Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox – Aotea Centre: February 25, 2025
Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox returned to Auckland with their Magic & Moonlight World Tour, offering creative covers of modern hits presented with their trademark retro vibe. The 13th Floor’s Carin Newbould was there to check out whether nostalgic takes on contemporary classics did indeed deliver a magical evening.
Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox delighted me when they last visited New Zealand, so I was eagerly anticipating their show last night. In the 18 months since this jitterbug juggernaut last hit Auckland, they’ve bypassed the thousand shows mark, playing on six continents worldwide. Their latest offering – the “Magic & Moonlight” tour – promised more of what they’re known and loved for – modern hits presented with the unique twist of their trademark retro vibe. So did they deliver?
The gang wasted no time setting the scene. The six piece band opened with an excerpt from Chariots of Fire, before PMJ stalwart Sara Niemietz took to the stage with a rendition of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance, accompanied by high-energy tap dancing by Jabu Graybeal.
Rogelio Douglas Jr. acted as featured singer and MC for the night, trying hard to get some energy going from a fairly lacklustre audience in the Aotea Centre. He encouraged us to clap, dance and “scream and shout if the spirit moves you”. The spirit seemed to be sadly absent for much of the show, until the crowd managed to sway and finger snap as instructed to a mellow version of Imagine Dragons’ Radioactive. Douglas was excellent in his role, showing versatility including body-popping, beat-boxing and delivering a beautifully rendition of the Kings of Leon hit Use Somebody, transformed into a moving torch song.
Niemitz has performed for 10 years with Postmodern Jukebox and delivered one of the standout moments of the show, a powerful cover of Bowie’s Heroes. She epitomised the glamorous chanteuse role with power and emotion. By contrast, PMJ newcomer Tatum Langley showed sass and humour in her covers, Green Day’s Basket Case and Chappell Roan’s Good Luck Babe”. However, the undisputed star of the ensemble is the humble but amazing Effie Passero, who once again delivered a tour-de-force performance singing Hallelujah. It’s a great song, but I do feel it’s been done to death by every Tom, Dick and Harry: however, Passero once again managed to inject sincere emotion, a real understanding and great interpretation of the lyrics in a nuanced but wide-ranging version which transfixed the audience and garnered her a well-deserved standing ovation. If you weren’t there, check it out on YouTube – it won’t be the same, but you’ll see what I mean. No doubt it’ll feature again next time around, as a fixture of every PMJ show.
The trio of ladies worked well together, backing one another with great harmonies and combining for the Spice Girls’ Say You’ll Be There in ragtime style, Ellie Goulding’s Burn and an acapella version of Die With A Smile. The band also worked successfully as a tight ensemble, under the direction of MD Adam Kubota, who doubled as double bassist. The six piece – piano, guitar, double bass, drums and trombone – were rounded out by Kyle Morgan, who showed versatility in supplying extended sax solos and a nice bit of jazz flute in Fireflies. Drummer Willie Ray Moore Jr. had his moment of glory singing Black Home Sun to huge applause.
But it was Jabu Graybeal’s tap dancing which made the night for me. After contributing toward the show’s opener Bad Romance, he performed two extended solo pieces – The Evolution of Tap, with excerpts ranging from Alexander’s Ragtime Band and In The Mood through to Uptown Funk and even Black Sabbath’s Iron Man. His latter piece was a medley of songs from the U.S. version of The Office, starting with the theme tune and including recognisable snippets such as Billy Joel’s The Longest Time. The tap provided a nice break from and counterpoint to the songs and Graybeal’s talent and easy mastery was astounding.
The audience – as with previous PMJ gigs – was a real mixed bag. Their appeal clearly crosses generations – older people enjoying the nostalgia of ragtime and jazz, younger fans appreciating the whimsical novelty of hearing contemporary hits performed in unusual arrangements and styles. It’s weird, but it works.
After just under two hours, the jukebox ran out of quarters and the band finished up with a “party”, getting everyone on their feet for an upbeat version of U2’s I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For and finishing up with a joyful and jaunty It’s All About The Bass.
It’s not all about the bass (although Adam was pretty damn good!), or the sax, or the piano, or the harmonies, or the tap, or the quirkiness. Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox is actually all about creating a good time, bringing people together to appreciate music which straddles generations and subverts genres. Bradlee believes that “great music has the ability to transcend time and space in a way that is best described as magic.” The moonlight may not have been obvious from inside the Aotea Centre, but there was definitely a gentle sprinkling of magic in this show.
Carin Newbould
Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox is performing “Magic & Moonlight” again tonight to a sold out audience in Tauranga.
POSTMODERN JUKEBOX SETLIST:
- BAD ROMANCE (Lady Gaga cover)
- BASKET CASE (Green Day cover)
- IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOVE (Roxette cover)
- RADIOACTIVE (Imagine Dragons cover)
- EVOLUTION OF TAP MEDLEY (including Glenn Miller, Black Sabbath and Bruno Mars covers)
- BURN (Ellie Goulding cover)
- BLACK MAGIC WOMAN (Santana cover)
- HEROES (David Bowie cover)
- GOOD LUCK BABE (Chappell Roan cover)
- SAY YOU’LL BE THERE (Spice Girls cover)
- THEME AND FEATURED TRACKS FROM THE OFFICE (U.S.) (including Billy Joel cover)
- DIE WITH A SMILE (Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars cover)
- USE SOMEBODY (Kings of Leon cover)
- FIREFLIES (Owl City cover)
- HALLELUJAH (Leonard Cohen cover)
- I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR (U2 cover)
- ALL ABOUT THAT BASS (Meghan Trainor cover)
