Koizilla - Space Acadamy - Christchurch - 28th October 2018

About a year ago, I was down in Dunedin for a weekend and managed to catch a gig by the Mermaidens, who were touring in support of their debut album. Supporting the Mermaidens was a young local Dunedin combo called Koizilla. I was very impressed with their set and so was pretty keen to see them playing again, this time supporting their new album that they had just dropped via bandcamp.

  The first band of the night supporting the group were a duo of a couple of young Australian bloked going under the moniker of Bleeding Gums Murphy. Playing Guitar and ukulele, these lads played a kinda comedy folk and were pretty catchy and played some nice lines, not to be taken too seriously but more enjoyable than I anticipated.

  Nervous Jerk, I had seen once before and also had a track on the excellent "Sickest Smashes From Arson City" CD compilation so I was looking forward to seeing then play too and I wasn't disappointed, the sound mixing was pretty damn good and their classic punk was fast n' furious and fairly melodic. The Guitarist/singer was pretty impressive  and ripped out some damn fine rifferage and solo stuff and was well supported buy the rhythm section. A great set.

 Koizilla are obviously pretty well totally unknown here in Christchurch, the audience was pretty much only about 6-8 paying punters with the rest being the members of the other acts who supported. This was a shame as these guys are a fantastic group with a very strong album they just dropped and despite the minuscule crowd, they played with energy and much enthusiasm. The sound was great and it was totally infectious, a great live set and it was interesting to have it fleshed out with the young lady on flute and keys. Their music had a real touch of the progressive but heavier than on the album. I highly recommend checking these guys out.

P J Harvey - Dry - Too Pure - (UK 1992)

The great Polly Harvey's debut album burst onto the music scene in 1992 and in my humble opinion might be one of the best debuts ever. I've had this on CD since it first came out and it was a massive fave back in the day and 26 years later still sounds as awesome as the first time I played it, actually it has grown in stature in the meantime. I surely don't need to describe the music on this by now. If you have not heard it then you need to ASAP.  This a;bum gets a Roddus Rating of 5+/5.

The Beths - Blue Smoke - Christchurch - 21 September 2018

The Beths had just released their first album, Future Me Hates Me" in August and it is already contender for one of the best New Zealand releases of 2018. A beautiful collection of up tempo indi rock with punky overtones and fantastic melodies and great playing, so I was pretty excited to see how it came across live. 

 The wife had also liked their record so this was one of the rare gigs where we could go together.

There were to be two support acts this night, one being a Wellington outfit called Hans Pucket, of whom I knew nothing, and also a singer songwriter called Holly Arrowsmith. I had heard of Holly and was aware she had a vinyl record out. I checked her out on Spotify and liked here Americana tinged minimal folk so was looking forward to hearing her play and picking up a copy of her record.

 Unfortunately Holly had taken sick and was unable to make the gig, so a fella called Jed Parsons stepped in to fill her spot. Jed's name was one I has seen on The Flying out website as he too had a recent record out but I did not know if he was even a Kiwi let alone an actual Christchurch homeboy. So I was going to play closer attention to see if I would be interested in picking up a copy of his record.

 Jed and band duly hit the stage and presented us with several songs from his record, poppy indie stuff that was OK, but really did not overly inspire me to grab the record, although I suspect repeated exposure may present a capable and enjoyable record, financial considerations prevented by just buying the record for the hell of it. I though his set was and music was average but I did tap my toe somewhat, the wife was not so impressed.

 We headed down the back of the venue for the next band as Lynn needed to sit down as her back was sore from work that day so we sat out Hand Pucket and frankly their music was not really of interest to me much at all. Pretty nondescript indie really and I was pleased when they finally finished their set.

  The Beths hit in with the title track from the new album and  I was instantly struck with a feeling that this was not going to be a jaw dropping set to stick in my memory for a long time. The band played very well, the sound was very good and the music, which by now was pretty familiar to me, is great, but even though Lynn and I both enjoyed their set, I was still just a but underwhelmed. I understand they had been living and gigging in the States while recording the album so I expected a tighter and more energetic gig perhaps. There is a indescribable and intangible magic that happens with gigs sometimes and not everyone can pull it off every time, some nights are better than others, this night was very good but not great. Still we both enjoyed it enough to be glad we went. Next time I see then, they might totally blow my sox off.

P.H.F/Roy Irwin/Wurld Series - Space Acadamy - Christchurch - 15th September 2018

A big day in the city doing chores, attending a Record Fair, watching a great All Blacks game at a sports bar and finishing off the day with this gig at Space Academy.

 Roy Irwin was who drew me to this gig, I have both his records and thought I would check him out live. It turns out that Roy had just come along for the ride with P.F.H and he preforms his songs solo unlike his records where he has a backing band. It is a pretty difficult task to pull off preforming solo like this. Something special is needed from the performer and strong songs.  I have seen several local artists that I really like on record preform like this and only some of them pull it off. Roy, unfortunately didn't for me, his records patchy affairs but he does have some great songs that I am familiar with but I only recognized one of them during his short set. He finished his set abruptly half way through a song, with the comment "Fuck it! I'm done".

   Previously to Roy, Wurld Series played. A four piece indi band that I really have enjoyed the other times I have seen them, a cross of Flying Nun and Pavement with catchy tunes and plenty of energy. It was interesting after the last gig I went to a couple of nights earlier where the PA was cranked to overload and ear damaging volumes, compared to the sound of these guys this night. It appears that only the vocals were coming through the PA during their set in this small venue and so thew rest of the players we were hearing just their guitar amps direct and the drums naked and it sounded bloody good, pretty clear and well separated sound. It worked really well in this venue. Don't know if this was deliberate. Again really enjoyed their set.

 P.H.F were completely unknown to me, from Auckland, this four piece hit right into some great punky tunes with the singer pretty snotty and often singing on the floor in front of the stage. They were tight and fast and really mixed up their set with some poppy stuff, some slower stuff, some grungy stuff and the best of the lot some cool punk rock. I was most impressed and the small audience was actually asking for more at the end. Just listening to their Bandcamp stuff as I type and they are much better live.

Bailterspace with Wax chattels - Blue Smoke - Christchutch - 13th September 2018

It's been an undeveloped relationship with Bailterspace for me over the years, mostly me ignoring them and their music, not for any particular reason apart from never actually getting round to exploring it, but mostly because they are NOT The Gordons. Bailterpapce(although not originally), consists of the three original members of Christchurch's legendary post punk, pre grunge alt band The Gordons. The Gordons are unquestionably my all time favourite New Zealand band and even better is that they hailed from my hometown of Christchurch. Their first Album is just the greatesr NZ record ever and although many fans don't rate their second record as much, I love it almost as much and both were big records in my youth. So after they split and went on to form Bailterspace, my attitude was they'll be anywhere as good as The Gordons, and in my opinion they are not.
 Recently though I have bought both of Bailterspaces recent albums and did also score some of their early CD's and discovered that they had indeed produced some NZ classics I was familiar with.
  Hearing that the original three Gordons were doing a rare tour as Bailterspace(they have never played under The Gordons Moniker since the mid 80's), I thought I had better go.
  It was an added bonus that the support act was Wax Chattels, a band from Wellington that I had recently become familiar with after procuring their excellent self titled debut album a couple of months back.
 The place was pretty near full, I even had to que a bit to get in, which was a first at Blue Smoke. I was admiring the massive PA speaker stacks and the monster Marshall amps on the stage before Wax Chattels started their set. I had been warned that Bailterspace play it loud and they certainly had the rig to do so. I was prepared with those little foam ear plugs and got them in pretty quick when Wax Chattels started to play. I though, although very loud, the rig sounded bloody good, one of the best I have heard in a while and I find it frustrating that I had to use the ear plugs as they do muffle the sound somewhat while protecting our hearing, I did pull them out a bit just to hear better and Wax Chattels did sound bloody good. They played pretty much the stuff off their new album and I recognized some songs but the record is still new to me so not all was familiar or perhaps just sounded different live. They put on a great show and really threw themselves into their music, the drummer played especially wildly. This three piece consists of bass. drums and electronics and sometimes remind me of their fellow Wellingtonians, All Seeing Hand. A great and pretty wild set from this excellent alternative band.
  I was a long wait between sets but Bailterspace finally made it onto the stage. Loud! Yes it was fucking loud.. Even with such a good rig, they feel they have to crank the thing into overload, the bass was so loud that the place fairly shook and you could certainly feel it through the body, I think they just pushed it too far and with it distorting and vibrating the speakers and almost drowning out the guitar. Bailterspace are considered a noise rock band but on record it is easier to hear the subtleties inside the dirge they produce but live it all ends up being just a wall of noise. Alister Parkers singing sounds a lot different live also, a lot more snotty sounding. The drummer varied very little the beats he played, each song having a relentless but not flashy beat that rarely varied and just motored along, quite a contrast to the wild drumming of Wax Chattels. Highlight of the set was the playing of The Gordons Machine song and at least one or two of the classic songs I kinda knew from their rather large back catalog. I did have to remove my ear plugs for the Gordons song and also loosened them later to try and get a better appreciation of the noised they were making on the stage but I am now paying for it 24 hours later even from the short unprotected exposure I did have. I did enjoy moments of their set but it did get a little monotonous in the end and when the band finally finished, I did not stick around for the encore, especially as it was a weeknight and I still had the usual hours drive home.

Death & The Maiden - Space Acadamy - Christchurch - 7th September 2018

One of the Fishrider Records stable out of Dunedin, Death & The Maiden are definitely my favourite band from a very strong roster, with both their albums being very strong and the latest, "Wisteria", is perhaps my favourite NZ record of 2018. So I was pretty keen to go see them live.

 They had enlisted 3 other bands to support them, a couple of Christchurch groups and one from Wellington.

 First up was not actually a band but local artist, Motte, whom I have seen several times lately and who released a great LP last year,. that I really like. Motte first played one of her newer pieces where she uses some heavy deep electronic pulses to back her looped violin pieces. I was pleased to see she had got her voice back, after, I believe, she was not able to sing for a period due to health reasons and she preformed my favourite song from her album.

 Next Motte, also played in the next act, The Ben Woods Group, where she played keys and violin. I had seen The Ben Woods Group recently at one of the Melted Ice Cream gigs a couple of weeks earlier, their lofi droney shoegaze is ok but not not overall really inspiring, but I don't mind watching their set. Their best song is the one they have on the Melted Ice Cream sampler CD and is much more poppy and brighter than the rest of their music, I really like it.

 Plains are from Wellington and I had never heard of this three piece band. They played a sort of post rock kind of music with vocals and they sounded cleaner and clearer through the Space Academy PA and they got off to a great start with a great song that had stops and timing changes and I really was impressed and their next song was quite strong also, although the rest of their set did plod on a bit with their songs sounding all similar. They did not have a very strong singer either which is a common occurrence with many of the local amateur bands.

  Death & The Maiden are also a three peice with guitar, bass and electronics and the bass player on lead vocals. I thought the soundman struggled to get the sound right for this band as the bass was massively distorted and the guitar slightly lower in the mix than perhaps it should have been and it was bloody loud, also the vocals were a little hard to make out. The band on record are subtle and dark and beautiful but live is quite different but just as good. Sound issued apart, I thought they were fantastic, and knowing most of the songs they played as well as I do, I was almost dancing to the groove and just totally enjoyed their set as much ans anything I had seen recently, and there was some tough competition. The young lady on guitar was very impressive and I thought her playing was even better than on the records and it is really nice on them. A most impressive gig.

'Sickest Smashes from Arson City: Legacy Edition' Release Show No.3 - Darkroom Christchurch 18th August 2018

Night three and I'm excited to see Salad Boys and Dark Matter, having records by both groups and having seen both play live before. This final night is at my most visited of local venues, The Darkroom. I arrived just before 9pm and they still have not opened the doors so I wait in my car for several minutes untill doors open and get myself my only drink of the night as I soon find my wallet I left at home and I only had $5 left in my pocket. The first band sets up quickly and soon we are entertained by The Teasers, a drums and guitar duo with the White Stripes set up of female drummer and male guitarist and singer. An enjoyable if somewhat unmemorable set if my tired mind remembers correctly but I liked some of their songs and the added backing vocals from  the drummer.

  Next up is Dark Matter, bass, drums, guitar, violin and electric cello. I really liked their first LP. Some of the line up, especially the legendary lead singer/guitarist, Steve Cogal, also play as The Terminals, another legendary Christchurch underground band. They play with energy and tempo, creating a real dirge/wall of sound with the violinist fiddling madly at the back of the stage and the drummer going full tilt. It is kinda hard to make a lot out from the wall of noise but it is still pretty cool, and I always like Steve Cogal's singing, he has a real distinctive voice. Their songs do tend to blur together and sound the same with so much loudly amplified music going on.

 Third band are Salad Boys, perhaps one of the best known local indie acts with two full albums out and a great live act IMO. The band is the brainchild of  Joe Sampson with a revolving catalog of local musicians playing with him under the Salad Boy Moniker. Their set tonight is perhaps the best and most intense I have seen from them with Joe's guitar playing fantastic and the speed and energy of the three players the best of the three nights. Their cover of Wire's Ex lion Tamer was a surprise and a highlight in amongst the strong self penned songs that I knew from their records. This is one band that although they make great records, live they are even better. Brian Feary was again drumming in this band. 

 Lastly was perhaps the newest band from the three nights, Pavolvs Puss. This time it is our man Joe Sampson on guitar again with bass, drums and lead singer. The singer turns out to be another of those extroverts I had seen in the audience over the last couple of days and he was certainly pretty outspoken. He kinda sings/speaks/shouts his lyrics which sorta reminded of Sleaford Mods. Joe's guitar noodling in this band were not the power cords he played in Salad Boys but much more restrained and clear sounding and were pretty damn cool. This band will sound fucking cool on record I believe and were really enjoyable live. They ended their set but were threatening to play on maybe improvising some stuff as I think they had played all their repertoire, but I chose to opt out at this point as it was past midnight again and I wanted to get home again before I turned into a pumpkin. Last night was the best but all three night were totally enjoyable and worthwhile.

'Sickest Smashes from Arson City: Legacy Edition' Release Show No.2 - Lyttelton Records - Christchurch 17th August 2018

Second night of the Melted Ice Cream "Sickest Smashes from Arson City: Legacy Edition" Release Shows, and this time we are at Lyttelton Records in Woolston, a nice but small venue that I have only been to once before.

 We see some of the same faces from the previous nights gig plus some new faces as well as noticing that a good proportion of the small audience are actually members of the bands from tonight, last night and it turns out tomorrow night, just showing how this is a tight knit little scene I have entered into. This I think is the biggest crowd of the three nights.

  PGX are a fairly new band whom I did see play late last year at some gig and was impressed enough with this all Girl four piece then. Playing post punk agit pop with their American? singer, they play some great catchy tunes with well written guitar riffs and tonight they really rip it up with a great energetic set that I think is the highlight of the night for me.

 Next are Les Baxters whom I am still looking forward to their album coming out sometime and I have now seen live at least three times. Dave, who use to run Galaxy Records plays electric keys along with a young lady on electronic beats, I think, john on Theremin, and another gentleman on various pieces of equipment including discmans with pre recorded voice samples. I like their sounds and and reminded a little of early Cabaret Voltaire at some stages of their set. It is interesting and different music from the rest of the indie stuff getting played at these gigs.

  Brian Tamaki And The Kool Aid Kids are a band who's name I had seen come up many times over the last couple of years on various gig listing round town but this was the first time I have seen or heard them. It turns out that the Brian of the group is actually Brian Feary, the man behind the record label and the gigs and in this case behind the drums. Another pretty big band with three guitarists which made for a pretty intense racket and wall of sound as they rocked out their set. Brian set a thunderous beat for them to play to, probably hitting the drums as hard and as enthusiastically as any other over the weekends shows. I did enjoy their set but had reservations about the three guitars and the female vocalist. The male singer I think is the same singer in Wurld Series, and he was great. They did play with great energy and I would see them again.

 Cowboy Machine were a three piece of guitar, bass and drums and their singer/guitarist was one of those extroverts who had stood out in the crowd over the last two nights and I suspect was a little wasted. Their punky power pop started out pretty good but I thought the set deteriorated and the songs got slower and the singer talked a lot and seemed to kinda loose it a bit vocally. I kinda lost interest in them a bit and decided to head home before their set finished as it was now after midnight. Overall another really good and memorable night of music.

'Sickest Smashes from Arson City: Legacy Edition' Release Show No.1 - Space Acadamey - Christchurch 16th August 2018

Melted Ice Cream is an independent music label in Christchurch New Zealand run by Brian Feary, who also announces an NZ indie show on the local alternative radio station RDU(ex university radio station). Melted Ice Cream release mostly cassette releases with some great vinyl issues that I have in my collection and downloads on Bandcamp. They did a download only compilation of local Christchurch bands on Bandcamp back in 2013, "Sickest Smashes From Arson City". Now just over 5 years later the label release the second volume of this compilation and this time on CD (a first for the label)"Sickest Smashes From Arson City:Legacy Edition". In support of the CD release, Brian organized three nights of showcasing 12 bands from the CD at three different venues across the city.

 This first night was held at Space Academy, a venue readers will know I have been to several times before and seen some great local bands there.

  I got there pretty early after popping in to see a record stall at a local boutique brewery where Galaxy Records(recently closed) was trying to sell off the rest of his stock. I found out then that the Opawa 45's were playing across the road from Space Academy first up before the Melted Ice Cream Gig so I popped in for a while and checked them out. I had seen them before but I thought this time they were playing much slower numbers, a lot were covers, in their surf//rockabilly style.

 I did not watch their full set but wandered across the road to Space Academy to see how the gig was shaping up over there. Things were waiting for the gig across the road to finish and then as people trickled in things got off to a much later start than I anticipated.

 First up was Motte with her violin and sound effects and loops doing her usual interesting neo classical soundscapes with some beats backing her on occasion. I really like what she does. On her last number she was joined but some other musicians on drums, bass and guitar and made some interesting drony noise.

  Next Band Adam Hattaway and the Haunters were completely new to me. A big band with something like six members squeezed onto the small stage, I was taken buy the clarity of their sound with so many people playing together, which so often sounds like a big dirge when playing live, so it made it easier to make out what they were playing, especially as I did not know their music. Any how with brass and percussion as well as the usual drums and a couple of guitars etc, I was very impressed with their great poppy rock songs that were most accessible and very catchy. They were actually the highlight of the night for me, although I ended up leaving before I saw Wurld Series(who I do really like) as they were running way behind schedule, it was after midnight and I still had an hours drive home and work in the morning.

  Therefore the last band I did see for this first gig was the Ben Woods Group, another band I knew nothing about. It turned out that this was the same bunch who had joined Motte at the end of her set and indeed she did join them as part of the band. After Adam Hattaway, I though this band sounded quite murky in comparison and a bit louder so it did make it a bit more difficult to make out what they were playing, but it was quite droney and I did think there was some interesting stuff discernible in the murky sound. The cut they have on the CD sounds a lot more poppy than what I heard that night. Still I did enjoy their set and overall it was a fairly enjoyable night of cool music. A good start to my three night of music.

Beastwars - New City Hotel - Christchurch 4th August 2018

What a contrast from the previous night's indie pop gig at the same venue. This was the biggest crowd at the New City I have yet seen, pretty much sold out and confirming Berastwars as one of the country's top heavy metal/hard rock bands. First time I have seen this band, bought their last LP but have not any of their earlier stuff. This band have been around a few years but they are certainly not young men with plenty of grey hair and beards in evidence and looking older than I am.

  I haven't played their album a lot and although it is pretty good, it is not fantastic, but they are highly regarded and I decided I did not want to miss them live. The band have been out of action lately, with the singer battling cancer, which is now in remission and so the band are back out on the road and spoke of a new record in the new year.

  Three other bands were supporting Beastwars this night, but due to watching the first half of the Super Rugby Final, I missed the first band, just catching the last song of their set.

 The place was packed as Yarnspinner played next, doomy heavy rock with growely vocals, they played some cool riffs and longish numbers, slow and fast., long haired guitarist riffing intensely, a dark Gothic chick on Bass and massive beard on vocals. Enjoyable set and I think I saw them at the Doomfest at the same venue last December.

 Pieces Of Molly were next, a great hard rock/classic rock band with some great riffs and classic rock style guitar playing. Probably the most commercial sounding band of the night but definitely rocked out, and I definatlky enjoyed their melodies and was thinking how goos their music might sound on record. The live sound did get a little samey and I was glad when they finished but I would buy their music on record. Reminded me a bit of Wolfmother. Singer was the best of the night.

  Beastwars hit the stage just past 11:30pm, to a great roar from the crowd. As they hit their heavy grooves the mosh pit was heaving and it was fucking hot in this barn, so I stayed near the back by the sound desk. The band certainly are good live and I think they had their own PA instead of the usual venue PA, which sounded much better. I think they were pretty good live although this is another gig that won't stick in my memory as unforgettable or awesome but I did really enjoy their set and was tapping my foot and nodding my head along to the heavy groove. The crowd were pretty into it though and there was plenty of moshing at the front and some stage diving a couple of times. It was definitely worth going to see them.

Ha The Unclear - New City Hotel - Christchurch 3rd August 2018

Dunedin band Ha The Unclear's name had been on my radar for a little while but I really knew little about them or their music. Information about their new record had filtered through the vine a few weeks back and it became known to me that there was to be a vinyl version as well as CD and download. I am always partial to vinyl copies of NZ albums when I can get them and so hopped onto their Bandcamp site and sampled the wares therein. I was not immediately taken with the music but after a couple of goes I decided it was good enough to get hold of their record, and seeing as they were playing near me in support of that record, after a lot of procrastination, I finally decided at the last minute on Friday nigh,t to go check them out.

 I was expecting a bigger crowd after the early bird tickets had all been sold but it was actually a modest turnout of less than 100 people I think. I got there pretty early, just after doors opened at 8pm, as online ticket sales had finished just before I decided to go, and I wanted to make sure I got in via door sales.

  The support act was a solo lass named Laura Lee Lovely, She basically had pre programmed disco/techno type pop tracks to which she sung along in that pop.style that plays on commercial radio. It was horrible, She did have a good voice and perhaps the tunes were original but it was the sort of act I'd expect to see in some low class nightclub or perhaps a young persons evening at a local Workingmans club. I hope I never see the likes again.

  Ha The Unclear finally hit the stage and entertained up with their quaint indie pop, the first songs or two was not the best sounding from the PA as their soundman was in the audience with his laptop adjusting things as they played(as he did with their support act), but the sound improved and was pretty acceptable for the rest of their set. Live, the band were a bit more energetic sounding that their recording and I enjoyed the bass players lines on many of the songs. It was an enjoyable set and the songs were pretty good but it is not a gig that will stick firmly in my memory I think but I am still glad I went.

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.

Fis and Rob Thorn - Christchurch Arts Center Auditorium - 13 June 2018

Rob Thorn presents traditional Maori instruments and with the aid of Fis( Oliver Peryman) creates sonic soundscapes with electronics and taonga pūoro. I scored the album Clear Stones that the pair released last year and it is a very interesting and unique presentation of indigenous instruments and electronic manipulations of Rob's instruments.

 This presentation had nearly a full house at the Christchurch Arts Center on a cool and damp evening. After everyone finally took their seats, Rob gave a short introduction to what they would be doing and a warning as to the extreme volumes we were about to experience during their presentation. The venue staff then handed out earplugs to all who wished them, I don't usually bother but I took a pair just to be safe.

 Rob started the show on his own with the acoustic taonga pūoro instruments and feed them through a loop playback machine, building subtle layers of traditional sounds, this part of the presentation needed no earplugs. After a while Rob gave Fis the nod and he chimed in with his electronic sound oscillators and laptops building in volume until the sound became quite physical with the low end rumblings causing the floor and chairs to vibrate. Earplugs were definitely needed at this time. The pair played for just under an hour I think and it is difficult for me to describe the sonic art they produced except it was very loud and there was a lot of low end noise.

 There was a break for drinks and leg stretching before the show recommenced with just Fis solo with his boxes of knobs and buttons. Again it got very loud and physical but it was a very interesting and enjoyable soundscape he created while furiously fiddling with knobs and buttons and leavers etc on his boxes. Overall a very interesting, intense and enjoyable experience.

Evil Kid - Salad Boys - Dogfish - PGX - Darkroom - Christchurch - 9th June 2018

Two nights in a row I get to see some great live music, this time it is back to a regular venue, the Darkroom for the first time this year. Evil Kid hail from Dunedin and the bass player is someone I know from one of the music related Facebook groups I belong to and also he runs a local record label, Monkey Killer Records, and I have bought some records from him, so I hoped to meet him and have a chat.

  They had enlisted support from three local Christchurch bands, two I had not heard of and the third being the Salad Boys, who I have a couple of their records and had seen them play live before and liked their music.

 I arrived just as the doors opened at 9pm, bought a drink and waited for the bands to get set up. Dave from Galaxy Records soon arrived and opened his shop and I had a quick browse through his selections and a chat untill the first band was ready to go on.

 PGX were unfamiliar to me, an all girl band playing a great post punky music that really impressed and had some really cool guitar riffs going on in their bouncy music. Some of he other musos who knew them commented on how far they had come in their playing and songwriting. Look forward to some recordings soon.

Here is a short Video I posted to Facebook during their set.

https://www.facebook.com/Roddus1/videos/10156434267244731/UzpfSTcwNjMxNDczMDoxMDE1NjQzNTYzMzI3NDczMQ/

 Dogfish were next and they too are new to me. Guitar, Drums Keyboard and a sort of electric violin of some sort, they played long jammy instrumentals that I really liked and they appeared a little disorganized but it was a lot of fun.

https://www.facebook.com/Roddus1/videos/10156434327129731/UzpfSTcwNjMxNDczMDoxMDE1NjQzNTYzMjg3NDczMQ/

Evil Kid played next as they decided to let Salad Boys go last they are the best known band of the four. A four piece playing punky indie rock, their songs were all pretty good and catchy and had some great guitar licks that I enjoyed. The singer sounded familiar to me and I confirmed with David, the Bass played after their set that he had in fact been the vocalist of a band called Onanon of whom I have the records they put out on David's monkey killer Records.

https://www.facebook.com/Roddus1/videos/10156434384359731/UzpfSTcwNjMxNDczMDoxMDE1NjQzNTYzMjQ2NDczMQ/

Last up was Salad Boys, playing pretty fast tempo versions of the songs from their last LP, they really punked it up and were full of energy and played a good and enjoyable set. I heard Dave from Galaxy Records mention that the bass and drum players in the band keep changing every time he sees them play and I thought the bass playing was different from the last time I saw them play late last year. I though the Drummer missed a couple of beats also. They were the loudest band of the night and thinks did get a little more distorted, especially the vocals as both the leader and bass player were really screaming the lyrics sometimes and it was a little too much, but overall it was a great and energetic set.

https://www.facebook.com/Roddus1/videos/10156434452409731/UzpfSTcwNjMxNDczMDoxMDE1NjQzNTYzMTk2OTczMQ/

Not sure if you can access these videos links on facebook that I posted and unfortunately the videos are rather jumpy from my phone for some reason.

The Miltones and Emily Fairlight - Blue Smoke - Christchurch 8th June 2018

Been quite a while since I went to see any live music and not through lack of great bands coming through but mainly lack of funds to support my habit. Most spare cash has been used trying to keep up with all the great New Zealand vinyl records being released so far this year and good grief, how did the first half of the year disappear so fast.

 The Miltones the Wife and I saw last year at the same venue(a review of which I seemed to have forgotten to post) and most enjoyable they were on that occasion. As well as their wonderful debut record(which won a Tui for debut of the year) which has impressed me no end since getting hold of a copy.

 Also Emily Fairlight has her first record out and after having a listen on bandcamp, figured I would score a copy at the gig. She whom must be obeyed and myself duly arrived early enough to get a table near the stage and settled in with drinks in anticipation of of Emily taking the stage at 8:30.

 Being a support act I actually expected Emily Fairlight to be flying solo for this gig and so was pleasantly surprised to see a band join her on stage. She mentioned that the band being her southern band, in that they were a group of local musos, collected togeather for this gig. Overall it was a nice set. I was still quite unfamiliar with Emily's music but she has a good voice although her singing did not come through the PA all that clear or her speaking for that matter. There was one piece they did called The Desert, which was an instrumental number and quite experimental and different from the rest of her set and it impressed me the most. Overall both Mrs Roddus and myself  enjoyed her set and I did indeed purchase her record.

  The break between bands was kept reasonably short and soon the Miltones hit the stage and let rip into their rockin' set. The Miltones record is a combination of 70's Fleetwood Mac and modern Americana with their lead singer sounding a lot like Stevie Nicks sometimes. The last time we saw them at Blue Smoke, it was one of their Sunday Sit Down Gigs and the band was purposely restrained but still impressed me considerably with their well constructed and played music. This time they played with much more energy and it was evident from the first song that this band play together so well. The set consisted of several songs from the album, a couple or three new ones including the one that the tour was supporting and a couple of older songs that were not on the album. All that they played was great and the newer stuff bodes very well for the next album. The keyboard player was really getting into his stuff this night and his long hair was flying all over the place as he let rip with some impressive playing as well as a couple of cool trumpet solos. The Guitarist is also very skilled and on their rockier songs played some pretty cool and rocking solos as well. Another most enjoyable set from the Miltones and although their music is a bit more commercial than a lot of what I  usually listen to, I do really like and respect this band and they should be getting much more attention than they appear to be getting at present.

A Dead Forest Index - All That Drifts From Summit Down - Sargent House SH51 - 2016 - New Zealand (vinyl)

Probably not really a review but more of a rave in regards to this record. Two brothers, Adam and Sam Sherry are the core of this band with a few friends helping out. Their first full album after some hard to find EP's we are presented here with a bunch of shoegazy dreamy pop songs of ethereal ambience and outstanding quality. The music is great, the poetic lyrics somewhat impenetrable but of quality, but the vocal harmonies are just phenomenal. I think Adam handles most of the singing with Sam occasionally backing, but it also sounds like Adam harmonizes with himself a lot of the time. I just can't express just how astonishing this record is, one of the best New Zealand albums I have ever heard and definitely a desert island disc. Rating 5+/5

https://www.discogs.com/A-Dead-Forest-Index-In-All-That-Drifts-From-Summit-Down/release/8483087

https://adeadforestindex.bandcamp.com/

Steve Abel - Luck/Hope - Arcade Recordings AMR 006 - New Zealand - 2016 (Vinyl)

I had heard Steve's song "Sidewalk Doves" several times from a podcast I listen to regularly, which I enjoy, but although I had seen his record about, I had not got around to securing myself a copy, until I actually saw him play live last year, a gig I thoroughly enjoyed. I picked up this record there.

 A singer/songwriter with a pleasant and laid back almost lazy voice, which I like a lot, this album has quite a lineup of musicians that play on it from across the 6 year odd gestation period of this record. Steve just played solo with his acoustic guitar when I saw him play and he was great, but I always enjoy the music more when filled out with a full band and this music is no exception. This is a pretty sparse record, very laid back and understated but really well presented with plenty of strong tunes and nice subtle playing, especially from the talented Jolie Holland who has a strong presence on this set. A very nice record which get a rating of 4/5.

https://www.discogs.com/Steve-Abel-Luck-Hope/release/8954682

https://steve-abel.bandcamp.com/album/luck-hope

Milt Jackson & John Coltrane - Bags & Trane - Atlantic USA 1961 - CD Reissue 1988

I was pretty slow coming to jazz, it was a music I really struggled to connect with until probably well into my 30's, but before that I did slowly add some jazz titles to my collection. John Coltrane and Miles Davis mainly. With the discovery of John Zorn and Sun Ra in the early 90's I started to take more of a notice, although both stayed on the outer periphery of my music listening until much later.

 But the first jazz record I actually bought back in the late 80's while I still was in my early 20's was a vinyl copy of this album. I obtained it well before I started buying CDs and I have no idea which vinyl version I had at the time but I do remember really liking what I heard, especially the fast tempo tracks with their fast bass lines holding the tunes together. It was always the faster paced tunes that really captured my attention back in the day and this album certainly had some of that uptempo stuff for me to relish. As much as I liked this record at the time it still remained my only foray into jazz for quite a while. This CD reissue was released in 1988 according to the back cover and has 3 additional bonus tracks. I didn't actually buy this again till recently after I saw it really cheap in some shop and remembered my fondness for it. My enjoyment of this record has not diminished over the last 30 years since I first heard it and indeed I can appreciate the sheer quality of this great session from two jazz greats even more now. A wonderful record and the additional tracks all stand up well with the original record. Rating 4/5.

https://www.discogs.com/Milt-Jackson-John-Coltrane-Bags-Trane/release/1197653