22 Nov 2024
Gig Review: Ska Save The Queen @ The Thirsty Dog, Auckland - 03/06/2018
12 Jun 2018 // A review by Paul Goddard
I grew up in Coventry in the UK. As a kid my first introduction to music was Two Tone the local record label that had Ska bands like The Specials, Selector, The Beat etc. I can remember getting my first Harrington Jacket and having Specials in bright red felt letters ironed onto the back. At the time I had never seen or heard them but everyone in Coventry had a Harrington with either their own name on the back (why would you do that?) or a band from the Two Tone Label.
In later years I ran a rehearsal studio in the city and got to know some of the musicians who were part of this scene. Sir Horace Gentleman (or H to his friends) still plays around the city and with the current line up of The Specials and used to rehearse with us. Roddy Radiation (Byers) who can now be found playing in The Ska Billy Rebels. It's part of my musical heritage so I just had to be there for this evening of New Zealand based Ska.
I arrived early as the event was sold out and parked myself in a corner of the room with a decent view not too far from the bar. There was a real buzz as a mixed crowd of stoners, dub heads, punks, skins and rude boys and girls settled in for a celebration of a day off here in NZ that my friends back in Blighty don't even get. Ska save the Queen indeed!
The room was full as openers Roofdog took to the stage. After a few technical issues, the band kicked in with a brand of high energy punk-infused Ska. Think Rancid meets The Drop Kick Murphys while necking whiskey and smoking weed. A mixture of speed and chill that was totally intoxicating. They are bringing something new to the genre and were the highlight of the night for me. Vocalist Jake has a great voice and laid-back punk style that is backed up by some great songs and musicianship from the rest of the band.
As they finish and the in-between DJ's spin some mellow vibes in advance of The Mighty Herbsmen taking to the stage I attempt to make my way to the bar but give up. This place is seriously rammed.
Obviously, with a name like theirs, The Mighty Herbsmen were going to bring a slightly mellower Ska reggae vibe that kept the party rolling. They were tighter around the edges than the punkier Roofdog but also mixed things up a bit continuing a theme of taking Ska and Reggae then adding their own twist of rum and coke to it. They smoothed out the lines, got people dancing and almost had a stoned showband vibe about them. Great musicians and a great vibe that was the perfect build to headliners Acetones.
I have seen these guys before and they are faultless. At this stage of the night the alcohol has kicked in and it's all systems go. How they fit the whole band onto this little stage and still manage to play is beyond me, so I close my eyes and just start to dance. After all that is what I remember about this music as a kid in Coventry growing up with Two Tone and Ska music. It makes you want to dance, transports you to another place. Acetones are the icing on the Queen's Birthday Cake dropping a bit of reality and escapism into the mix and are the perfect end to a night I will never forget.
See you next year (unless she pops her paid by the taxpayer's clogs)
★★★★ (4 stars)
Review written by Paul Goddard
I grew up in Coventry in the UK. As a kid my first introduction to music was Two Tone the local record label that had Ska bands like The Specials, Selector, The Beat etc. I can remember getting my first Harrington Jacket and having Specials in bright red felt letters ironed onto the back. At the time I had never seen or heard them but everyone in Coventry had a Harrington with either their own name on the back (why would you do that?) or a band from the Two Tone Label.
In later years I ran a rehearsal studio in the city and got to know some of the musicians who were part of this scene. Sir Horace Gentleman (or H to his friends) still plays around the city and with the current line up of The Specials and used to rehearse with us. Roddy Radiation (Byers) who can now be found playing in The Ska Billy Rebels. It's part of my musical heritage so I just had to be there for this evening of New Zealand based Ska.
I arrived early as the event was sold out and parked myself in a corner of the room with a decent view not too far from the bar. There was a real buzz as a mixed crowd of stoners, dub heads, punks, skins and rude boys and girls settled in for a celebration of a day off here in NZ that my friends back in Blighty don't even get. Ska save the Queen indeed!
The room was full as openers Roofdog took to the stage. After a few technical issues, the band kicked in with a brand of high energy punk-infused Ska. Think Rancid meets The Drop Kick Murphys while necking whiskey and smoking weed. A mixture of speed and chill that was totally intoxicating. They are bringing something new to the genre and were the highlight of the night for me. Vocalist Jake has a great voice and laid-back punk style that is backed up by some great songs and musicianship from the rest of the band.
As they finish and the in-between DJ's spin some mellow vibes in advance of The Mighty Herbsmen taking to the stage I attempt to make my way to the bar but give up. This place is seriously rammed.
Obviously, with a name like theirs, The Mighty Herbsmen were going to bring a slightly mellower Ska reggae vibe that kept the party rolling. They were tighter around the edges than the punkier Roofdog but also mixed things up a bit continuing a theme of taking Ska and Reggae then adding their own twist of rum and coke to it. They smoothed out the lines, got people dancing and almost had a stoned showband vibe about them. Great musicians and a great vibe that was the perfect build to headliners Acetones.
I have seen these guys before and they are faultless. At this stage of the night the alcohol has kicked in and it's all systems go. How they fit the whole band onto this little stage and still manage to play is beyond me, so I close my eyes and just start to dance. After all that is what I remember about this music as a kid in Coventry growing up with Two Tone and Ska music. It makes you want to dance, transports you to another place. Acetones are the icing on the Queen's Birthday Cake dropping a bit of reality and escapism into the mix and are the perfect end to a night I will never forget.
See you next year (unless she pops her paid by the taxpayer's clogs)
★★★★ (4 stars)
Review written by Paul Goddard
Other Reviews By Paul Goddard
Cairo Knife Fight - EP Review: Dream Season
19 Jul 2024 // by Paul Goddard
Cairo Knife Fight have been around a while and been through a lot. Spawned in NZ and now based in the U S of A it has been a journey full of highs and lows.
Read More...
The Dirty Tones - Album Review: Sweet Thang
23 May 2024 // by Paul Goddard
For me, Blues music is the real soul music. It has storytelling like Country and folk music and passion like Rock music, but at its core it gives a window into the soul of the people creating it.
Read More...
Sam Cullen - EP Review: Love Again
18 Apr 2024 // by Paul Goddard
When I first heard this brand-new EP from Invercargill native Sam Cullen, I was immediately reminded of another famous Sam who has an equally famous last name (Fender).The four songs on the Love Again EP have a familiarity and similarity with roots going back to Springsteen and the well-trodden stadium rock road but there is also something in the songs on Love Again that could only be grown in New Zealand.
Read More...
Skitch Hiker - Single Review: Slippery Wet Handshake
30 Jun 2023 // by Paul Goddard
Wow.Just when you have given up on music and banging your head against a brick wall wondering why Taylor Swift is more popular than toilet roll during a pandemic something like this comes along.
Read More...
Retro Valley - Single Review: Backseat Lovers
19 May 2023 // by Paul Goddard
Right from the opening bars of Backseat Lovers by Hamilton-based Retro Valley it is clear that this song is pure class.This 3-minute tune is a next-level lesson in how to create, perform and produce a pop/indie classic.
Read More...
Murmur Tooth and Lars Moston - Album Review: No Time To Explain
19 May 2023 // by Paul Goddard
Collaborations can work. Sometimes they do most of the time they don't.
Read More...
Album Review: Sex Dad's Greatest Hits: The Very Best Of Sex Dad
27 Dec 2022 // by Paul Goddard
Feeling bloated and underwhelmed. Listening to mainstream radio in the car as I left my phone at home.
Read More...
Marrow Neck - EP Review: Made Up
23 Nov 2022 // by Paul Goddard
Sitting here in a very wet and cold, rainy UK watching the oldies falling out of the local Wetherspoons where they have been on the piss since 9am (yep the UK is weird it's only the old people who can afford to get pissed all day).I am reflecting on the past as I listen to the latest EP Made Up from Auckland-based Mark Hannington.
Read More...
Most Viewed Artists
Latest Galleries
NZ Top 10 Singles
- APT.
ROSÉ And Bruno Mars - DIE WITH A SMILE
Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars - BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Billie Eilish - TASTE
Sabrina Carpenter - I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
Gracie Abrams - ESPRESSO
Sabrina Carpenter - SAILOR SONG
Gigi Perez - LOSE CONTROL
Teddy Swims - A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
Shaboozey - GOOD LUCK, BABE!
Chappell Roan
More Content on muzic.net.nz
Google Site Search
Custom Search
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report A Problem
