Adam McGrath
22nd June 2022
Te Awanga Community Hall, Te Awanga, New Zealand.
Review by Rob Harbers, photography by Andrew Caldwell.
As the country prepares to welcome the rising of the Matariki star cluster, it seems only fitting for the Small Hall Sessions to play host to one of the true stars of the New Zealand music scene, in the form of Adam McGrath. Similar to Matariki, this is a star whose fame and legend has been known only to a minority of the population, but deserves wider recognition. Not quite sure we can build it up to a public holiday, especially given the resistance that may be encountered from a certain quarter of Hawkes Bay, but we can still appreciate him in any case!
Coming on like a freight train, singing songs of, about and for the people, interspersed with poetry and yarns, Adam McGrath, with his sidekick Frankie Daley, held a hugely attentive audience through 2+ hours. With political convictions as red as his fiery beard, there is an admirable warmth and fellow-feeling conveyed in his songs and stories. This was his first show back on the road, breaking out of the Barland (or was that Baa-land?) that is the subject of one of his songs, and there was a palpable sense of release, of enjoyment of the experience, that augurs well for the rest of this run.
Tales told ranged across a spectrum from wheelchair-bound stoners, through liberated manchester, across origin stories of other singers, right up to an illustration of the principal tenet of Marxist theory! As much as the night was opened with Adam referring to his tendency to divide people, about the only sign of difference amongst the audience was in the song suggestions offered when he made what could have been an ill-advised call for requests. Could have been, that is, if not for a refreshing honesty in dismissing many of the suggestions by way of “Sorry, can’t play that one”, rapidly reducing the degrees of potential complication!
As much as Adam is the driving force of this experience, it would be remiss to overlook the contribution made by accompanist Frankie Daley, providing extra sounds on squeeze-box , BVs and keys. Her playing provides the texture to these songs, ranging from impassioned accordion through atmospheric keyboard sounds to a revival-meeting style piano, and the experience would not be the same without her.
Should I put down too many more words, however, I’d be in danger of passing both my deadline and the amount of words uttered by Adam, so best to call this to a close with this message (that may sound familiar to regular readers): Get off your asses and go see this man over one of the shows forming the rest of this run. He might not change your politics, but you’ll certainly have a damn good time along the way, and you’ll come away enlightened, with a warm glow (if you have anything left in your heart). Do it!
Were you there at the Te Awanga Community Hall for this intimate gig? Or have you seen Adam McGrath perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Note: Ambient Light was provided passes to review and photograph this concert. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.
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