I don’t know where Wellington’s music lovers were last night, but they sure weren’t at Bar Bodega. And that’s a shame because they missed a good night of rock’n’roll.
The Orphins thrashed out their fast and furious tunes to a small crowd of energetic fans. The mix was a bit rough, which made their sound a bit tinny, but they’ve got a pretty raw sound anyway, so it kind of fit with their vibe.
Pirate Suns were up next, playing their last show in New Zealand. This seems to be happening to me a lot – turning up to see a band for the first time and finding out it’s their last show in the country. I’m sure it’s nothing to do with me, just pure coincidence. At least that’s what I’ll keep telling myself. Pirate Suns play raw bluesy rock and do a pretty good job of it. They did a pretty mean White Stripes cover, and a less impressive Beatles cover – I’ve never been a big Beatles fan, so maybe I’m just biased though. It was their original material that stood out though. A mystery guest vocalist kicked things into overdrive for the end of their set and the crowd went mad – people were being thrown around all over the place.
The Slur Tones rounded out the night, playing to a near empty venue, which was disappointing for all involved. They almost called it quits before playing anote, but to their credit soldiered on and played a set they should be proud of. Their energy and stage craft should be enough to draw the punters in and by the end of their very short set there were a dozen or so people moving about in front of the stage, being wowed by leaps off drum kits, guitarists jumping off the stage and joining the crowd and a generally good buzz. Bodega regular, and solo acoustic folk troubadour, Sven Adams ran the entire length of the bar to join the band for their last song and then all too soon the band called it a night and the house lights came on.