The D4 & The Datsuns – San Fran March 9, 2018

Two classic New Zealand bands joined forces at San Fran in Wellington last night for a celebration of rock in its’ most undiluted form. It was a chilly night outside, but first The D4 then The Datsuns injected some heat into the packed venue, both groups delivering sets bursting with energy.

Notably, both bands are on a comeback, a return of sorts. In the case of The Datsuns, this was their first gig in two years. The D4 are in the full swing of a reunion tour, including a slot at last weekend’s Auckland City Limits, and up until a month ago they hadn’t performed together for twelve long years. Maybe because of this, both bands seemed energised on stage, the performers putting everything they had into a lively and physical spectacle.

The D4 played first, launching straight into their brand of fast, simple, classic rock and roll. There are no frills attached to these tracks, built from breakneck drum beats, crunchy power chords, direct punchy bass lines, squealing guitar licks and traditional song structures with typically catchy hooks. They aren’t so much influenced by classic rock and roll and bubblegum punk as they are direct musical continuers of it.

While there weren’t any musical surprises or innovations on this well-established format, their solidity as a group and energetic stagecraft meant that no one in the audience minded. They’d just come to hear some gut-level rock, and the band were here to play some. There was an absolute understanding of this between performers and audience members, and soon the crowd had developed an enthusiastic mosh, complete with shirtless crowd surfers, hands raised to the band in appreciation. The group are fun to watch playing. They approach the art of stage performance in the same way they do their music, taking from the bodily iconography and movements embedded in rock canon. Guitarist and occasional vocalist Dion Palmer was a particularly visually striking performer, lurching animatedly around the stage and standing on the shoulders of the front row.

The D4 kept up the relentless energy for an hour, drawing bigger and bigger cheers from the crowd with each track, before leaving the stage for the next act to prepare. The Datsuns appealed to most of the same audience, as the crowd didn’t seem to either shrink or grow between sets, which was nice to see. It’s easy to hear why – the bands’ music is similarly influenced by pub rock and roll with catchy if cliché song-writing, though with a slight psychedelic and hard rock influence absent from the first act.

For their first gig in 2 years the band gave everything they had to their performance, and played an hour-long set with perfect solidity as well as physical energy. The crowd responded enthusiastically, cheers of recognition going up at the beginning of what seemed like every second song, followed by plenty of singing along. Vocalist and bassist Rudolf de Borst’s lively physical performance, holding his bass out in a pose over the jostling front rows, occasionally came at the cost of hitting some notes with his voice, but it did made little negative impact.

It was heartening to be in an audience so passionate and enthusiastic about not just one but two returning Kiwi artists getting their feet back into live performances and proving their lingering appeal. As well as this, and being a fun gig to watch, the night also proved that simple, and even, dare I say it, derivative, isn’t necessarily a bad thing if done as well as this and with as much commitment to accuracy.

Ruben Mita.

Photos courtesy Alexander Hallig