Kae Tempest Powerstation February 24, 2023

Kae Tempest brought us shelter from the storm, despite their name, as fans convened at The Powerstation for poetry, beats and tears.

The 37-year-old poet/rapper/songwriter/author/performer returned to Auckland (Kae was last here in 2016 as Kate Tempest) and brought a ray of light to this dark and stormy night.

Ah yes, summer in New Zealand!

Polly Hill

First up is Polly Hill, a home-grown rapper with plenty to say.  Her 30-minute set got the arriving crowd’s attention thanks to her attitude, her beats and her flow. A standout was Pulling Teeth…I’m the greatest catch since 22…her single from about a year ago.

Polly is one to watch.

Kae Tempest

By the time Kae and accompanist Hinako Omori  (keys, beats/vocals), the Powerstation was about ¾ full and that’s where is stayed. Granted, the weather outside was lousy, but the place should a have been packed.

No matter, Kae was obviously stoked to be here spending about 5-10 minutes talking to the audience before beginning the show, thanking us for making the effort to be there and welcoming one and all.

“I’m gonna play pretty much the entirety of my most recent record, The Line Is A Curve, songs from the old records and then three brand new songs’.

Why was Kae telling us this?

To put everyone at ease, and to let us know there would be no between-song banter.

“”I’m not going to talk to you in between the songs, because I just want to dig in”.

And ‘dig in’ they did.

After a poem titled Simple Things…with the line ‘there was always the rain’ connecting with all present…Kae and Hinako played The Line Is A Curve in its entirety save for Don’t You Ever.

The words poured out of Kae’s mouth and I couldn’t help but be impressed that they could remember all those lyrics. But those thoughts soon gave way to what Kae was actually trying to say (fortunately the sound was impeccable and every word was audible).

So what was Kae’s message?

Overall, it seems to be one of hope and community.

“Keep going and it will get better” we heard during Salt Coast.

“I can feel things changing!’ they declared during People’s Faces.

And that feeling permeated through the 90-minute set.

“I used to make plans, now I make decisions”, they spit out during No Prizes, with Hinako filling in on vocals that were originally sung by Lianne La Havas.

Musically, the sounds are a mix of hip-hop, jazzy, rock and soul. I definitely felt a bit of a Patti Smith vibe during Firesmoke and the epic version of Holy Elixir that followed was down-right psychedelic.

Finally, after People’s Faces, Kae spoke to us once more telling us, “I can do this because you believe in the value of my ideas”.

We then were treated to three new songs…Love Harder, Thinking Clearly and Nice Idea…the latter having just been released a few days ago.

Then, after giving accolades to Hinako Omori…who also makes her own music…Kae closed the evening with another poem…Hold Your Own, from 2019’s The Book Of Traps and Lessons, leaving us with these words to ponder:

They take us all for idiots, but that’s their problem.

When we behave like idiots, it becomes our problem.

So hold your own.

Post show, I spoke to a number of folks who were visibly moved, some to tears, after hearing and seeing Kae Tempest tonight. This was no tempest in a teapot.

Marty Duda

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Chris Zwaagdyk:

Kae Tempest:

Polly Hill:

Kae Tempest setlist:

1. Simple Things
2. Priority Boredom
3. I Saw Light
4. Nothing To Prove
5. No Prizes
6. Salt Coast
7. These Are The Days
8. Smoking
9. Move
10. More Pressure
11. Grace
12. Europe Is Lost
13. We Die
14. Ketamine For Breakfast
15. Firesmoke
16. Holy Elixir
17. People’s Faces
18. Love Harder
19. Thinking Clearly
20. Nice Idea
21. Hold Your Own