Concert Review: Dan Sperber, Wine Cellar 30 July 2020

Dan Sperber and his band, with special guest Caitlin Smith, deliver an outstanding show at the Wine Cellar this evening. Launching Think on Your Feet, an album of pain and heartbreak and possibly redemption. Quietly locked down for 2 years before finally finding its right moment.

To open it is Mixed Vege aka Rod Fisher. Originally playing in an indie-Pop band called Goodshirt, he has been performing for twenty years plus. On stage with an electric guitar and numerous gadgets and devices. He has a recently released EP, Two Minute Noodles, and we hear a few of these.

Won’t Get Far is minimalist new wave with a Young Marble Giants drum machine and simple rhythm guitar progression. Similar fashion is Out of Control, closer to a straight-ahead pop tune. The rhythm guitar ramped up a little, with spooky paranormal sound effects to finish.

Take Take Take sounds a little like Sixties Texas garage rock and a twanging guitar. Ends the brief but bright set with a quiet folk-pop number.

Caitlin Smith is the very special guest singer with Dan Sperber tonight, but gets to do her own set first. Just one of the finest singers you will hear in this country or anywhere. Jazz full of Soul, a terrific song stylist and interpreter. A dynamic range and I am in no position to try and describe her voice any further.

Always on stage in spectacular outfits it’s green glitter and hot pants tonight.  

The theme tonight is heartbreak and healing and it starts here. 18 Stitches and The Truth About Us are her own songs, as are all the rest tonight. Both start in sombre mood, songs about damaged people and Exes. The voice carries you along and reaches peaks. Choosing to play a loud keyboard tonight which she then rides above it.

Make Love to It has a Soul Jazz vocal with a slight Gospel feel. Ollie Holland has joined on stage to play acoustic bass and adds some Funk rhythm. It moves and grooves, a great version.

More of the band come on board for the final song, described as a slow Funk. Great Soul vocal, Jazz licks from the guitar. Drums played with brushes supply the Funk.

Dan Sperber is possibly making his debut publicly tonight as a singer. Well-known as an ace guitarist and Jazz. Previous projects Spammerz and Relax-o-matic.

The band which excels tonight is Neil Watson on pedal steel and electric guitar, Olivier Holland on double bass and Cam McCurdy on drums.

Sweet Lightning starts with a great melodic alt-country guitar, the pedal steel coming in sweet and comforting, a sensual country song. Kiss me ‘til I’m deaf, dumb and blind.

May Not Be Enough has a simple rhythm opening until the pedal steel comes in with a shimmering melody. A Funk bass part and the song cooks. Pedal steel takes it out at the end with some disco jazz.

Caitlin comes back on stage with Nothing Hurts Like Heartbreak. The guitar intro sounds like a soft Beast of Burden. The vocals are super-charged with the electricity of Soul. The bass stands out. What was a quiet burner on video becomes a lost George Jones cult classic. Country Soul.

First the Rain is sombre and dripping with heartache and pain. Rain and Hail.

Love can turn a rainbow to dust. This lyric may be the title? Super guitar break from Dan. Gospel soul from Caitlin, and as she sings on a high note, this is caught perfectly by the pedal steel and blends together. A bit of magic.

Double Tracked glides along, a train song. Country jazz from guitar and pedal steel, fluid double bass. West Auckland name-checked.

I Knew That I Knew, classic country song title. (I Forgot to Remember to Forget). The bass player stands out here as he carries the singer in his pain and the pedal steel plays pretty.

The bell lap and more sorrow. Too much or not enough? Sometimes you’ve been down so long that it looks like up.  Great vocals from both singers, then Caitlin powers it up a notch. The guitar break is superb country jazz, the bass carries the pain again. Ben McNichol has joined the stage and echoes the guitar part on tenor sax. This whole tune sounding like Van Morrison’s great Seventies band. The guitar descends from heaven and brings it all back home to finish.

Huia Rd is the actual closer, a great instrumental workout.

An outstanding set tonight and it felt like the warmth went through the audience. Love In Vain. The album begins on the train. The Red light, the Blue light. If you’re in misery it will lift you, if you’re good it will transport you.

Rev Orange Peel