A few things have changed since I last reviewed Tamaki Makaurau-based neo-soul band Midnight Green: new songs, band members, and opening act. The band are currently in the works of creating a second EP, and they teased a few songs from it on Saturday at Ponsonby Social Club, along with introducing two new faces: trumpeter Tim Baker and guitarist Mark Bulos. The band had been without a guitarist for almost a year, so Bulos is an exciting modification, with the band saying the new additions will help them shift their music up a level. Bulos is also the guitarist of the remarkable Bahamian-born Tamaki Makaurau-raised multifaceted artist Elisa, aka Rachel Clarke, who opened the night.

Elisa has been passionate about music since a young age, often busking on the streets during school. She took her passion further as a young adult, studying for a bachelor's degree at the University of Auckland’s Jazz School. Elisa then started performing numerous solo shows, but her heart always longed to be in a band. The idea of asking classmates if they would want to play for her was holding her back, as they all seemed preoccupied with their own musical works, and she feared rejection.

After overcoming some obstacles in finding suitable members, Elisa has now gathered a four-piece band consisting of a guitarist, bassist and drummer. On the night, Bulos was on guitar, Kathleen Tomacruz was substituting on bass (a former classmate of Elisa), and Marvin Yuen was on drums.

Elisa and her crew perform at a variety of events, including corporate events, recently performing at the members-only Auckland CBD venue, Northern Club. The most astonishing element of Elisa’s performances is watching her skillfully multi-task, jumping from belting out impressive vocals to flawlessly playing the keyboard. She is a woman of many talents, and watching her perform left me feeling dazzled, with the crowd also cherishing her.

Elisa treated us by performing a mixture of unreleased and released songs, including her first release, Despondent.

She closed the performance with an unreleased track, Introspections. Although the performance was short, the audience was left well-informed about what Elisa and her music were about. After the crowd expressed their appreciation, it was time for the main act.

With the Ponsonby Social Club sign illuminating the stage, the new and improved version of Midnight Green entered. “It’s quite crowded up here, there’s eight of us!” were words lead singer Billie Rose Webster said whilst the members got into position.

I caught up with Webster before the gig and uncovered more about the band’s recent development and future aspirations. Webster shared that the second EP they are currently gearing up for will have a different approach to their previous one, ars amandi, which has an alluring feel to it.

“The theme of the new songs is different as they aren’t overtly sexual like with ars amandi. They cover experiences with addiction, recovery, the mental health system, religion and the relationship of power between men and women.”

Webster said that she has been practising different writing techniques this year, which has helped her to write about such topics.

“Another difference with the new songs is we wrote them together as a band. Previously, it was either myself or the old keyboardist. We would write the bones of a song and then bring it to the group.”

“Writing with the current members has been such a beautiful experience. They're all so talented in their own ways. And it has enhanced our ability to create lyrics and melodies.”

The addition of a trumpet has been a game-changer for the band, with them wanting it to “shine through” their new songs, dedicating large solos to Baker.

“It adds an old school, jazzy kind of character to the new songs and the way Tim and Cameron vibe together is so cute, you can tell that Cameron's so stoked to have another horn in the band.”

Webster said Bulos also helps to elevate the band's music to a new level.

"I don't know a lot about guitar, but I hear a George Benson-ish vibe to his stuff, and we've never had that kind of sound in our music before, so that’s really cool."

Although Webster didn’t study music, she has always been surrounded by it, growing up in a family that had a passion for the musical world. She then started writing poems as a high school student.

“I wanted them to be songs, but I didn't want to admit that I wanted to do music, so I just said they were poems.”

Webster kept at this habit until she was 21 when she began to take her music career more seriously.

Webster said that her dream would be for the band to be able to perform at festivals, particularly Australian ones, and said the band aims to create a full album in the coming years.

In addition to the two new faces and instruments, Zahn Foster was on bass, Oliver Prendergast on drums, Ellen-Moana Smith on backing vocals, Cameron Kelso on saxophone, and Michael Ligani on the keyboard. Dark sunnies were placed on, retro indie-styled ones for Prendergast making him look like an Oasis member, and so were performance faces; it was show time.

The band started by performing three new songs belonging to their upcoming second EP, Glory which has a prominent horns focus and which will soon be released as a single, along with Snow! which encounters an exciting change in tempo midway through, and Green Eyes which filled the room with a retro feel, and consisted of impressive vocals from Webster and trumpet from Baker. The audience’s heads were bopping, some were dancing, and phone flashlights were switched on.

Along with teases from their upcoming EP, the band also performed songs belonging to ars amandi, which the crowd still loved, and I had missed. Delicacy, which got everyone’s hips swaying side to side, was brought back, and an extended version of Nobody was played, where the hornists stole the audience's attention, pleasing them so much that they were cheering. Everyone appeared to still appreciate the already released songs, including Webster who was thoroughly enjoying herself whilst dancing whenever she got a break from singing. Webster and Smith’s feminine power dominated the stage throughout the show, with Webster’s ribbons attached to the bottom of her corset on the side of her thighs catching my eye.

After Nobody came Honey, another new creation from Midnight Green. This song slowed the crowd down and Webster addressed the meaning behind it to them as being “a conversation I had with five-year-old me.”

Next came another ars amandi throwback, The Singer. Foster’s bass and Bulos’ guitar became the centre of attention, wowing the crowd with their impressive solos. Foster looked like he was grooving throughout the whole performance, and Bulos looked deep in concentration, expressing a clear passion for his work.

Following came another pre-existing track, Taste of You, which transitioned into the classic Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes, which uplifted the audience with an exciting buzz, which was no surprise as the song is a classic - making me imagine I was in a British pub after the local football team had won a game.

The last song on Midnight Green’s list was Been Bad, another tease of their new work. Ligani’s keyboard got the crowd applauding; it was that impressive. Throughout the whole night, Ligani displayed enjoyment for the performance, often appearing to be jumping around in his chair whilst hitting the keys. This filled me with joy, seeing him grinning whilst playing, clearly displaying a deep passion for his work. Been Bad had a funky and fun ending, a pleasant way to end the band's setlist.

But of course that wasn’t the end, and the crowd demanded “One more song!” not once, but twice. Midnight Green gave in, and they performed the first song, Glory, again, where Ligani blew the crowd away one last time with his magical keys.

There was definitely a different energy to the crowd this time around reviewing Midnight Green, a reflection of the new themes and sounds behind the new music. Instead of a relaxed romantic feel, it was more of a get-out-of-your-seat and-dance feel.

I rate this gig a 4 out of 5. There were no faults to critique during any of the performances, but it did feel like some members displayed more energy for the last gig they did for the ars amandi release. Despite this, I am excited about the band's future and will be keeping an eye out for a potential album release.

If you want a chilled-back, relaxed night out in Ponsonby and are keen to watch some of Tamaki’s finest live acts, then I recommend you go to Midnight Green's next gig. Midnight Green’s music is versatile, and if you are doubting whether attending a gig is your type of thing, then you should give them a chance as I promise you won’t regret going.

You can catch Elisa playing again at Ponsonby Social Club this Saturday 26 October opening for jazz-fusion band Badmaw’s EP release and keep an eye out for Midnight Green’s second EP release. If I don’t see you at their next gig, I won’t be mad, just disappointed. See you there?

Photo Credit: Amani Sadique

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