Louisa Nicklin & Ringlets – Wine Cellar: January 13, 2023

Louisa Nicklin returned to the Wine Cellar last night for a sold out show. Auckland fans got lucky on this Friday 13^th as Ringlets made it feel like two headliners for the price of one.

I’ve gotta say with the weather the way it is, the pandemic over (or not) and the holiday season in full swing (kinda) I’m losing track of what day it is…or even what year it is.

So it was cool to discover that even though it was Friday The 13^th, Jason was nowhere to be seen. Instead the Wine Cellar quickly filled up with fans ready to forget their troubles and listen to a couple of up-and-coming Auckland-based musical talents.

The 13^th Floor has covered both Louisa and Ringlets over the past couple of years and it’s cool to see how they are evolving musically.

Ringlets

Ringlets is a four-piece band fronted by Leith Towers and powered by guitarist Laszlo Reynolds along with bass player Arabella Poulson and drummer Arlo Grey.

We last saw them at Whammy last year and here they are in 2023 with pretty much a brand-new setlist (two songs carried over for 2022).

Their sound is best described as ‘post-punk’ and the continued time together is making this band sound better and better.

Their 30+ minute set began with a laconic guitar strum as Born Angry built up and let loose. Highlights for me were Ascetic…’she’s an ascetic and I can’t forget it’…and Get It Right.

So, pudding or not, these folks are growing and worth watching.

Louisa Nicklin

Louisa Nicklin is both a person and a band. The ‘classically trained’ Louisa sings and plays guitar (and I believe writes the songs) while Eamon Edmundson-Wells plays bass and Mason Fairey pounds the skins.

The band started abruptly just before 10pm, catch the crowd off guard as they launched into Slipping featuring a driving beat and a wailing vocal.

Louisa Nicklin has one full-length studio album out, a self-titled affair released in 2021 and we did hear a a few tunes from that disc….otherwise there were new songs such as Don’t Like Change, Didn’t Know You and Can’t See. Their most recent single, the Shayne P. Carter-produced No Good was a highlight of the 45 minute set.

I must note that a trio of loud-mouthed jerks threatened to spoil the proceeding, yammering loudly though a tune or two and I noticed that another audience member ‘had a word’ with them, and they settled down (mostly) after that.

To be fair, the middle of the set did seem to drag just a bit with new tune, The Highs plodding along. But the energy level picked up with Water Around Her, and stayed through the remainder of the band’s time on stage.

By 11pm it was all over and we emptied out onto K’Road, lucky still because it wasn’t raining!

Marty Duda

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Ivan Karczewski

Louisa Nicklin:

Ringlets:

Louisa Nicklin Setlist:

1. Slipping
2. Moving Slow
3. Don’t Like Change
4. Didn’t You Know
5. To Be Fine
6. The Highs
7. Water Around Her
8. No Good
9. Slicing Through
10. Can’t See

Ringlets Setlist:

1. Born Angry
2. Sever
3. Ascetic
4. Snitch
5. Paint
6. Get It Right
7. Mist
8. Pudding
9. Scam Me