It always feels a bit naughty being out at a show on a weeknight, but that hasn’t stopped the crowd from filling up Valhalla to see Emma Kate, Danica Bryant, and Jeff and the Angry Stick.

This is Emma Kate’s last show in Welly before she moves to Christchurch and the people have definitely shown up to make it a good one.

First up is Danica Bryant who has been smashing out shows this summer with her band but tonight she is treating us to a solo act. Starting off with her hits Libra and Crush to get the crowd engaged, Danica then does a brilliant cover of If It Makes You Happy by Sheryl Crow which has people singing along.

Next up we have a new song called Morals which she has never played solo and is going to be released on February 12. Morals is about being vulnerable and the struggle of fame to be who you are but also fit in with what others want. There's some strong lyrics including the chorus of "Can my morals stop making a mad man out of me, Can my morals stop making it so hard to feel free. I give all my time; I give all my mind. But I go nowhere by my own design". The song is beautiful, easy to sway/dance to, and you can really hear the vulnerability in Danica’s voice which is highlighted even more by her not having the band.

Danica declares Burlesque Witch to be a feminist anthem before launching into a punchy, fun song about aging in an industry that doesn't want women to age. To finish off her set we hear the two Halloween songs that Danica has released; Acid and Ready to Bite. It has been good to hear just Danica and her guitar, giving her vocals a chance to really shine, and there is no doubt that with or without her band she is a very talented artist.

Jeff and the Angry Stick are a fun band that describe themselves as a fusion of Metal, Rock and Pop. Hailing from Masterton they scatter Masterton jokes throughout their set, which shan’t be repeated but made this Masterton born lass chuckle. They start their set with the only song they have released on Spotify, Slow Burn which features epic guitars from the 3 guitarists, Sam King (lead), Pete King (bass), and James Trotman (rhythm), and gets the audience dancing.

Fly Away continues the fun as an upbeat, rocky, funky song with some good drums at the end. A super cute song called Me & You is next which is about growing old together. It is bouncy, has a great instrumental and with the lyrics "it keeps growing stronger, as we go on longer, there's no place I'd rather be, than with you", it makes me wish they had a released version of it to play at my wedding reception! (hint, hint).

We go from super sweet to a bit more serious as Frontwoman Nikki dedicates their song Post Truth to America and asks for a round of applause because they're gonna need it. Post Truth has a lot of fun bass drumming, a great catchy beat, and the drums get harder as the song goes on. It becomes apparent why this song was dedicated to America as Nikki sings "And when the sun comes up and you read the news, you feel it's true, coz you read it on the cover of a magazine, you heard it too yeah, and just because you believe it so, it's not the truth, do your own research and find the truth."

Caffeine is a hard hitting fun and extremely relatable song about being addicted to you guessed it, caffeine! There are some home truths such as "I can be mean without caffeine" and "Before I give you a hug, you need to fill my mug", which had people laughing as they rock along to the huge guitars. "It’s time for a metal song", declares Nikki as they launch into a song about a narcissist called You Won't Win. The energy in the room is going crazy as the crowd get more enthusiastic and clap along to Crazy Life before Jeff and the Angry Stick finish their set with the to the point banger I am F*cking Done, a great song that ends with an appropriate "I am walking away, I'm fucking done! Now fuck off!"

Emma Kate starts off her set without giving any introduction or warning, instead launching into her song Spotlight which starts slow and sweet and gets heavier. Emma introduces herself and her band and then sings Angel, An upbeat song featuring bassist Mia on backup vocals. "Fly me to the stars, you're my shining heart, you're the best part, you're my angel heart."

Rainstorm is a fun, easy listening pop song with sweet sounding vocals that reminds me so much of early Taylor Swift. Invisible Broken Hearts really highlights Emma’s voice and it gives me chills as she sings the chorus.

Time for a cover of the song The Only Exception by Paramore, which is no easy feat, but Emma absolutely smashes it with her beautiful voice reaching that high note perfection! Harmonies from Mia make it even more stunning. Poison Water is a chilling song which highlights Adam on the keys and further shows just how amazing Emma’s voice can be.

Still Here is a song about Emma’s granddad who passed away and despite sounding like a sad song it really isn’t. It has the juxtaposition of being upbeat whilst sweetly remembering their time together and it features the tender lyrics "You're still here, not in a grave or in my head, you're right here and you're talking off my ear", and "You're here and you'll never disappear".

Time for a less serious song and Ink is a fun song about, well, running out of ink. It’s a funny little ditty about how Emma writes too many songs out on paper and in doing so runs out of ink. This is followed by another cover song, this time Haunted by Taylor Swift which is fitting since I likened Emma Kate's voice and style to her earlier. I don't know the song so cannot make any comparison, but I really enjoyed Emma singing it. The final song of the night is Abyss, which is the heaviest song of the night in its chorus. There are epic guitars and haunting vocals, and it is my favourite of the night.

Emma Kate's voice is amazing, her high notes are at times insane and I audibly said, "hot damn!" at one point during her set haha. Wellington is losing a very special and talented artist and I hope she returns for shows so we can enjoy more of her epic singing. A wonderful night, a full Valhalla, and a variety of musicians makes being tired for work tomorrow worth it!

• 1
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• 2
  Horror Story
• 3
  Fraser Ross
• 4
  Fur Patrol
• 5
  Devilskin
• 6
  Michelle Rounds
• 7
  L.A.B.
• 8
  Coridian
• 9
  Wash
• 10
  The Boondocks

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• 1
  APT.
  ROSÉ And Bruno Mars
• 2
  DIE WITH A SMILE
  Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars
• 3
  BIRDS OF A FEATHER
  Billie Eilish
• 4
  TASTE
  Sabrina Carpenter
• 5
  I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
  Gracie Abrams
• 6
  ESPRESSO
  Sabrina Carpenter
• 7
  SAILOR SONG
  Gigi Perez
• 8
  LOSE CONTROL
  Teddy Swims
• 9
  A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
  Shaboozey
• 10
  GOOD LUCK, BABE!
  Chappell Roan

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