There were two reasons to get excited about last night’s Courtney Barnett show. Of course, there’s Barnett’s own brand of literate rock and roll…but for many, it was also returning to Auckland’s St James Theatre, a venue that holds a lot of memories for a lot of music fans. For myself, a quite a […]
The Irish musical phenomenon known as Hozier rolled into town to play one sold-out show at the Vector Arena. It’s been little over a year since Andrew Hozier-Byrne released his debut album, but already he is able to draw huge crowd thanks to the success of his hit, Take Me To Church. The question […]
This is Robbie Williams’ “Let Me Entertain You” tour. And after sitting (and standing) through his nearly two hour show at Auckland’s Vector Arena, no matter what you think of his music or his persona, one thing is certain, the man delivered on his promise. I would venture to say that every one of the […]
When Laura Marling first performed in Auckland, as part of the January 2012 Laneway Festival, she looked and sounded like a classic English folk singer, dressed in jeans and a red jumper, strumming an acoustic guitar sporting long blonde hair and backed by a band featuring banjo, mandolin and cello. For her first “proper” Auckland […]
In a different time and a different place Dawes would have been an arena-filling act with their songs saturating FM radio stations alongside the likes of Springsteen, Browne, Young and Clapton. But pop music is a fickle and impatient beast, and here in Auckland in 2015, Dawes are about the best bar band you’re gonna […]
Another day, another 74-year old “legacy” artist is in Auckland to perform. This time it’s Joan Baez, who like Neil Diamond, who is also in town, has a wealth of material to draw from. Her performance at the Aotea Centre was a showcase for some of the finest songs ever written.
It was business as usual for Neil Diamond last night at Auckland’s Vector Arena, and that business is playing hits…lots and lots of them. With fifty years of chartbusters to draw from, Diamond had his fans singing and clapping along for well over two hours.
I was expecting to see a couple of guys with acoustic guitars harmonizing about idyllic life in the mountains…sort of John Denver x 2. Instead Jamestown Revival showed up as a five-piece rockin’ band ready to show off their arsenal of Texas roadhouse tunes and, yes, some fine harmonies. This show is part of the […]
They say you need to see The Fall at least once before you die. Well, I can tick that one off my bucket list. Was it worth it? Not really. Mark E Smith and his ever-changing crew may have been relevant at some point in their 30 + year career, but for this neophyte, I’m […]
My how times change. Back in the mid-70s, when Kiss first emerged out of the rapidly-deteriorating New York City landscape, they represented, to certain factions, all that endangered good, upstanding family values. Now, 40 years later, that same band provides a night’s entertainment for not only rebellious teenagers, but mothers, fathers, toddlers and grandparents…its fun […]
