Spotlights & Threat.Meet.Protocol – Whammy Bar: November 21, 2024

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Not yet of an age where seated concerts by The Cult are justifiable, youthful (in my mind) 13th Floor Reviewer Simon Coffey chose instead to hang out with the young(er) folk as American Ipecac recording artists Spotlights kicked off their debut Aotearoa Tour at Whammy.  Here is Simon Coffey’s review and subpar Photos (you can tell)

Du Trois

Fresh from playing the recent 1:12 FEST, Du Trois are a four piece featuring (from Cut Shapez) Jard on Guitar/Vocals, sporting a post-Halloween look, with bassist and a keytarist, alongside, dressed in a 70s US glam punk style, think The Runaways, let’s not forget the drummer. Playing a  mixture of protopunk and guitar epics, the keytar is the feature that steps them up musically, actually the singer’s avaristic manner, overblown manner is florid, entertaining somewhat.  Du Trois are a little unrefined, though their slow song, not slow song, is the one that steals the night. Looking forward to seeing them again.

Threat.Meet.Protocol.

Te Awanui/Tauranga based, Threat.Meet.Protocol. are bassist/vocalist Austin Cunningham, keyboardist Luke Turner, and Drummer Evan Pope. Formed way back in 2011 as a two piece, they became a three piece and released an album, an EP and a 7” just as the twenties dawned upon them. With 2025 looming, the year when they will release their second album, they have been teasing with two advance singles, Funeral March and The Cure, Threat.Meet.Protocol. are seeking, hoping to rise from past ashes and moribund isolation.

Monstrously tight, and immediately sounding macroscale, toru songs in, somewhere between Nine Inch Nails and Deep Purple. There is a groovy melody underlying Threat.Meet.Protocol.’s alt, industrial, metal, assault. Vocalist Austin shows the maturity of confidence that age brings when interacting With the crowd, and a mighty sexy pair of calf muscles, he’s in shorts!

The industrial eminations coming from the band is refreshing in this guitar 4 4 4 world (in the same way Wax Chattells also fuck with genres). There are moments of subtlety, but effervescence seems to drive the band on stage. They have the desire for Top 10 notoriety, I hope not as they could possibly go the way of Spandau Ballet. Eeek!

Spotlights

Formed by Sarah Quintero (bass, vocals) and Mario (guitar, vocals, keys) wife and husband, and Chris Enriquez (Drums) in 2011 (from a concept developed in 2009), they have wha albums to their name, including the magnificent 2023 album Alchemy For The Dead. Recently they’ve toured with the likes of Mr Bungle and The Melvins, which has likely honed their skills as they spread their take on certain mortality that haunts every single one of us.

Melody emerges from the onstage soundcheck noise, as Spotlights begin, it’s a little rough, methinks the band are seriously jetlagged (it gets mentioned later by Sarah) HOWEVER the sounds emanating get progressively refined thanks to the Touch of a god, Mark on the mixing desk does his magic.

Then a familiar rhythm, drums-driven, comes hither, a song from their latest album. The post metal energy fills the whare, and the groove fulfills the hopes of many in the comfortably inhabited room. The driving energy Is controlled, post-metal, post-hardcore, is the theme of the gig tonight.

When melody, vocal led and guitar finessed, rise above, Spotlights seriously shine, with Chris Enriquez’s beats really moving the room. The mood builds as orchestral level harmonics are coming offstage, very much taking the audience on a dark tangent aurally. Midway through the po it’s apparent that the Spotlights draw on so many dark-arts musical influences, and when

Sarah Quintero adds vocal lead to her bass duties, an almost gothic quality shrouds the room with yearning and emotion.

Throughout, Mario Quintero’s skills and manipulation are exemplars in drawing a revelry of sounds from his guitar. From harmonic richness, to rhythmic metal bravado, to unembarrassing lead, it fills the possible voids that some bands allow to exist. One last song, It’s a shortish set, but the band are looking tired and are voicing it. But they put all in for the final, a waiata that screams taniwha riffs and off-kilter rhythms, then they are done, but enough is done, to tempt me to see Spotlights again, at the next Tamaki Makaurau show at Big Fan on Rātapu 1 December, see you there!

Simon Coffey

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Spotlights:

 

Threat.Meet.Protocol.:

Du Trois:

Simon Coffey
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