18/08/2025

Greta O’Leary – Auckland Guide Hall: August 16, 2025 (13th Floor Concert Review)

Greta O’Leary brought her debut album, River Dark, to life at the Auckland Guide Hall this past Saturday with the help of an all-star band.

River Dark was released in May to rave reviews. The 13^th Floor’s John Bradbury wrote…”River Dark is a cohesive, brave and beautiful collection that will likely appeal to fans of Aldous Harding, Cate Le Bon, or Tiny Ruins, while charting O’Leary’s own distinctive lyrical, vocal, and musical journey.”

So what better reason to venture out on a rainy winter night in Auckland.

This being the season, the big shows have slowed down, but there is still plenty to enjoy if one makes the effort.

So, after catching The Beths with 79 other fans at Roundhead Studio the night before, Greta O’Leary in front of a similar-sized crowd just up the road in Mt. Eden seemed like the right thing to do.

And…it was.

Olivia Grace Wilding

Up first was Olivia Grace Wilding and her cello. Olivia is a member of Recitals and, according to Greta’s post, this is her first solo show since returning from music studies at Berklee, Valencia.

She seems to have learned her lessons well…the solo performance was sounding quite “classical” at the beginning, and then morphed into something I can only describe as…more challenging and more interesting…atonal, avant-garde and totally original. I’m already glad I ventured out.

Greta O’Leary

By the time Greta and band took to the stage, My friend and I were half a Pino into our BYO.

Just the right mood to take in Greta’s “spook folk”.

Led by River Dark producer Jol Mulholland on electric guitar and keys, the band included drummer Alistair Deverick (both of whom are part of the Come Together band, along with Erny Belle bassist Nava Tekela-Pole and all-rounder Amy Boroevich (aka HINA) who sang BVs and played flute, violin and keys.

The church-like atmosphere proved perfect for Greta’s Noir-ish vocals and ethereal songs.

Baby I’m A Singer led of the set, as it does the album. In fact, we heard all nine songs from River Dark along with two “new” tunes…one, The Year Of The Dog, Great played at The Tuning Fork last year, while the other, Waking, Greta claimed was “unfinished” but included as the encore.

“I been waiting to do this show for several months”, Great informed us as she launched into Year Of The Dog.

Jol wrestled with an errant guitar string preceding Sleep Alone, but otherwise things went according to plan.

Greta seems like she’s more at ease on stage since last we saw her, and her on-stage patter is more fleshed-out.

For the encore, she was joined on stage by “Adam”…I didn’t catch his last name…and he and Greta sang us out with the aforementioned unfinished song….paving the way for what

comes next.

Let’s hope there’s more new music from Greta O’Leary in the not-too-distance future.

The tour continues with a “secret” gig in Whanganui on the 22^nd and five more to follow.

Marty Duda

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Irena Ekens

Greta O’Leary: