Mi-Sex & Stellar* – Powerstation: March 10, 2023

Tapping into the zeitgeist where the 80s and 90s ride again is the punk/powerhouse combo of Mi-Sex and Stellar.

The PowerStation looks the same as it did when I was dancing here in my 20s in a purple slip and massive army boots. The rock edifice stands on Mt Eden road like a staunch door guy, complete with a line in front waiting to get in.

Rodney Fisher

They are inexplicably playing easy listening inside. I can’t imagine how it’s supposed to vibe with the acts that will grace the stage tonight. But first up is solo act Rodney Fisher as support. You might know him as that guy from Goodshirt. His record, Art School Drop Out is about to drop and we were treated to some of the tracks.

Here he mixed haunting echoing reverb with melodic guitar before pairing it down to a romantic lull, think that song that they play at the end of the film when the couple finally get together. “All I Want is You.” It evokes a perfect moment. It’s beautiful, but too lovely for me. I like my music with a little edge and this is a little saccharine. But it would make bank if chosen for a romcom.

The next song hits harder, By the Sea, drying the tears that you hide just for me,” are some of the lyrics sung. It has a Muttonbirds vibe, something you’d like to listen to on an easy Sunday morning. It’s a mellow sound before the driving rock of Stellar and the punk sound of Mi-Sex. In some ways, like the easy listening before it, the support act bears no resemblance to the bands that will follow and they in turn bear no relation to each other in terms of sound or genre. Still, it somehow works.

Stellar*

Besides, there’s no time to worry about that, Stellar* is about to bring me back to my misspent youth. New Religion is as familiar as it is welcome. Boh Runga immediately captivates, owning the stage. Her voice soars, as good as ever and it was, and it was always incredible. She’s giving us attitude in an oversized blue blazer and cut out crop top straight from her cool classy 90s look. Be Undone gets us into the groove and we all sing along. They kick into Maxine, a cover of a Sharon O’Neill song, a banger of a tune based on a dark crime.  We sing along to that too.

Guitarist Chris Van de Geer wears a shirt claiming ‘I got better friends now.’ He and his bandmates launch into One More Day, the overdriven guitar driving the audience wild. Stellar* are having fun and so are we. Boh is comfortable and in command on stage, and has a mastery over her instrument as well as her voice.

I am transported, and feel much younger than I have any right to. I dance like no one’s watching, but also like everyone is until I fear I may pass out. I was the one up the front in the blue going absolutely berserk if you don’t believe me. It feels amazing. Like nothing has changed and there is still fun and hope left over amongst the cynicism.

They play Violent, my actual favourite song in the whole while world and all is right and good and rebellious. They have a real knack for aggressive happiness, which speaks to my soul. Stellar* displays this in songs like Violent and Show The Bosses What You Do, which Boh rocks, like a boss.

Mi-Sex

While for me Stellar was the wild live sound of parties and proper big festivals like the Big Day Out, Mi-Sex was on the radio, one step removed from my nostalgia, but that’s not the case for most of the audience. You can tell they will know all the words.

The PowerStation is shaking along to the drive rock beat that rattles the foundations. This is the main event. The crowd are all into it. The energy is ska/punk and a whole lot of bangers.

In Falling in and Out from the 1981 Shanghaied album, you can already tell frontman Steve Balbi has great chops. His suit is switchblade sharp and would look just at home on Saville row as it does on stage.

‘The show’s about to get interesting,” Balbi teases, inviting us to get out our cameras.

The vocals remind me of Bowie for a bit there. There’s an excellent guitar solo, the entire band and consummate professionals with a punk attitude. The drums break out a funky beat and paired back percussion lead by bass creates a hardcore march accompanied by spoken word vocals for Bad Boy.

My ears are going to ring after tonight for sure. There’s some moments where the instruments drop out and the audience takes over. There are some technical difficulties, seemingly from the rough treatment Balbi has been dishing out to the mic. But despite being plagued by the interrupted electronics, we are entertained. Balbi climbs up on the foldback speakers and the crowd screams their approval.

Computer Games is of course the most popular song, it was the first time too, topping Australian and New Zealand charts for many weeks in a row. They do the anthems, Don’t Care, People and Blue Day and of course the aforementioned Computer Games. They belt out an encore after the crowd bay for a repeated performance and I can tell that there will be many sore heads tomorrow, happy for the chance to have been there, connecting to the band, singing and dancing along to the rare punk performance.

Andra Jenkin

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by David Watson:

Mi-Sex:

Stellar*: