Mermaidens 7″ Release Tour – Neck of the Woods, April 13, 2019

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Dreamy gothic pop, spooky psychedelics, and sharp indie rock made short but very sweet work of the Mermaidens 7″ Release Tour last night at Neck of the Woods.

Three bands came together to celebrate the new 7″ vinyl release by Mermaidens last night, displaying a variety in genre that, on paper, really shouldn’t have worked as well as it did.

I have to admit I’m a big fan of first band, Echo Ohs. They’re unlike any other Auckland band I know of and having seen them open first on two occasions, both times in yet-to-fill rooms, they’re a band I’ll actively seek out any chance I get.

Their dark, weighty, and spooky psychedelic sound always reminds me of Young Men Dead by The Black Angels with a touch of Greedy Fly by The Cramps. Both The Gnarl and Wild Weeds were the best examples of this, and I was delighted when they announced plans for another music release later year, before rolling into Bruiser and closing number, You Don’t Mind.

Second band, Ha the Unclear, switched up from the previously haunting vocals of Yolanda Fagan and trippy, driving beat of the Echo Ohs with a mixed-genre set that blurred between indie pop and rock, at times sounding like a polite version of The Libertines or the rebellious younger brother of The Kooks.

This came through in both Big City and Growing Mould, while their next, Mortality (A Million Years Ago), had glimpses of the late Jeff Buckley’s Last Goodbye woven into the tune, with vocalist and guitarist, Michael Cathro, enjoyably moving from one singing style to the next in Mannequins and the closing Where Were You When I Was All You Needed?

While both bands suffered from slightly off-centre sound engineering, Mermaidens dove straight into a much-clearer thumping bass and powerful vocals on their opener, Lizard. This was followed by the sharp, note-tearing riff of Satsuma, before vocalist and electric guitarist, Gussie Larkin, thanked the crowd for joining them for their Record Store Day release of 7” vinyl, You Maintain The Stain.

The dreamy, pop-rock hybrids I Might Disappear and Bastards showed the band’s ability at managing slower, chilled music, while the vocal harmonies on release-number You Maintain The Stain displayed how well Larkin complements bassist and fellow singer, Lily West. One of the clear highlights of the set was West’s vocals on Under The Mountain II, a slow-and-heavy build from drummer, Abe Hollingsworth, driving the tune into a thrashing guitar finish by Larkin.

Their closing number, Cold Skin, was another example of the trio working together to produce a fluid mix of tempo and rhythm, balancing that same dreamy sound from earlier in their set with rolling drums and a building thrash-pop heavy guitar closer. Finishing their set at 10:30, it was unfortunate the crowd didn’t get to hear more from the bands but, as is often the case with smaller gigs in Auckland, I felt lucky to get as much as we did.

Oxford Lamoureaux

Click any image to view a gallery of The Mermaidens from Veronica McLaughlin Photography:

Echo Ohs Setlist:
Anna Ant
Fool
Aliens
The Gnarl
Dog Bone
Wild Weeds
Bruiser
You Don’t Mind

Ha the Unclear Setlist:
Stuck In My head
Big City
Growing Mould
Mortality (A Million Years Ago)
Battery Farm
Mannequins
Wallace Line
Where Were You When I Was All You Needed?

Mermaidens Setlist:
Lizard
Satsuma
I Might Disappear
Bastards
Undergrowth
You Maintain the Stain
Cut It Open
Under The Mountain II
Mellennia
Cold Skin

Oxford Lamoureaux
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