Sweet Treats ft. Carthage, Joon, Cabinet & More – Whammy Bar: December 21, 2024

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Sweet Treats All Ages Shows was happening yesterday at Whammy and, hoping to win the spot prize in the grey hairiest person contest at the show. intrepid 13th Floor reviewer Simon Coffey found a comfy chair, supped on an ice cold can of coke, and watched the young folk enjoy music on a blazing hot summer’s day, in a darkened inner city dungeon.

The 2pm doors are late opening, and there is a queue. I try to act inconspicuous but suddenly a young voice asks if I’m Mr Coffey! Righto, it’s a akonga/student I taught as a Y8, wha/four years ago. He’s here to take photos. Maybe I am a positive role model (ha!)

The whare fills, it’s a hotchpotch of emos, punks, hipsters and nerds. I laugh a little under my breath as several try to get served a beer, I’ve tried that, not even a zero alcohol beer is available.

Cabinet 2 30pm

First up, they are the replacement band for Marceline, luck had it, they are a band I’ve been trying to catch live recently… next time Marceline. They start on time. Four piece, wha lads, a mixture of hardcore and melodic post punk. Vocals have a gruff extreme style, perhaps a little extreme for their waiata.

There are wonderful rhythms running through the songs, the guitars meld well, occasional shards of calm dart out, abrupt halcyon comes hither, but the angst is far from lost.

Disaster! A broken string, comradery to the rescue, a loaned guitar, but tuning by hand is looking aspirational. Young folk gather further upfront to protect the injured. Cabinet is back in the saddle, with some further jangle-punk rhythms in a vocal-less tune. The following few songs are a return to the band’s binary persona: calm and storm, halt and flow, metal and post-punk. Though, well, the last song could have been skipped, but I suspect that sort of decision making comes with experience. It’s all ultimately ka pai and optimistic.

 

 

Joon 3pm

Toru/Three-piece, early on, I mistook their soundcheck for the first song. Jangles, energetically paced, drum busy, and a little lost at times, Vocals are shared between the rua/two axe wielders. After a brace of songs, Joon’s ‘sound’ sits somewhere between punk, folk, country and melody. It’s busy, reminiscent of 80s/90s post psychedelic SST group The Meat Puppets. There is also an element of late period grunge, Soundgarden and Screaming Trees. There are kernels of possibility, mahi may see more of them. Joon finished early, besuited, leaving the punters wanting more.

The room continued to fill. T-shirts of note: Motorhead, Pearl Jam, Fontaines DC, Wax Chattels (oh, that’s me) Pleasingly, the folk were utterly attentive, supportive

Out of Luck 3 33pm

Early on stage. Skegs t-shirt. Originally Otautahi based, now multi-city (they introduce themselves. The toru/three years under their belt shows. A bass player? I thought they were a rua/two piece? (am I slow?) The drummer is about to move to Melbourne. Is this their last gig? It’s pop- punk, us-fucking-a, surf rats. Their first effort is dire, it gets better, a lot better, toru/three songs in and Out of Luck’s performance is full-on energy, and uniformity in dual vocals. They jump up a level. The song My Head Hurts takes them into richer fields, all has been forgiven for the falter.

Out of Luck’s songs are very personal narratives, like poetic diatribe, short point-full and entertaining. Toru/Three years in, a swag of bandcamp releases, songs about drinking cheap beer, having mental breakdowns and not caring anymore, and something about a Grandmother. Popular, clever, deftly delivered, but not my cup of tea.

Snuck off for a beer from Verona, would’ve had a cigarette too if Dubhead was around.

Dick Move 4 15pm

Early. Already playing when I get back. No review. Already written too much about them. The band members will probably say “Thank god for that” (They were bloody good though).

Carthage 4.50 PM

A rima/five piece, saw these guys last in Hui-tanguru/February, fruitlessly trying to see them since. At last a return show for me. Carthage has rua/two amazing songs on Spotify/Bandcamp, and their instagram marketing is edifying.

Early. Singer is wearing a Santa hat, darting too and fro, asking ‘ ready? Are we ready? I think we are ready!’ Already exuding much confidence, a song in and they are already sounding cleaner, tighter, more precise. There is a brief, desultory but obligatory jingle bells chant from the singer. Then the bass kicks in sounding grunty as fuck, the Carthage combinations are capturing, the riffs peak and fall back to unaffected jangle, it’s chilling, emotive.

Singer can’t let go of the fact it’s Xmas time. I quote ‘when the bells stop jingling’ Carthage are taking emo, in Aotearoa, beyond the limits, their dynamics makes their live show much more of an ephemeral experience, rather than being just Toru tekau/30 minutes of un-retrogressive bombardment.

Last waiata, tahi/one of the rua/two releases Illustrating California ‘Happy Birthday Jesus’ says the singer, tahi/one last Kirihimete quip. It’s the quietness of Carthage’s delivery, the melody that affects and focusses the impact of the song, It has it all, including the killer lead. E rawe Carthage!

Simon Coffey

 

Simon Coffey
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