Andrew Fagan And The People, Napier NZ, 2021

Andrew Fagan And The People

16th April 2021
Haumoana Hall, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.

Review by Rob Harbers, photography by Chris Kiely.

Although the conditions outside may be slowly getting cooler as autumn starts to take hold, in the venerable surroundings of the Haumoana Hall, but a stone’s throw from the ocean, it was anything but chilly as Andrew Fagan and crew took to the stage, and put the mockers on any ideas of their best being all in the past!

This was the latest iteration of Jamie Macphail’s Sitting Room Sessions, and marks a point in the process of widening their reach, as the concept expands to cover a wider range of territory, both geographically and in terms of venues utilised – there will be more news on this front over time, as plans coalesce. Exciting times ahead!

But I digress – back to the music. Support act for the night was The People, in various numbers – with their illustrious careers outside of this combo, the individual members have repertoires of their own to draw on, sufficient to amply fulfil the supporting role. First to take to the stage was lead guitarist Darryn Harkness, leading off on a solo note for a number or two before being joined by fellow People Kurt Shanks (bass), Joe Dekkers-Reihana (rhythm guitar), and John Murray on drums. Highlights of this set included Darren’s song “Hang Me”with lyrics that’d do Nick Cave proud and an instrumental arrangement reminiscent of a slowed-down, bluesier Hoodoo Gurus (or maybe that was just the echo of Dave Faulkner that I heard in Darryn’s vocals, I dunno). Joe’s track “Why Am I So Sad” was described by one audience member as being befitting of Seymour Krelborn, which wasn’t inaccurate with it’s potentially depressing subject matter leavened by lyrical wit and a droll delivery. All round, a great opening set, giving individual members the chance to share the spotlight while whetting appetites for their return to the stage with an additional cast member.

The reprisal of activity was kicked off in energetic fashion with “Now You Know” leading in to a set ranging across Andrew’s extensive history, his silver lamé suit reflecting the sparkle of the evening. With a recorded history going back nearly 40 years, there’s a rich vein of material to be tapped, although it was the big numbers that filled the floor, notably “Forever Tuesday Morning” its enthusiastic reception belying the fact that it topped the charts 36 years ago. This was no exercise in pure nostalgia though, with much more recent material fitting in seamlessly alongside the older. “Branch Of The Tree” saw Darryn shift to playing keys, creating a swirly world feel, one might say, while “Get Light” had a soaring, anthemic quality, that’d fill a stadium, let alone a small hall such as this! “Jerusalem”, played in this format, displayed a greater depth of sound than the original recording (perhaps an understandable evolution, given that the song is 27 years old!) and preceded a dramatic costume change by Andrew for “Messiah”, the same wardrobe upgrade perhaps the inspiration for some enjoyable guitar histrionics from Darryn.

“On Channel Me” saw the breaking out of Andrew’s personal “pocket light show”, an impressive piece of kit indeed, before we were transported 300 miles away to Rapa Island for the atmospheric “Night Island” with its delivery of spoken-word poetry. A driving bass line heralded “One Black Friday”, one of my more favourite Mockers ditties (along with “Alvison Park” and “The Good Old Days”, in case you were wondering) before “Something So Small” kicked in, its huge sound belying the title.

Before the night was out, “Swear It’s True” filled the floor once more, and then it was down to final number “We Fell Out”, which was the exact opposite of what transpired between band and audience this evening – a continuation of the mutual enjoyment and reverence of performance that characterises the Sitting Room Sessions, long may they continue. We await the next instalment of this story, whatever form it may take!

Were you there at Haumoana Hall for this brilliant performance? Or have you seen Andrew Fagan and the People perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below! 

Note: Plus1 provided passes to Ambient Light 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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