Barker Album Release Show, Auckland NZ, 2017

Barker

29th June 2017
Nectar, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review and Photography by Sarah Kidd.

You could say that Johnny Barker played one of his trump cards early tonight by having the infallible Laughton Kora warming up the crowd that was swarming into Kingsland’s Nectar Bar. Kora, comfortably perched upon an old school armchair with a guitar across his lap and a laptop just within reach, instantly had the crowd eating out of his hand as soon as he began to sing. With a selection of covers such as Estelle’s ‘American Boy’, Blackstreet’s ‘No Diggity’ and Mr. Mister’s ‘Broken Wings’ all uniquely arranged as only Kora can and the evening was already off to an impressive start.

‘Sleepwalking’ is the marvellous debut album from none other than Johnny Barker who has previously graced the musical stage with such projects as Sleepykid and The Aristocrats. As Barker stated in a recent interview with Ambient Light, the album was a labour of love over the last couple of years; beginning here in New Zealand and then travelling with Barker to a village near Montpellier in France before reaching its conclusion and receiving the final touches back in sunny Avondale. Barker is a wonderfully affable man with a smile that can instantly light up a room and he spends a considerable amount of time before the show circulating the room and chatting with audience members.

Nectar Bar has a delightful charm and warmth to it; the stage decked out with a few subtle fairy lights, and an old laptop displaying an 80’s space invaders screen saver. It certainly felt like the perfect place within which to listen to Barker’s offering live for the first time. As Barker and his cohorts for the night take up their positions on stage a man from the crowd cries “I love you Johnny”, Barker looking rather amused at his friend’s declaration of affection.

Beginning the set with the mellow vibes of ‘Haunted House’ the audience closed in around the stage transfixed by Barker’s melodic tones. Moving into ‘Ceasefire’ and ‘Little Box’ it became obvious rather quickly that not only did these tracks hold their own on a recording but on stage as well as they came to life under Barker’s direction. There was a moment of surrealism as the band began to play one of the first singles from the album entitled ‘Censored Video’. Here you had the music video featuring Barker playing on a screen behind the real life Barker who was being watched through the screen of a video camera being held by a woman in the front row. The irony of which I am sure would not be lost on Johnny.

The set was punctuated with small anecdotes from Barker and an apology to his mum (who was in the audience tonight along with his sister) for swearing on stage (just the once mind you). Accompanied by a very talented array of musicians including Jared Kahi on bass and the magnificent Cole Goodley on drums, the overall sound of Barker’s music was elevated to another level, the psychedelic alt folk/rock qualities shining through. With an Aristocrats track thrown in for good measure (‘I Was A Teen Wolf Too’), Barker began to say goodnight to the audience advising everyone that they just had to pretend the band was leaving so they could do a one song encore, the fans happily playing along with much laughter and jest.

Following a stirring rendition of ‘Dust’ by The Aristocrats, Barker truly did try to leave the stage but was halted by the furious applauding of the audience who were demanding just one more. After a quick conversation with his fellow band members Barker proclaimed he did indeed have one more up his sleeve if people really wanted it – the overwhelming cheers the deciding factor. A quick bow and group shot of the guys together and Barker was once again in the midst of the audience, chatting away to anyone who cared to say hello, humility personified.

Barker performing live at Nectar, Auckland 2017. Image by Sarah Kidd.

Were you there at Nectar for this absolutely perfect album release show? Or have you seen Johnny Barker perform somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!