October 21, 2023

Sorry & Ringlets – Neck Of The Woods: October 20, 2023

North London indie darlings Sorry close out their tour with an ‘unnerving’ set at Auckland’s Neck Of The Woods. Local heroes Ringlets support.

With two long players under their collective belts, five-piece band Sorry has been criss-crossing the globe playing their unique brand of indie rock…is it Grunge? Post-punk? Shoegaze? Pop? Trip hop?

Yes…and no.

Ringlets

It was an early start on this Friday night at K’rd in Auckland. Local rockers Ringlets were scheduled to start at 8:15, but when I arrived at the appointed time they were already 3 songs deep into a nine song set. Most of those nine songs are new…only two taken from their debut album.

Despite (or because) they were testing new material, the band sounded tight and they built up a head of steam, culminating with new song, Street Massage where they agreed that they ‘hit our stride’.

Guitarist Lazlo Reynolds led the aural explosion that was Street Massage and then closed the set with a riveting I Used To Paint. This band just gets better and better.

Sorry

Sorry is a five-piece made up of founding members Louis O’Bryen and Asha Lorenz (both on vocals and guitar) along with bass player Campbell Baum, drummer Lincoln Barrett and keyboard player Marco Pini.

There is a pre-recorded intro as the band takes the stage at 9:pm pm and lurches into action with As The Sun Sets from their debut album, 925.

These pre-recorded voices and noises are used throughout the show to bridge the songs as neither Louis or Asha are very talkative on stage.

The first half of the set finds the band alternating between their two lps while the two front people trade lead vocals, often as a form of hipster ‘call & response”.

The band is notorious for its ability to cross and bend musical genres which can be a blessing and a curse. They can come across as adventurous and aimless, which they do during the first 30 minutes of their set.

Eventually Asha dons a sparkly cowboy hat, the set focuses on the latest album, Anywhere But Here and the energy level rises.

By the time they get to Closer, the crowd and the band connect and the music explodes from the stage.

Two tunes from 925 close out the set with Starstruck proving to be a highlight thanks to the two singers playing off each other and the post-punk noise fizzing.

The crowd goes wild, a disjointed voice babbles on from the PA and the band returns for two more songs.

First we get a new tune…Jive is full of big, bolshie chords and Lies (from 925) takes us home.

It took a awhile, but Sorry got there in the end. Now to go home a check out those two albums…

Marty Duda

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Hamish Graham:

Sorry:

Ringlets: