Benee
8th October 2020
Shed 6, Wellington, New Zealand.
Review by Tim Gruar. Photography by Stella Gardiner.
“It seems a lifetime since I’ve been to a concert”, exclaimed the woman in front of me, as we casually chatted over pre-gig beers and lemonades, nervously looking around for coughers and sneezers. And it was. With everything shut for Lockdown, gigs were off limits and the usually buzzing Capital has been very, very quiet. Until now. Finally, with the country back at Level 1, promoters could ramp up and get our entertainment industry back on track. And first out of the blocks was tonight’s big party.
Raglan resident Muroki opened the show. Backed by a five-piece band of very able musicians, he gave us a very nice slice of beach pop. His single ‘For Better or Worse’ fits right in with Benee’s musical vibe – a cruisy, breezy track, hanging together on a simple three chord structure and sweet vocals, it could just as easily be one of the tik-tok queen’s own. I really enjoyed his brief set, which moved between lovey-dovey nu-soul, fireside reggae and upbeat beach pub pop. ‘Simple Pleasures’ was a breezy number to warm up the crowd (mainly teenage girls, their mums and a few dads and boyfriends). And he got a huge cheer with his Billy Ocean-styled tune ‘Light Me Up’, a new single due to drop this very week! He’s one to watch if you dig this stuff. Elton John says he’s a fan, apparently.
Muroki is an artist on the rise, with help on his first EP from Benee’s own producer Josh Fountain. He picked up guitar as a nipper under the guidance of Cornerstone Roots’ Nicky Keys, and he’s played in a band with school mates as the very excellent and jazzy Cloak Bay – definitely worth checking out.
The first time I saw Stella Rose Bennet (Benee to you and me), she was supporting Lilly Allen’s 2019 tour, off the back of her infectious earworm ‘Soaked’. Then, she was shoehorned onto the smaller Thunderdome stage at Laneway 2019 and wowed crowds with her innocence and genuine geeky charm.
Since then, she seems to be everywhere, supporting major acts, collecting awards and dominating social media platforms. She’s done overseas gigs and festivals, and that’s clearly helped shape her act and confidence. Her triumphant return to Laneway 2020 was heralded by old fans and new, and this time she was on the major Princess Stage. The queue down the road at her K-Road album signing in January, this year told me how popular she’s become. The strategy to drop the quick sugar hit-ep’s ‘Fire On Marzz’ and the most recent ‘Stella and Steve’ has paid off. Benee’s music is all about the moment. ‘Supalonely’, for example, totally captured the Covid isolation mood and won over even more ears and hearts.
Tonight’s concert was more than just a spot of catharsis for audiences deprived of live music, it was a huge expression of gratitude to the social media icon that got us through. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not really in Benee’s market demographic. Which is why I had the foresight to bring along my younger daughter. She, like every other fan at the gig was primed for fun, and she wasn’t disappointed. She had a ball. At the first chance, she and a newly acquired friend bum-rushed the front of the stage and I didn’t see her again until the end of the show.
Hang on weren’t we all just all going through a major pandemic only a month ago? To quote Supertramp – Crisis. What Crisis? No public warnings or announcements. Even the QR code was hard to find. Social distancing was impossible, we stood shoulder to shoulder in the time-honoured fashion. The taller ones blocked the views of the shorter ones as everyone craned their necks. Phones went up, swaying like imitation LED lighters. The shorter kids pushed to the front and the bouncers searched mostly in vain for troublemakers. Almost normal. Everyone was taking selfies like they hadn’t posted for, oh, at least ten minutes. C’mon!
After the usual drinks break the real show began, with Benne herself appearing solo in front of a giant white curtain and her band – Felix Holton (drums), Dylan Clark (Bass) and Tiare Kelly (guitar) throwing shapes and silhouettes on the linen, thanks to some very cool backlighting effects courtesy of tonight’s visuals and lighting designer, Ben Dalgleish. In fact his work was a real highlight of the show. Flanked by two massive trees, the band were up-lit and down-lit by floods and roving spotlights, drenched in blood reds and vivid purples, while random anarchic cut’n’paste images of Benee’s videos, plant life and blurry goldfish flashed across the screen at the back. It sounds bizarre but seemingly it all worked.
From the first song the place was electric. Hands up, chanting along. Everyone was bopping along, unaffected by the recent Covid events, dancing freely to all the big hits: ‘Find An Island’, ‘Wishful Thinking’, Afterlife’, ‘Monsta’, ‘Glitter’, the quirky ‘Evil Spider’ and the new hit ‘Snail’ which Benee did towards the end of her set as a solo, accompanied only by Tiare Kelly on keys.
But the show didn’t just contain the hits and favs. We also got a sneak peek at what’s coming up on her new album. Some tunes she announced, some not. That included what she called a ‘slow, sad one’, ‘Happen To Me’, all about ‘’being afraid of things’’. Wrapped in a cloak of avant pop, led by Felix Holton’s deep drum coda, the song felt like a new, darker direction, away from her usually chipper, upbeat façades
Another new one was called ‘Kool’, which is more her usual template with a punk-pop feel, punctuated in the middle by the appearance of a disco-beat break. I was reminded of anarcho-cheeky Brazilian pop outfit CSS, who I love. If that’s her new direction, then more please!
Later, during the encore, she whips out a surprisingly grimy drum’n’bass tune, another from the forthcoming album, complete with robotic vocals which to be honest I didn’t really enjoy. I’m a bit of a purist on these things and didn’t really appreciate the avant-garde Laurie Anderson impressions. Stick to your knitting on that one, I think.
There are a few quirky moments in the concert. Benee’s random meowing (her warmups), a hilariously silly space suit that looks more like a beekeeper’s getup (which she dons during the song ‘Drifting’) and a confession: “Guess, what I did yesterday? I voted! Make It legal. Everyone in the room should vote!’’ Except the majority of the audience who were underage, of course.
Benee is, predictably, overwhelmed by her adoring fans. She deserves to be. She still tries to play it down with twee little waves. The girls sitting on shoulders are barely in their tweens, after all. Still, she’s a Kiwi at heart. She doesn’t play the rock star or diva. She’s still Stella from Auckland. Still humble, still a bit awkward, geeky and ‘chill’. Then, if you could hear anything above the synchronised choral singing of every line, the place ramped up a notch or ten when the inevitable ‘Supalonely’ and ‘Soaked’ finally came pumping through the PA. The entire floor became a good-vibes mosh pit as we all danced, sung and partied like it was 2019 again!
Thank goodness for local talent like Benee. This was my daughter’s first big gig and she loved it! This was a real memory for her and all her peers. After the school year they have just had, this is a real cathartic moment. It matters! And I have to say our musicians are definitely up there with anything from overseas. Once upon a time they wanted to be Madonna, now our kids could be like Benee or Lorde. What great role models! And what great talent. I’m looking forward to the new album – from what I heard tonight there’s real promise of even more to come. Thanks, Benee, for getting on that plane and coming here. Everyone left happy and blissed out! And while our borders remain closed, we’ll have to content ourselves with our own. Aren’t we lucky? World famous in New Zealand? Aye! Kia Kaha, Aotearoa!
Were you there at Shed 6 in Wellington for this brilliant Pop gig? Or have you seen Benee perform live some other time? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Note: Live Nation 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 affiliate links. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission.
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