Auckland City Rock Fest
19th August 2017
The Kings Arms, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Matt Henry Mendonca.
In today’s current economic times, a decent night out can often cost an arm and a leg; so there was much excitement surrounding the announcement of the Auckland City Rock Fest featuring ten of some of the best bands on the circuit for less than the price of a couple of garage bands. To top it off the event was to take place on one of the most iconic (and soon to be demolished) stages in Auckland, The Kings Arms. The brainchild of both JP Carroll (Armed in Advance) and Nick Douch (Ekko Park), the night promised to be one of epic proportions.
Kicking it all off at the hour of 5pm it was great to see that many fans had made the effort to arrive early and check out the first act of night Coridian. The four piece Auckland band storm the stage and impress from the outset, with excellent stage presence, ‘Nonetheless’ the perfect opening track. Dity wearing a Skinny Hobos tank on vocals, proves just how to use the voice as an instrument, his professional mic work refreshing to see; he feeds off the energy of the band and utilizes the space afforded to him including the drum riser. With an EP already under their belt, the band will be hitting the studio soon to record a second; new single ‘Reflections’ providing a taster of things to come. With tracks ‘Slow Moves’ and ‘Blind Faith’ rounding out the set nicely, Coridian are a band that will easily be headlining their own gigs in the foreseeable future.
Next up on the bill are the mighty Dead Beat Boys, a five piece act that tout themselves as Rock’n’Roll but who certainly have a little rebellious punk undertone. When a lead vocalist arrives on stage and states “For the nest 15mins it will be the awkward shitty rock fest, ha, just kidding, we’re alright” with that dry kind of self-deprecating humour you just know that you are about to witness something a little out of the ordinary and from first track ‘Voices’ that is exactly what the audience got. Reminiscent of Pelle Almqvist of the Hives, lead vocalist James has a howl that could wake the dead, while the guitar line drive the songs home with zest. The band may have been on a tight time schedule however James still works in a suitable amount of banter, threading some of it into the songs themselves. It pays not to take your eyes off the stage for more than a minute either as James is prone to disappear into the audience, weaving his way through more than once before finally ending up on the bar where before sliding into a short breakdown of QOTSA’s ‘Feel Good Hit Of The Summer’. Easily one of the stand out performances of the evening, make sure you check these guys out live as soon as you can as you will not be disappointed.
Quinn The Human are aptly described as “two parts Jurassic Park, three parts Sylvester Stallone (Pre Balboa, with energy to burn)”, they arrive on stage with a decidedly business meets military look while Rusty Steele, sporting a glorious head and chin combo of hair advises all to “hold onto their dick holes”. Quirky beats and unbelievable backing vocals that sit in such a high register that they almost feel otherworldly, Quinn the Human easily bring that decidedly psychedelic rock infused sound to the crowd, prompting much banging of heads and raising of horns. Tracks such as ‘Gutterfingers’ (currently on rotation on The Rock) and ‘Shortcut to your Doom’, keep the energy burning; ‘…If I were an Arsonist’ taking the set out in style.
Three bands in and Auckland City Rock Fest has already dished up some outstanding acts, with yet another seven bands to come. The night being split into two groups of five (Karaka St Group & Frances St Group), with two “headliners” per team.
The first of the headliners of the Karaka St Group ‘Dead Favours’ arrived on stage to the theme tune of The Munster’s which brings a smile to the face of those that recognise it. Dead Favours have already gained quite the reputation since forming last year, the four piece band made up of a few familiar faces such as Kyle Wetton from Bloodnut and Jared Wrennall of Steriogram. ‘Protest’ is first off the block tonight setting the tone for what would be a blistering set, well up until the point that Wetton suffers a few technical issues, but that wasn’t going to hold these boys down. New single ‘High Flying’ was given a run tonight – its first outing live and judging by the audience reaction it was received well. While far more static on stage in some ways compared to the bands preceding them, Dead Favours let the quality of the music speak for itself; with solid riffs and song structure, Wrennall’s vocal style sitting in the mid to high register similar to artists such as Matt Bellamy and Josh Homme. If you are a fan of acts such as QOTSA, The Kills and Royal Blood then Dead Favours are for you. After a brief run-down of members of the band and confirmation that drummer Charlie Smith does indeed have the sweetest smile on the circuit, Dead Favours bring it home strong with ‘Heatstroke’ and the killer single ‘Dig’ (NB if you have not seen the stellar music video for the track directed by Adam Jones – do your eyes a favour and check it out now) the crowd completely losing themselves to the pure rock element of the chorus.
Second headliner of the Karaka St Group are the formidable ‘Written By Wolves’ fronted by none other than Michael Murphy who has a long history in the NZ music scene thanks to his first introduction through NZ Idol. Backed respectively by Davie Wong, Bahador Borhani and Karl Woodhams who have all played with Shotgun Alley (Wong also appearing in False Start), these guys may still be relatively young but have a wealth of musical background between them. Written by Wolves explode with their opening track ‘Timebombs & Hurricanes’, the band appearing as a five piece tonight and embracing that progressive rock feel by incorporating both electronic with a heavy guitar line. Looking back across the room it is obvious to see the appeal they have with fans chanting along to the chorus all the way through to the back of the room. Their performance is certainly the icing on the cake for the Karaka St Group; with fans and first timers alike abandoning themselves to the songs before the well scheduled ‘interval/drinks break’ which as pointed out is a “fucking efficient” feature of the night. Following stand out track ‘Not Afraid to Die’ we are introduced to ‘To Tell You the Truth’ which Murphy advises will be their next single; but it is their final track of the night that turned the room into one big crowd bonding session as the opening piano notes of ‘Welcome to The Black Parade’ by the infamous emo band My Chemical Romance elicited actual squeals from multiple members of the audience (including those of the male persuasion). Performed flawlessly it was a great ending to both their set and the first half of the night.
As the crowd filtered out in different directions to catch their breath in the cool night air it was a chance to reflect on the quality of the night so far. Not only had we been treated to some formidable acts but the organization of the event had been spot on, with the bands running to the tight schedule allowing the energy within the room to remain constant (no dull patches here!)
Soon enough the house lights once again dimmed and it was time for the second half of the night to begin; the Frances St Group being headed by none other than one of the evening’s organisers; Mr. JP Carroll with his band Armed in Advance. ‘Pain’ their recently released new single was an obvious choice to begin the set with, both Ryan Thomas on drums and Hugh Hokopaura on bass looking like they meant business as they pounded out the chorus. This band has grown in strength with each live performance and it was fantastic to see that by only the second track JP had put down the guitar and was completely tearing it apart on the mic with the track ‘Mistakes and Memories’. ‘Blood on Your Harem’, ‘Stay’ and ‘Same Old Story’ all completely brought that heavy rock vibe that Armed in Advance are now synonymous for to the stage while ‘Banquet’ ended the set nicely. JP being of the quality of character that he is, quickly taking the time to not only thank the bands as well as the audience, but all of the people involved in making Auckland City Rock Fest happen.
Hailing from Christchurch, Setting Fire to Stacey have slowly been developing a loyal following since their creation in 2012. Featuring a strong guitar frontline, they are known for their heavy riffs over which vocalist (cutting an imposing figure on stage tonight in a striking Illicit ‘vampire fang’ singlet) Arend Hoek lays his often soaring yet melodic vocals. They begin their set on a high with the last track off their stunning debut EP (Love and War) ‘Final Bullets’ following it up a couple of songs later with one of their biggest hits ‘No Way Out’ an anthemic track that you will find yourself humming the chorus of long after the band have left. The second to feature a well-known cover tonight, Setting Fire to Stacey end their set with Hoek speaking of the loss of Chester Bennington this year before dedicating their cover of ‘One Step Closer’ to his memory. However the best laid plans of mice and men, the guitars didn’t quite gel on the first attempt, Hoek quickly shutting it down with a “Woah, hold the phone” before the band nailed it on the second attempt, once again the crowd joining in on the joint bonding in memory of the Linkin Park front man.
The evening is chugging along at an incredible pace, leaving no room for audience members to become bored as the bands efficiently swap out gear. Third act of the Frances St Group is Silence the City who have only just this week dropped their “anti-love” song ‘Ruins’ which was co-produced by Matt Brooks of Like A Storm and is accompanied by a wicked little lyric video. Almost appearing on stage out of thin air, they catch the crowd slightly off guard as they launch straight into ‘We Are the Voice’ their powerful single released this year that was inspired by the conservationist efforts to save the last of the Maui Dolphins. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, Silence the City give a shit and they aren’t about to apologise for it any time soon. Lead singer Justin Pitt (yet another vocalist who knows how to utilize a microphone) is backed by an impressive band including the machine that is Adam Davey on drums and Andrew Kerr on lead guitar who consistently churns out the riffs. Pitt works the crowd, telling them how “fucking amazing” they have been tonight while he delivers song after song in rapid fire order; ‘Cntrl Alt Del’ and ‘Heaviest Wave’ both stand outs for the night. Not surprisingly they farewelled the audience with the aforementioned new single; impressing those who had not yet had a chance to hear it.
We are now down to last two headliners of the Frances St group, the first being a duo who embody the inner mantra of ‘hobosexualness’ (for the uninitiated check out our recent interview with Sam Holdom). However before any magic can begin, lead vocalist/guitarist Alex Ferrier meticulously organizes the monitors and sound etc. Skinny Hobo’s may have only been gracing our stages for the last couple of years but they leave their mark wherever they go. Comprised of only two members, the bandana sporting guitar extraordinaire Ferrier and the besuited (but soon to be topless) Sam Holdom on drums; Skinny Hobo’s takes alternative rock to an entirely different level with a sound that is far bigger than thought possible. Sure enough following a mind blowing version of ‘Sevenatenine’ and Holdom’s jacket is off, his red neck tie cushioned by the expansive bed of chest hair. Meanwhile Ferrier is lamenting that the duo maybe a little too drunk to be on stage but that you will be the “coolest guy in the world” if you buy him a whiskey. All jokes aside these guys know how to bring it and they do so in spades, tracks such as ‘Suburban Living’ and ‘Queen Street’ whipping the crowd into a frenzy until a decidedly stomach churning sound emitted from Ferrier’s bass amp, indicating that something had just blown. Ever the professionals Holdom jumped straight into action with an epic drum solo that featured lashings of cow bell, glorious unadulterated cow bell. While obviously frustrated, Ferrier returned to front of stage a few minutes later to finish the set, often playing from the vantage point of the floor. ‘Jokers & Fools’ and “The Merchant of Tirau’ sweet offerings gifted to the audience before the duo departed for the bar.
It was hard to believe that almost six hours had passed since the first band of the night, and yet here we were at the last act featuring co-creator of this esteemed event Nick Douch on drums. Ekko Park is a hell of a quality band who strangely enough seem to be snubbed by a certain commercial radio station despite the fact that their debut album Tomorrow Tomorrow Today saw them gain a nomination for Best Rock Album at the 2014 NZMA’s. The four piece look at home in The Kings Arms and are obviously feeling the love tonight as Irish front man Joe Walsh congratulates the audience on making it through to the end of the night. ‘Little I’s and Big You’s’ followed by ‘Whistleblower’ off their second album Know Hope open their set with style and it only gets better from there. You can’t ignore the fact that Walsh’s Irish Accent adds just that extra something special to the vocal styling’s of each of the songs; to his left a familiar face on bass (Bryan Bell of Dead Flowers) lays down the foundations from which the band crafts each track. The band may have only been around for a few years but they have an enchanting familiarity to them, their songs simply yet beautifully crafted to ensure that the listener is always drawn in and then cradled by the catchy riffs, Walsh’s sometimes husky undertones an added treat. Walsh introduces ‘Probable Cause’ advising the audience that it is the track that has put them on the map in Italy (of all places!) a country that they will soon have the pleasure of touring come October. Second to last track of the night is the band’s latest offering ‘Going Uptown’ (released July of this year) before the guys take us back to the beginning with the 2013 track ‘Becoming the Enemy’ Walsh stating loud and clear at the end of the song “Support your local music, support your local venues” an important message and one we all need to take heed of.
But no Rock Fest would be complete without a good old band jam; Ekko Park joined onstage by both Skinny Hobo’s and one half of Dead Favours for a rousing rendition of The Rolling Stones classic ‘Get Off of My Cloud’ by The Rolling Stones. Walsh saluting all the bands that played (with a little assistance from Sam Holdom of Skinny Hobo’s) at least twice, before leading a massive round of well-deserved applause for organisers JP Carroll and Nick Douch. And with that it was over; ten bands, seven hours, one hell of a rock extravaganza.
Dead Favours:
Written By Wolves:
Armed In Advance:
Setting Fire To Stacey:
Silence The City:
Skinny Hobos:
Ekko Park:
Were you there at The Kings Arms for this fabulous kiwi rock festival? Or have you seen one of the acts perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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