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Written by Sarah Mudgway
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Monday, 16 August 2010 20:52 |
For some-one of such small stature, GENERAL FIASCO’s vocalist/bassist Owen Starthern has a mighty powerful voice, which was in fine form at their one-off New Zealand show at Auckland’s Powerstation. While the venue was only at maybe 60% capacity, what the crowd lacked in size was more than made up for in enthusiasm. From the opening chords of set opener ‘Dancing With Girls’ those on the floor were in a dance frenzy, throwing up an insane amount of hearts and loud sing-a-long's for every single song - an impressive response for a three-piece Irish band who only recently has made it onto NZ mainstream media.
The band released their debut album ‘Buildings’ in March this year, and as expected the band's short fifty minute set comprised of every song from the release, as well as a couple of "songs which didn’t make it". 'Please Take Your Time' was followed by a very energetic ‘We Are The Foolish’ which, for only three people on stage, was very full and showcased each member's talents on their respective instruments.
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Written by Sarah Mudgway
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Monday, 09 August 2010 23:39 |
I think that if I ever happen to be visited by a musical genie and am given the chance to be a part of any band in the world right now, BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE would be right up there as a potential option. Hailing from Canada, the band - or musical collective of at times fifteen of Canada’s finest musicians - have been busy taking the world by storm, touring in support of their 2010 release ‘Forgiveness Rock Record’, including performances at this year's Australian festival Splendour In The Grass, followed by a sold-out, yet suitably intimate, performance at the Kings Arms in Auckland.
With up to ten members on stage at any one time, Broken Social Scene appeared far too big for the Kings Arms, not just physically, but also with the sheer amount of talent oozing from their very being. Opening their epic 2+ hour long set with ‘World Sick’ - the first single from their latest release - the band immediately showed the packed and enthusiastic venue what they were made of. Kevin Drew - founding member alongside Brendan Canning - informed the audience that the night was "going to be like an old-school punk rock show", before launching into 'Stars And Sons' followed by the upbeat 'Texico Bitches', which saw the only female member of Broken Social Scene on this tour Lisa Lobsinger, appear on stage for a few short moments to assist Drew on keyboards before returning to the side of stage.
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Written by Sarah Mudgway
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Wednesday, 04 August 2010 11:12 |
No doubts about it, THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS are a band well equipped for a live performance. Frontman and vocalist Jared Leto exudes confidence and personality, commanding attention from everyone in his presence. His brother Shannon Leto, towers above his drum kit, hitting with a passion and power which is hard to ignore. And guitarist Tomo Miličević is the glue which holds them together, spending a lot of time off to the side, but allowing his guitar skills to shine bright.
Playing to a sold-out Logan Campbell Centre in Auckland, Thirty Seconds To Mars with opening act COMPUTERS WANT ME DEAD had the audience up on their feet and singing along at a volume unprecedented for any Logan Campbell show to date. Computers Want Me Dead, comprised of Sam Harvey and Damien Daniels, built up hype and energy playing their synth fuelled electro-pop - including singles ‘In Your Blood’ and ‘We Walk In Circles’ - which created a miniature indoor rave, complete with glow sticks.
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Written by Sarah Mudgway
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Saturday, 31 July 2010 11:13 |
I’m not going to lie, when PASSION PIT announced their return after playing Big Day Out earlier this year, I was sceptical. Unlike many others, I was far from impressed by their mid-afternoon set at the festival. Sound issues made up for some of that disappointment, but I was also left underwhelmed by vocalist Michael Angelakos. His unique and piercing voice found on their album ‘Manners’ seemed to waiver - and I found myself distracted by what I felt were under-par vocals.
Oh, but what seven months can do! Somehow, between January and now, Passion Pit's live performance has got amazing. Playing to a sold-out crowd at the Powerstation, the relatively intimate indoor venue suited the synth-pop wunderkinds to a tee, and from the first few beats of opening track ‘I’ve Got Your Number’ the predominantly 18-25 year old crowd was up on their feet for a dance party.
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Written by Sarah Mudgway
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Friday, 30 July 2010 09:08 |
Seeing any band twice in one year in New Zealand is a treat in itself, but when vocal queen FLORENCE + THE MACHINE announced her return to our shores only six months after her impressive Laneway Festival performance, expectation and excitement was at an all-time high. Would she be able to top her near perfect Laneways performance? The answer is yes.
Local darlings THE NAKED AND FAMOUS opened to an excited crowd - and while the sound mix wasn’t perfect - the young band did well and showed a vast improvement from performances as recent as a few months ago. TNAF show a lot of promise, and when they closed their set with ‘Young Blood’ it was refreshing to see a Kiwi band inspire such an enthusiastic response from those in the audience.
New York City four-piece THE DRUMS haven’t yet hit the big time here in New Zealand, however they knew how to compensate for any lack of exposure - dancing. Absolutely phenomenal dancing, especially from guitarist Jacob Graham. I’m talking waltzing with his guitar, doing some form of interpretive dance mixed with ballet with a tambourine and furiously pointing at the crowd in some sort of manic frenzy... it was a sight to be seen. My favourite quote of the evening came from a spectator behind me: "Who knew a tambourine could command such respect." I certainly will never look at a tambourine in the same way. Basically, I could have been deaf and still have been thoroughly entertained by what The Drums had to offer.
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