Alt-J, Auckland NZ, 2017

Alt-J 

12th December 2017
The Town Hall, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Chris Zwaagdyk.

Last here in New Zealand in 2013 for Laneway Festival, Alt-J fans are more than just a little excited at the prospect of seeing the band perform their first headline show. So excited in fact that not only did the first Auckland date sell out but so did the second; the band playing Wellington on the 14th of December to finish off the tour.

The Town Hall is already almost at capacity when the five piece indie / damn fine guitar rock band that is Clap Clap Riot appeared on stage; the crowd welcoming them with much fanfare. Recently seen on the red carpet of this year’s Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards where they were very much deservedly nominated for ‘Best Rock Artist’; the boys may not have been wearing suits tonight but they looked just as good as ever dressed in the great Kiwi wardrobe staple of black. It’s been a big year for the Auckland five piece who released their third album Dull Life in April – so it was rather appropriate that they kicked off their set tonight with one of their latest tracks ‘Tired of Getting Old’. While the sound mix took a few moments to balance itself correctly – the volume properly kicking in halfway through their opening track – the band themselves were tight and polished. Moving into ‘Everybody’ and another slight issue of lead guitarists Dave Rowlands mic not being on was handled with professionalism as the band continued to push through.

“Hello” lead vocalist Stephen Heard addresses the audience before him, “we’re Clap Clap Riot and it’s nice to see you”; as they say ‘manners maketh the man’ and Heard certainly has this quality in abundance as he humbly thanks the audience after every couple of songs. While their physical performance was not as raucous as has been seen at their album release party and their recent performance at Cassette 9, it does not in any way detract from the calibre of their performance which is basically on point for the entire set. Tracks such as ‘Help Me’ saw Heard come into his own, those impressive falsetto’s of his still raising eyebrows amongst audience members that may not have caught the band live before; Tristan Colenso in his trademark wide brimmed hat solidly pumping out those bass beats while Anthony Metcalf moves fluidly between the keyboards and guitar, beefing up the strings sections in all the right places. While not always able to be physically seen due to the stage set-up there was no denying that Alex Freer made his presence felt on the drums, tying the band together. ‘Everyone’s Asleep’ had their fans singing the opening lines back to the band, the act of which visibly made the band glow with appreciation. Hot on its heels, crowd favourite ‘So you Say’ saw a wonderfully dramatic freeze frame pause under red lights before the band let loose taking the audience along with them for the ride; many dancing their hearts out despite the ever increasing temperatures. As Heard thanked the audience telling them they had all been “very generous with their applause”, Metcalf pointed out that it was Rowlands birthday prompting Heard to dedicate their last song of the set ‘Sweet Patricia’ to him. It has certainly been a year of ups and downs for Clap Clap Riot – but one things for sure, when it comes to New Zealand talent you cannot look past them as one of the greatest examples; latest album Dull Life especially a worthy addition to any music connoisseurs collection.

Following a short break in which interesting looking banks of black rods were carefully shifted into place; the audience settled in and awaited the arrival of Alt-J. Any fan worth their weight would have of course already had a peek at reviews of their shows over the last couple of months, but nothing, no amount of crystal clear photos could have prepared the audience for what they saw tonight. Lined up across the front of the stage Alt-J were separated from each other by what at times looked like living boxes of light. Surrounded by a combination of rods and panels that ebbed and pulsed in time with the music, the lighting created an organism that truly took on a life of its own during many parts of the show.

Formed ten years ago in Leeds, Alt-J quickly gained notoriety with their albums An Awesome Wave and This Is All Yours; tonight’s show seeing them tour their latest offering Relaxer released in June of this year. Opening with ‘3WW’ the audience were immediately captured by not only the mesmerizing light show that was growing before them but the absolute purity of the music emanating from the trio themselves. Dressed in black and often at times hidden from the audience altogether, Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton and Thom Green held the stage with refinement, Unger-Hamilton often sipping from a glass of wine as if to reinforce this. Alt-J, while not about the personal physicality of their performance are all about the intricate compositions and delivery of these sonic masterpieces; each song is impeccably laid out before the audience allowing them to almost sample from each tracks delicacies, savouring each small nuance that they discover along the way.

Moving through the set, fans are treated to some early classics in the form of 2012’s ‘Tessellate’ from the album An Awesome Wave and the indie soon to be classic ‘Deadcrush’ from their latest album; Newmans vocals absolutely flawless. In all honesty you could not fault the vocals of either Newman or Unger-Hamilton, each artist reaching notes in both the higher and lower registers that would seem almost impossible in a live setting. While not of the vocal persuasion, Thom Green holds the audience’s attention for a completely different reason; with a cap pulled down low and tight over his head for the majority of the evening, Green drums with a methodical precision that other professional touring artists could only dream of ever aspiring too. There is no ostentation with Green’s performance because none is required; his talents with a pair of drum sticks speaking for itself.

“Thank you so much Auckland, how’s it going? We’re so happy to be here, it’s our first ever headline show in New Zealand so let’s get on with it! Here we go!” Unger-Hamiltons baritone voice soars out across the room as the crowd cheers. While both Newman and Unger-Hamilton connect with the audience throughout the evening’s performance, chatter is kept to the minimum as the band attempts to deliver a solid set of tracks to their eager fans. ‘Matilda’ easily has the audience singing the lines into the wonderfully ornate ceiling of the Town Hall while ‘Hunger of The Pine’ is a slow burner that fills the room with its emotive performance, the stage lighting bringing the song to life with an almost indescribable intensity. While similar to the Sigur Rós show earlier this year, the stage lighting tonight for Alt-J was seriously next level. From strobing to muted purples and tendrils of smoke lazily crawling up the walls; for ‘Pleader’ with its almost unnerving note placement, the illumination rods on stage flashed and blurred out towards the edges, creating the illusion of moving through never-ending corridors.

By the time the encore rolled around it was hard to imagine that the show could get any better; but Alt-J were here to prove that it could. As the crowd bayed in unison for more, the GA section looked as if it was covered in hundreds of white butterflies, the effect in fact due to the hundreds of tickets and hands being desperately waved in front of people’s faces as the heat inside the venue peaked. But even that wasn’t enough to dampen the crowds sprits as Alt-J returned to perform a three song encore; ‘Breezeblocks’ delivering an auditory performance that was only superseded by the visual ecstasy of the lighting. As the crowd sang the lines “Please don’t go, please don’t go, I love you so, I love you so” Alt-J beamed back at them, mutual adoration intertwining in the air.

Impeccable, in every shape and form.

Were you there at the Town Hall for this magnificent gig? Or have you seen Alt-J perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below! 

Setlist:

1. 3WW
2. Something Good
3. Tessellate
4. Deadcrush
5. Nara
6. In Cold Blood
7. Dissolve Me
8. Matilda
9. Hunger Of The Pine
10. The Gospel Of John Hurt
11. Bloodflood
12. Every Other Freckle
13. Taro
14. Pleader
15. Fitzpleasure
16. Intro 1 [encore]
17. Left Hand Free [encore]
18. Breezeblocks [encore]