Charles Bradley & The Extraordinaires – Powerstation
Soul veteran Charles Bradley, the “Screaming Eagle Of Soul”, spread his wings around a small but enthusiastic crowd at Auckland’s Powerstation and filled the venue with love and happiness. The 66-year old performer emerged on the Powerstation stage, resplendent in a black-sequined jump suit shortly before 10pm, but not before his ace band, The Extraordinaires […]
Pokey LaFarge – Tuning Fork
A Pokey LaFarge show is a 78-RPM record brought to life, a string of wildly, infectiously, exuberantly catchy songs performed by a band of talented musicians led by a man who could so very easily be a cartoon, a caricature, but who manages to be one of the most authentic performers I’ve heard in some […]
Greg Johnson – Q Theatre
Greg Johnson introduced the Cocktail Club by saying: “If you can remember anything about the original Cocktail Club – you weren’t there.” The banter, the intimate venue, special guests and yes, cocktails, make for a performance that is unforgettable. Joining Johnson on stage was Lisa Crawley on keys, recorder and melodica, and Ted Brown on […]
Mastodon – Powerstation
Atlanta metal monsters Mastodon came raging into town last night, filling Auckland’s Powerstation with huge slabs of sludgy guitar riffs and howling vocals. Few things equal the anticipation felt just before a metal gig. The Powerstation was filled with black-T-shirted punters ready to have their senses assaulted by the four musicians known as Mastodon. The […]
Kele – Kings Arms March 21, 2015
Bloc Party front man Kele Okereke took the solo route to Auckland’s Kings Arms on Saturday night. When he finally showed up, it was with a lap top, and not a guitar in sight. Two years ago, Kele was leading his band through a raging set in front of a sold out audience at the […]
Brodsky Quartet – Auckland Town Hall March 19, 2015
Looking to foray into modern classical? Your search is over. Or perhaps your search has just begun. Welcome to Bela Bartok. And moreover, welcome to The Brodsky Quartet playing Bartok. The string to your bow is that it’s also the outstanding String Quartet No. 5. So settle back into the acoustically appropriate but rather makeshift […]
Jordie Lane – Tuning Fork
When two voices meld together something magical happens. And there was plenty of magic on this Thursday night at Auckland’s Tuning Fork as Australians Jordie Lane and Clare Reynolds harmonized their way into the hearts of the small, but enthusiastic crowd. Nadia Reid got things underway and turned in a stellar set of her own. […]
Cedar Lake – Civic Theatre Auckland Arts Festival 2015
A lone dancer walks across the barren stage, lit only by a single row of fluorescent lights. His figure contorts in movements reminiscent of man’s primal origins- basic, hunched and grounded. Silence is his music, confronting the audience with pure movement and the screaming of emotions through his body alone. This opening dance from the […]
WOMAD 2015 Day 2 (Photo Gallery)
Saturday was another day filled with colour and music in New Plymouth as WOMAD 2015 continued. 13th Floor photographer Michael Flynn was on the job and has delivered more fantastic images
The Eagles – Mt Smart Stadium
The Southern California hit-makers brought their History Of The Eagles documentary to life last night, presenting the sold-out audience at Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium with Don Henley’s and Glenn Frey’s version of the band’s legacy, while playing just about every Eagles song you could think of, and then some. But before we get to the […]
The Gloaming – Auckland Town Hall
In spite of my surname I haven’t often listened to traditional Irish folk music and I have never coveted it in my personal music collection. It’s a genre I associated with another world, an old world, far removed from my own. My experience last night at the Auckland Town Hall with The Gloaming has changed […]
Sharon Van Etten The Kings Arms
Earlier in the evening she brought TV3’s John Campbell to tears and later on Brooklyn’s Sharon Van Etten managed to keep a full house at Auckland’s Kings Arms quiet and attentive for 90 minutes as she performed her deeply intimate songs. Van Etten’s surprise appearance on Campbell Live reduced the host to tears. Apparently JC […]
Check Out These Stephen Malkmus Concert Photos
Former Pavement front man Stephen Malkmus brought his current band, The Jicks, to The Studio in Auckland last night. We’ll have a review up shortly, but in the meantime,13th Floor photographer Michael Jeong was on the scene and captured these images. Click here to view the Stephen Malkmus photo gallery. Save
Ezza Rose Band – Wine Cellar
It was a dark and stormy night, but that didn’t stop the small but engaged crowd turning up to enjoy the Ezza Rose Band at the Wine Cellar. All the way from Portland, Oregon, and fresh from a tour of Alaska, the eponymous Ezza Rose and the rest of the band is tight, evidence of […]
Shovels & Rope – Tuning Fork 11 March 2015
The stage at Auckland’s Tuning Fork was oozing with down-home South Carolina charm as Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent, the married couple who perform as Shovels & Rope, harmonized their way through a set of rootsy songs that held the crowd spellbound. The first thing you notice about Shovels & Rope when they hit […]
Jesus Jones – Kings Arms, 10 March 2015
25 years after recording their hit album, Doubt, English rockers Jesus Jones brought it to life at Auckland’s Kings Arms, playing an expanded and updated version of the classic album, then topping the night off with a few more choice tunes. 24 hours previously the Kings Arms was packed to the rafters with young hipsters […]
Parquet Courts – Kings Arms March 9, 2015
It may have been Monday night, but the atmosphere at Auckland’s Kings Arms felt like a rowdy Saturday night as Brooklyn indie darlings Parquet Courts headlined a bill that featured four bands including the late addition of The Courtneys. “Sold out, bro”, announced the handwritten sign on the door of the venerable rock and roll […]
Mogwai – Powerstation
Sitting down to write this, mind freshly blown by an incredible show, is a bit of a challenge. What we just witnessed was ninety minutes of pure wonder, beauty and sound. Seeing Mogwai play the Powerstation is an event in itself. Seeing them after a 16 year gap since their last visit is another thing […]
Jason Webley – Tuning Fork – 7 March 2015
Armed with an acoustic guitar and an accordion, American musician Jason Webley entertained the folks at Auckland’s Tuning Fork with tales of tragic lives, demi-gods and pet giraffes. Some folks may know Jason Webley from his collaborate with Amanda Palmer…the two of them have performed and recorded together as Evelyn Evelyn and Webley was last […]
The Pop Group – The Kings Arms
Post-punk pioneers The Pop Group finally made their way to New Zealand almost 40 years after forming in Bristol. The band proved that their abrasive, confrontational and political brand of punk is as vital today as it was back in the days of Margaret Thatcher’s England. With the strains of Doctor Zhivago’s Lara’s Theme floating […]