Postmodern Jukebox – The Powerstation (Concert Review)

You wouldn’t have thought a jazz covers band would be on a 100-date tour, but thanks to YouTube, Postmodern Jukebox made their Southern Hemisphere debut at a packed Powerstation.

PMJ is the brainchild of American musician Scott Bradlee, who takes pop music in a time machine back to likes of ragtime, vintage jazz, doo-wop and Motown. He started posting videos five years ago and his covers now garner 13 million views.

And those fans – young and old – were out in force on a wet Saturday night, a good number in vintage costume too. “We’re about to go on a little journey,” asked the band’s flamboyant MC, “Are you coming with us?” The crowd yelled yes and the five-piece band kicked things off with a 1920’s flapper version of I’m So Fancy.

Bradlee, on the piano, takes a back seat and lets his talented group fly, and the sassy Aretha Franklin-styled Maiya Sykes nailed Azalea’s ramped-up rap.

He’s got a rotating cast of three powerful female vocalists, Sykes, Haley Reinhart and Morgan James, and MC Mykal Kilgore lends his impressive pipes as well. The band itself has a sharp horn section, and off all things there’s a Auckland-born tap dancer as well who wowed the crowd playing a mega-mix of tunes via his fleet feet.

The rotation of singers, and costume changes, kept things moving along nicely, letting the ladies rest their pipes before belting it out again and again. Tall and slender Morgan James was a highlight with the high notes, knocking it out of the park with a stripped back version of Take Me to Church accompanied with only Bradlee on piano.

The petite blonde Haley Reinhart is born for dark smoky jazz bars, with a husky Marion Monroe voice she covered slow and sexy versions of Creep, Seven Nation Army, Oops I Did it Again and Lovefool.

Bradlee had the jukebox on an interesting and eclectic rotation, with everything from Guns N’ Roses, Sam Smith, Celine Dion and Nickelback. Yes, even How You Remind Me is made appealing to the ears via a Motown interpretation and Kilgore’s high-energy antics.

Kilgore had the crowd eating out of his hand throughout the night, showcasing his singing, silky dance moves, comedy stylings and very shiny glitter shoes. He almost took us home too when he joked that the whole band were on Tinder, which segued beautifully into a brief rendition ofLet’s Get it On.

But it’s Scott Bradlee’s show and while the band took a break the charming frontman explained how it all came together, then took audience requests and amazingly mashed up Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera and Rick Astley on the piano. Yes, we got rick-rolled.

The highly entertaining and energetic performance closed out with the whole gang on stage for Swifty’s Shake it Off. Again Bradlee let his people shine, and each band member got their solo in the spotlight, with the saxophonist in stunning form covering every sax riff known to man. There was a slight mike malfunction but Morgan handled it with class. The crowd wasn’t ready to leave yet and thankfully the band came back for an encore of their most popular video,All About the Bass.

Covers are a tricky beast but Bradlee and his Post Modern Jukebox act nail them with sultry class and a lot of fun. If you miss them at the Bodega in Wellington tonight Bradlee promised they’d be back in New Zealand soon, so get watching on YouTube, you won’t be disappointed.

Clayton Barnett

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Michael Flynn:

PLAYLIST

I’m So Fancy
Oops I did it Again
Maps
Tap megamix
How You Remind Me
My Heart Will Go On
Seven Nation Army
I’m Not the Only One
Sweet Child of Mine
My Heart Will Go On
Lovefool
I Believe in a Thing Called Love
The Greatest Love of All
Scott Bradlee solo
Take Me to Church
Creep
Such Great Heights
Roar
Burn
Shake it Off
All About the Bass