Ace Frehley – The Studio
Former Kiss axeman Ace Frehley offered up a set of somewhat generic, mildly entertaining, but ultimately unlistenable hard rock to The Studio in Auckland. To be fair, it wasn’t necessarily Ace’s fault that his music was unlistenable… that charge should be levelled directly at the sound man. Don’t get me wrong, I love a loud […]
Napalm Death and Carcass 23 April 2015
Unless you have been living under a rock somewhere you are likely aware last night was the final show of the Deathcrusher NZ tour, and I have no need of my (blood and booze stained) notebook to declare it gig of the fucking year. The Kings Arms was more packed than I have seen it […]
Sam Smith – Vector Arena April 22, 2015
Despite only releasing one album, albeit one with five singles, 22-year-old Sam Smith played the first of two shows at Auckland’s Vector Arena. Unfortunately the need to accommodate so many fans here trumped his musical needs resulting in his intimate, soulful songs being lost in the big room. But I was possibly the only one […]
Jimmie Dale Gilmore – The Tuning Fork April 20, 2015
Anyone who has spent any amount of time taking in the parade of artists that have played at the Tuning Fork over the past year or so might easily think that literally everyone and his brother who was born and raised in the American South can sing, write songs and pick a guitar. The latest […]
Jakob – The Kings Arms
The role of the artist is a question posed by artist and audience alike, in an attempt to seek the purpose behind creativity and its cultural celebration. Ambiguous in nature, it can be difficult to underpin the exact purpose of the artist in an oversaturated market of “art” for entertainment value- a shallow reading of […]
Soak – Golden Dawn (Concert Review)
18-year-old Irish up-and-comer Soak played a short but spellbinding set at Auckland’s Golden Dawn. And in a little over half an hour she indeed proved to be an artist to keep an eye on. Soak is the stage name for Bridie Monds-Watson, the teenager from Derry who has garnered attention from the likes of the […]
SJD & Voom – The Tuning Fork
Vector Arena’s little sister venue The Tuning Fork may look like a Coffee Club franchise from the outside, but once you’re in the front door the heavy red velvet curtains, scent of whiskey and kitschy sign behind the bar give off a vastly different vibe. Tonight the lit-up sign reads SJD, because Sean James Donnelly […]
Ricky Martin – Vector Arena
Get ready to shake your bon-bon, as Ricky Marty opens his One World tour in New Zealand, with the premiere at Auckland’s Vector Arena. First off, I must admit I can hardly be called a Ricky Martin fan…I can probably name two of his songs and I’ve never seen X Factor, so whatever shenanigans took […]
Mel Parsons – Tuning Fork
Mel Parsons kicked off her 22-date New Zealand tour with a show at Auckland’s Tuning Fork. Parsons has just released her third album, Drylands, and most of the musicians responsible for creating that record were on stage with her.
Counting Crows – Civic Theatre
Two years ago the Counting Crows were forced to cancel shows in Wellington and Auckland at the very last minute due to lead singer Adam Duritz’s health. Fans who turned up to see them in Wellington were particularly peeved as they were notified of the cancellation just minutes before the show was to start. But […]
Paul Kelly presents The Merri Soul Sessions – Powerstation April 12, 2015
Paul Kelly brought his troupe of singers and players across the Tasman to light up the night in Auckland with soulful versions of his own tunes along with a few older classics thrown in for good measure. Paul Kelly’s Merri Soul Sessions is the album Paul Kelly recorded and released last year that finds the […]
Ed Sheeran – Vector Arena April 11, 2015
There was plenty of love in the house as English heartthrob Ed Sheeran drew screams of delight from the first of two sold-out crowds at Auckland’s Vector Arena. The floor was jammed with mostly young girls, some of whom had to be carried away by security guards due to the overwhelming thrill of being so […]
Tami Neilson – Tuning Fork April 10, 2015
Tami Neilson headlined an evening of music at Auckland’s Tuning Fork that included a parade of some of New Zealand’s finest songwriters, instrumentalists and vocalists. The evening began with Will Wood, accompanied by the seemingly omnipresent Dave Khan and the multi-talented Reb Fountain. Any one of these three artists is capable of carrying an audience […]
Jurassic 5 – Powerstation April 9, 2015
As the lyric goes in Concrete Playground, “Just that classic rap shit from Jurassic.” And boy did they kill it with their vocalism, with the four MC’s – Chali 2na, Akil, Soup and Marc 7 – serving up a lyrical storm along with some entertaining help from DJ’s Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark. After calling time […]
David Gray – ASB Theatre April 9, 2015
It may not have been the funkiest show to come through Auckland recently, or the most rocking, but I’d have to say that David Gray’s performance at the ASB Theatre was certainly one of the most beautiful. The lights came down at the ASB at 8:53 and David Gray took the stage along with his […]
George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic – Powerstation
With over a dozen funksters sharing the stage with him, George Clinton showed the fans at Auckland’s Powerstation exactly how to Tear The Roof Off The Sucker. I saw George and his P=Funk Allstars a few years ago at the Powerstsation, and while I had a good time, I seem to remember that Clinton himself […]
Paolo Nutini – Powerstation
Paolo Nutini is on a roll. The Scottish singer with the Italian name has been picking up momentum ever since the release of his first album, nine years ago. Now that momentum has brought him to Auckland where he is playing two sold-out shows at The Powerstation. The first of those two shows took place […]
Dave & Phil Alvin – The Tuning Fork
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Thirty-three years ago Billy Idol was tearing up the pop charts and taking over MTV while Dave and Phil Alvin were fronting The Blasters, playing unfashionable roots music to relatively tiny crowds. Fast-forward to 2015, a there was Billy Idol, rebel-yelling his way through a […]
Billy Idol & Cheap Trick – Vector Arena
1980’s hit maker Billy Idol rocked a near-capacity crowd at Auckland’s Vector Arena with more than a little help from American power poppers Cheap Trick. First of all, apologies to fans of Aussie rockers The Angels, much as I tried, I was unable to get to the Vector in time to see their set, although […]
Gary Clark Jr – Powerstation
Last time Gary Clark Jr played in Auckland he had about 25 minutes to get his message across. This time around, he took almost two hours to tell his story. That story is one that is based solidly in the blues. Out of the past seven days, I’ve spent six of them at The Powerstation. […]