June 23, 2021

Concert Review: Rock Lottery at Whammy 19 June 2021

Rock Lottery. Gather 25 or more musicians from some of the best bands around the country. Then 5 drummers step up. Each draw four names out of the pool. That will be the Pop-Up band for the day. Come up with three new songs. One cover to round it off. Present them at one of Auckland’s most beloved underground hang-outs and you have the inaugural Rock Lottery.

Organiser is Fen Ikner, who has done the same thing in Tucson Arizona. To such a success that it is an annual event there.

A musical gumbo of different styles and genres. With the added restriction on time and you have a nice pressure cooker full of ingredients. We are intrigued and expectant as to what will come out.

10,000 Bass Players

First up, and Elizabeth Stokes (The Beths) is bragging just before they start the evening off. I think we are the winners!

Opening song possibly called No Variation and they’re using a drum machine. Pop tones with distinctive shimmering glassy high guitar sounds. Gareth Thomas (Goodshirt) sings in a striking, naïve child-like voice. Nice swing and a detached Velvet Underground- style Pop tune.

They do set the bar high for the rest to match.

Please Don’t and electronic bongo beats. A Suicide ominous drone from which more elements are added to end up Eighties Electronic Dance.

Ballad is floating Dream Pop, all played on gadgets except for the bass of Daniel Ward. Twangy and the smooth bending of sounds that conjures up the Twin Peaks atmospherics.

They ditch the cover and do a fourth original, No Parade. Liz sings kick you when you’re down behind some nice electro beats and percussion. It could be a Beth’s song.

Bad Nanny

They get the name from Abigail Knudson (Missy) who is dressed like one. Also on stage are Jonathan Pearce (Beths) and JY Li (Yoko-Zuna).

Psychosomatic Drama. The process whereby you come up with these sounds under time pressure? Knudson’s voice rises above the band with her trademark high but pure-tone singing so reminiscent of Kate Bush. Quirky and English. Becomes dramatic and a bit theatrical to finish.

Sweet As? Starts drum’n’bass with the guitars firing off wide-screen riffs. Gets a bit messy and collapses.

Parasite opens with some Hard Disco rhythm, and then a quite stunning vocal take. Stevie Wonder style keyboards and Funk waves emanate. Matched by some Funkadelic guitar flash.

They do their best to steal the evening by going headlong into Britney Spear’s Toxic. Great, quirky and infectious.

By now the standard of music going down this evening is astonishing. I get a sense that this came about more from fun and camaraderie than from artistic perfectionism. Or maybe not. A lot of tears and hard work goes into the best simple-sounding Pop Art.

Stinging Rogers

This bunch really does have fun on-stage. Managed to identify them all. Chelsea Prastiti (Skilaa), Stef Brown (Lips), Will Saunders guitar, Fiona Campbell (Guardian Singles) and Sean Martin-Buss bass.

First one is called Trinkets. The Pop Punk sound of the B52’s. A male voice sounds like Fred Schneider. Powerful drums and a simple rhythm and the chords are cribbed off Stepping Stone.

I’ve got a shirt with Cher on it. That’s Stef and same Pop workout as above. At the end Chelsea fires off a bit of do you believe in love.

It’s hard to be heard but music helps. Or heals. Nice twangy guitar. Vocal style of Jonathan Richman or Lou Reed. Same thing.

It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock’n’Roll). They’ve all been swapping instruments around and they have a real blast on this AC-DC classic.

This song may best embody the spirit of Rock Lottery. One of Angus Young’s best quotes. Every few years we get together in the studio and put out exactly the same album.

Lunch Mum.

On stage its Leea Lamatoa, Callum Lincoln (Ripship), Stephen bass, Eddie voice and guitar and Daniel drums.

Construction Sites is Power Pop with the keyboard playing popcorn notes. Walk around Auckland for some air and inspiration and what do you see? The two singers harmonise nicely with a bit of Girl Group sound.

Everythings gonna be …Alright. Pretty harmony singing starts. Dissonant feed-back guitar, a strange bit of wailing and everything wells up and boils over like the Jesus and Mary Chain.

They are fans of Taylor Swift the Punk. That’s what people say/ In my mind it’s gonna be alright/ Baby, shake it off! Nice Power Pop.

Stress Free Rage Kings

Four words to describe the process. Jasmine Bulmer (Being), Swap Gomez (Yoko-Zuna), Sam Denne (Babyteeth) and Shane W on guitar.

First tune. Meshed guitars and an upbeat Power Pop tune, with Jasmine singing. Gomez stands out here and for their whole set with snappy drum accents and fast fills. The Hal Blaine of the evening. Think of the sound of the infamous Wrecking Crew.

Don’t know what to say when I see you this way. A ballad and has the tone of naïve Jonathan Richman.

There is a cellist on stage who I can’t identify tonight, but she adds the introductory tones of Walk on the Wild Side to the closing number. A slow reverie with a soft melodic vocal. They take it out towards the Drone Pop territory of the later Velvets without John Cale.

For the inaugural Auckland Rock Lottery, I was very impressed by the high standards of songs which were presented. A number of surprises throughout the night. Despite what pressures or stress may have been in the build-up to produce all these wonderful sounds, the musicians all looked like they were enjoying themselves on stage.

The tension and the release! The dynamics of many a great song.