All Seeing Hand - The Lyttelton Coffee Co, Lyttelton - 28th July 2018

All Seeing Hand are touring a new album and I think they are perhaps one of the most important New Zealand Bands around at present. I did see them live last year at The Darkroom when they played a short set on the night of the cancelled Darkspace night, where a lot of the bands didn't make it to town due to heavy rain and flooding.

 I was hoping to pick up a copy of the new album but it turns out that it will probably be a download only release although did have cassettes of it but they all sold out in the previous gig in Dunedin and I don't have a tape deck anymore.

  The gig was at a Cafe in Lyttelton called The Lyttelton Coffee Co, My first visit and according to a fellow I meet at the gig from a Facebook group I belong to, has pretty regular gigs.

 It was a pretty informal setup as punters slowly drifted in to the venue, where the musicians had set up their gear in one corner of the old brick walled building and the tables had been moved aside for standing room, a lot like Space Academy in Christchurch where I had seen several gigs over the last couple of years.

  First up of the night was a female trio called Fem Scream, they started off with some sampled loops just left on repeat then they left their equipment for a while then, drifted back one at a time and started adding in their electronics and guitar effects to create a sonic soundscape to to far removed from Throbbing Gristle's efforts back in the late 70's. They did a lot of screaming vocals which were pretty much undecipherable but it was mildly interesting.

  Next was Motte, a solo act with violin and electronics. I really like Motte, I have her vinyl record, which is great and I enjoyed her set this time a lot more than the last time I saw her play, although a lot of people talked all the way through her set which was not loud so it was a bit distracting.

  All Seeing Hand then hit the floor after changing into their outrageous costumes they play in. It was difficult to see as the place was pretty full now and as there was no stage, I could not see the band too well from in the crowd. They play a kinda of Industrial Techno music with drums and electronics and the singer doing all sorts of pyrotechnics with his vocalizing and throat singing. I did recognize at least one song from a previous record I have but it is the sort of music that takes a lot of listens to get ingrained into your head and is not exactly infused with catchy melodies, but I guess most of the material was from the new record and it was great throbbing toe tapping head nodding music and I really enjoyed their set. 

Tami Neilson - Theater Royal - Christchurch - 27th July 2018

I had missed Tami last time she played here as it clashed with another concert I was attending on the same night. This time the wife and I got tickets pretty early and was able to secure downstairs seating. The new album,"Sassafrass!" had been in my possession for a couple of months and although it had not got a lot of attention, due to so many other records coming in to my possession, I hadn't really connected with it as much as I did with her previous record. Therefore I was a little apprehensive about this concert, although the Wife was enjoying the new record more than me and it is not often we find an artist we both like to go see live.

 I was excited to hear that The Miltones were the support band for this gig as I really liked their first record and had seen them play twice at Blue Smoke over the last year or so and loved them live also. It was interesting to note Tami playing the Theater Royal this time as the first time I saw her was in the tiny Wunderbar, but the last time was in the new cathedral, so the venue was another step up in size and although it was well attended, it was not sold out.

  The Miltones hit the stage at the appointed time and played a short set just a tad under 30 minutes. Unfortunately I found them a bit underdone in this venue, as I said, a short set and I thought the sound was not all that well mixed with the guitar and keys far to low in the mix that they didn't really stand out when playing their solos and both players I know are really good and should be heard more than they were. I am not sure if their holding back was from the size of the audience or the main act imposing restrictions on their support so not to be outplayed, although Tami and band should not have to worry about that as they put on a great show after and even if The Miltones had played as well and as energetically as I know they can, they would not have threatened the main act.

  After a 30 minute break for patrons to que at the bar etc, Tami's band took the stage and started in on their groove for a minute or so before Tami bounds onto the stage and rips into one of the numbers form the new album. Pretty quick any of my concerns are gone about her new songs as she belts them out with the superb voice she has and the great band she had that kicks the songs arse. Tami never fails to sing her butt off and just has the most powerful voice in the country. She plays a selection of the new and not so new songs, all from her own catalog, except her slightly altered version of James Browns "It's A Mans, Mans World" which gives me goosebumps when the groove hits. She talks a lot between numbers which is enlightening to me as I really don't pay attention to the meaning of songs and lyrics too much but it does inform me a bit more to what some of the new are about, and reveals some more to us how close to her family she is and also how much of a supporter of Women's rights she is. There is a bit of a political bent to some of her songs. The sound for their set was much better than The Miltones set with the awesome Brett Adams(From The Bads) playing some blistering stuff on lead guitar. So yet again I leave A Tami Neilson Gig completely satisfied and in awe of her vocal performance.

Great North - Blue Smoke - Christchurch - 8th July 2018

Great North are a New Zealand Husband and Wife duo playing folksy/americana indi pop of quality.

 They had been based in the UK and Europe for several years where they recorded their "The Golden Age" Album, released last year, a record I have really enjoyed. They have several more earlier CD's on their Bandcamp page.

 They returned to New Zealand and have decided to put the band on indefinate hold and so have gone out on the road for this final tour so I needed to catch their set.

 This was one of Blue Smokes Sunday sit downs although I was a little late to secure a table and was on my own so wasn't to bothered. It was a modest crowd but enough to look reasonably busy.

 The support act was another Husband and Wife duo of Brendon & Alison Turner whom they had brought down from the far north. Brendon played acoustic guitar and they sang harmony as they presented us their old style  blues tinged country music. Their male female harmonies were pretty good(I do like that style) and their songs interesting and pretty good. They didn't really capture the audiences attention though with most of them chatting loudly through the set apart from us near the front.

 Great North hit the stage soon after 5PM, Hayden and Rachel Donell joined by a peddle steel player and another fella on electric piano. Hayden was pretty chatty throughout ther set and told stories about some of the songs with plenty of dry humour. At one point announcing "This song is about my ex girlfriend, sang by my wife". Their live set followed closely what I knew from their record with most of the material being from their "Golden Age" album and a new CD called "The Caravan Recordings I" which maybe some older unrleaserd material and the title suggest more in the pipeline. I picked up the CD and played it on the way home and noticed at least three songs from their live set.

 I really enjoyed their set, Hayden has a strong distinct voice that reminds me a little of Don McGlashan and he combines very well with his wife. Great gig and sad that it may be their last tour.