May 2, 2019

Concert Review: Finn Andrews & Reb Fountain – Auckland War Memorial Museum May 1, 2019

What better way to kick off New Zealand Music Month than spending the evening with Finn Andrews and Reb Fountain?

And watching them perform at the Auckland War Museum made the evening that much more special.

The stage was set up in the museum’s main entrance with its very high ceiling and surrounding statues and artifacts adding to the ambiance.

The evening began at 7pm with Jess Bailey and Fables. The “sold out” crowd (tickets were free, but limited) watched while taking advantage of the bar and food on offer. The baked goods looked particularly enticing.

This will be Reb and Finn’s last local appearance for a while. They are heading overseas to tour Europe and this show felt like a condensed version of their Auckland Town Hall show at the end of March.

Both Reb and Finn seemed reluctant to talk much, being concerned about the amount of reverb generated by the big room, but they needn’t have worried. The music sounded great, and their banter was easily understood.

Reb started her set alone on guitar, but eventually moved to the grand piano and was joined by bassist Mike Hall. Standouts of the brief set include Gold and an intense Don’t You Know What I Am.

When Finn took the stage he was accompanied by Reb on backing vocals, Mike Hall on bass and cellist Emily Giles. Finn played acoustic guitar and piano, turning in a beautiful performance that ended with One By Venom, which he prefaced by introducing Alex Gander, the director of the striking new video for the song. Also in the audience was Finn’s grandmother, enjoying her first concert by her grandson.

Although the show was sold out, there was plenty of room to move around, and one could even go up to the second level to get a bird’s eye view of the show. A classy experience all around.

Marty Duda

Here’s a look at Finn Andrews’ new video clip for One By Venom: