8 Sep 2024
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Gig Review: Wellington Invasion @ Paisley Stage, Napier - 20/07/2024

25 Jul 2024 // A review by Rob Harbers


Bringing a touch of Poneke vibes to Ahuriri’s Paisley Stage, The Bravo Uniform Mikes, with their partners in crime Adoneye, continued their mission of bringing the noise. And what a noise!

Local assistance was provided by Awarewolves, with their solidly melodic metal clearly having its own support base, going by the amount of branded gear on show! Unfortunately, other commitments on the night meant that I only caught their last 2 and a half songs, but these were intriguing enough for me to want to catch them again, for a more substantial encounter. Going by the amount of gigging this hard-working crew undertake, that shouldn’t be too much of a challenge!

Making their first ever pilgrimage to Te-Matau-A-Maui, Adoneye roll in fresh off the back of their overall win at the national Battle of The Bands, and based on this performance, it’s not hard to see what got them there. With their adept handling of the quiet-loud-quiet dynamic, there’s echoes of the 90's going on, calling to mind Silverchair, among others. Similarly, the complexity of the instrumental interplay harks back even beyond that, to the likes of Television and earlier Talking Heads. The involved nature of the lyrical content was somewhat lost within the sound, unfortunately, but what could be heard indicated an impressive intensity of thought. Certainly, a bit more going on than is contained within the average mainstream, aimed at your average teen! Definitely a recommended proposition, well worth catching when the opportunity comes near you.

Their departure opened the way for The Bravo Uniform Mikes, or let’s be honest here, the BUMs, to come on like a hurricane. With all the subtlety of a DM (Doc Marten, that is) in the gonads, this duo ripped open the sonic fabric and poured on through. Pottsy’s opening statement of “Let’s fuck some shit up” was amply lived up to, while Tomas’ tendency to kill drum kits required the advent of custom technology in the form of the “Drumstopper 5000” for the sake of the safety of the venerable Paisley Stage kit. Blasting through a quickfire set, the BUMs built further towards their mission of creating a base of support in this part of the country, a mission that sees them making regular trips up the road and will be sure to build a buzz (or at the very least a ringing in the ears!). A rendition of Folsom Prison Blues that could just about blast through the walls of that institution broke up the original content. Content that included the recently released, and perfect opportunity for an audience sing-along Motherfucker, which would’ve done Samuel L proud! Loud and proud, that’s the BUMs way! And a whole lot of fun too, that’s for sure.

But all fun must come to an end, and such was the case tonight- a satisfied, if slightly shell-shocked, audience heading out in to the Ahuriri night, fully entertained, and looking forward to next round. Any one of these bands, go and see them if you can, you won’t regret it!

 

Other Reviews By Rob Harbers

Gig Review: Black Comet @ Paisley Stage, Napier - 26/07/2024
02 Aug 2024 // by Rob Harbers
Ahuriri’s Paisley Stage was the setting for the Looking for a New Planet tour appearance of Black Comet, Laughton Kora’s ensemble of funky rock monsters, and the Comet took in its trail a whole new body of fans! Introductory duties fell to Willsy and Friends, the elastic combo I’ve previously mentioned in these pages.
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Gig Review: Devilskin @ ToiToi Opera House, Hastings - 15/06/2024
18 Jun 2024 // by Rob Harbers
On a chilly Te-Matau-A-Maui evening, Devilskin brought the warmth to a capacity crowd at Hastings’ ToiToi, with the help of a few friends. Probably the loudest the old girl’s been for some time, as they celebrated the 10th anniversary of the release of debut album We Rise.
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Gig Review: Bitta Batta @ Paisley Stage, Napier - 14/06/2024
16 Jun 2024 // by Rob Harbers
The weather outside was frightful, but inside the coolest little venue in Ahuriri, things were anything but, as the soulful Bitta Batta were making their debut on the Te-Matau-A-Maui stage! Such ventures require a supportive hand in their genesis, and tonight that fell to the amorphous collective that is Willsy and Friends.
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Gig Review: Tower of Flints @ Paisley Stage, Napier - 4/05/2024
08 May 2024 // by Rob Harbers
On a Saturday night with many entertainment options for the people of Te-Matau-A-Maui, a select audience was treated to a triple bill of quality artists at the sweet little spot that is the Paisley Stage.First up was Te Whanganui-a-Tara’s Spinning Lights, making their East Coast debut.
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Sam Higham - Album Review: Jam Fish
20 Nov 2023 // by Rob Harbers
Poneke’s Sam Higham has just released his debut solo album Jam Fish. With an audacious precocity belying his mere 26 years, this one-man production threatens to smash many preconceptions, and burrow its way into your head with its multi-faceted attack, one that would fall, for want of a better position, into the arena of ‘progressive’.
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Ryan Fisherman - Album Review: Country EMO
13 Oct 2023 // by Rob Harbers
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Album Review: Mana Mushroom
30 Aug 2023 // by Rob Harbers
Poneke’s Mana Mushroom’s eponymous self-titled debut EP has emerged into the world, and it’s a banger! Showing the benefit of a long period of gestation in the live arena, this impressive instrumental collection has its aim stated as “to stimulate listeners' senses in a way which evokes a sense of wonder about the world and our place in it", and it achieves this aim.
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Bazurka - Album Review: Novi Grad All Stars
06 Jul 2023 // by Rob Harbers
Te-Whanganui-a-Tara’s Bazurka back up their cool-as-fuck name with a refreshingly distinct sound, one that brings the spirit of the Balkans alive in contemporary Aotearoa.Their new album, Novi Grad All Stars, opens with a flourish of brass, leading in to a delicate violin threnody, which then segues into a syncopated groove, in which all the players are given their opportunity to shine.
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