January 10, 2025

The Schizophonics (USA) + Buzz – Double Whammy: January 9, 2025 (13th Floor Concert Review)

San Diego punk personifications The Schizophonics just can’t stay away, as they kicked off their fourth tour of Aotearoa since 2019 tonight. Well, Pat and Lety Beers are back again, this time entrusting the bass duties to Sarah Linton of L.A. garage rockers, the Death Valley Girls.

Formed in 2009, last here in 2023, the band have been busy opening on tours with the likes of The Chats, Cosmic Psychos, and L7. With no new releases under their belts since 2022’s Hoof It, tonight possibly promised a revisit of the MC5/James Brown/Stooges inspired riffs and antics of past spectacles, coupled, perhaps with a new waiata or even a cover!

Buzz

Central Tamaki Makaurau-based, grunge-influenced group Buzz formed in late 2022, the band consists of young folk Holly (Drums), Harlo (Guitar), Harper (Bass), and Flea (Guitar/Vocals). So far, they’ve released an online single Rotting Away, had a Smokefree Profile clip created, and done a 95bFM Fancy New Band session. An album is currently in the works, showing promise for their future efforts.

Buzz
Its been far too long since I last saw them at The Other’s Way in 2023. I just missed them when they opened for Chem Chain and Cut Shapez last month at Bar 605, so I was early to the whare.

Straight into it, in a half filled room (thank crikey we aren’t in the Whammy old room tonight) Buzz’s well-versed and presented rhythms already hat tipping the Sex Pistols, meet Dinosaur Jr, with splashes emo and shoegaze.

Buzz vibe a persona of coolness, rizz, onstage (to go alongside their performance mahi), there is little parlance (youthful imperviousness no doubt) though Flea does Introduce everybody on stage through his mass of hair. The band’s post-punk element comes through on waiata, Ribbon and Dime Face, aspects of gothicism appear, and when their single Rotting Away is played live, Flea Miller’s voice potential is front and centre, contrasting the screechy gruff vox, that pervades so many young noisey groups in Tamaki Makaurau.

Late in the set, Buzz do get a little predictable, pubescent punk perhaps, but just before they end on a (well delivered) cover of Tool’s Sober (no Hey Seuss by The 3D’s tonight) they’re back into the gothic emo sound that is far more interesting, persuasive, effusive, ohio, but in a kai pa way, that leaves me wanting more.

The Schizophonics

It’s a sprite changeover, as the band and friends set up for The Schizophonics sixth time playing in Tamaki Makaurau (I think I got that right) DW is pretty comfortably full by now. Amongst the usual crowd, usual suspects, there is a smattering of newbies possibly enticed by the MC5 meets James Brown hype that is embossed in any The Schizophonics promo.

One has to wonder what Pat Beers’ warm up routine is like, backstage, as he (and the others) launch straight into dervish-like stage actions, swinging his body and guitar around in passionate abandon as he dashes across, to and fro onstage. While Lety Beers and Sarah Linton create the backbeat lynchpin that holds it all together, Pat Beers channels a frenzied, unpredictable energy that always seems on the precipice, in danger of falling apart, but is always just recaptured by the band.

While Pat Beers antics, the one handed guitar playing is impressive, and the trios waiata mahi, leaves jaws agape, Pat Beers is also effusive in his efforts to connect, korero with the audience, he’s not preaching, though at times he seems like a preacher-like figure. he’s sharing an invitation for the crowd to be part of the night’s spectacle, enrapture.

In a 80 min-odd set that featured songs from across albums, though cuts from Hoof It featured heavily (Beers doesn’t really name check songs, or even have a setlist onstage) he was at one stage threatening a toru hour set! There are guitar troubles, and in true anarchic spirit the band just improvise until rescued by Jake Harding (The D4 & Ratso) Then there is the cover of MC5’s Looking At You – Killer shot – e Rawe!

Towards the end, it seems songs are being grasped out of the air (or is thespianism afoot?) As Jake Harding joins the band onstage, as does others from Ratso, we set us off in an unformatted encore, somewhat unrecognisable jam. Possibly there is an AC/DC tune, possibly a cover of Jack Dupree’s Shake Baby Shake, maybe that’s my verve imagination, but like many, most in the crowd tonight, we all took away our own mind’s-eye snapshot of The Schizophonics tonight.