outkast’s Miss Jackson that segued into Brockhampton’s Stains and All Night by Chance The Rapper.

“If you know the words, sing along”, he urged the crowd as he moved back to his own music, namely Find You, from 2016’s Someone’s EP.

They did and they show hit its beats to the end, landing on About Me, Cashmere’s 9 (After Coachella) and What You Need along the way.

Though he’s only been performing for a few years, Banyk has managed to find that sweet spot that manages to keep things interesting musically, while still making the crowd happy.

At the end, they were demanding an encore… another lesson well learned, keep them wanting more.

Marty Duda

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Marty Duda
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