Cable Ties, Auckland NZ, 2019

Cable Ties

28th February 2019
Whammy! Bar, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review & Photography by Sarah Kidd.

Thursday night brought with it a trans-Tasman feast of music to satisfy the senses as Melbourne’s post-punk trio Cable Ties performed alongside two outstanding acts from Aotearoa.

First up was an often-familiar face around Whammy, Yolanda Fagan; lead vocalist of the three piece The Echo Ohs, she looked quite at home on the very stage she has graced so many times before, her Dead Moon shirt prompting some serious nods of respect from fans. Their self-described psychedelic cowboy music is always infectious, the groove one that you cannot ignore as Fagan pulls it altogether with her iconic vocals that are quite at home riding the musical waves of surf-punk.

Fan favourites such as ‘You Don’t Mind’ made an early appearance, guitarist Guy Forks leaning into his solo’s with ease, occasionally facing his amp and manipulating the feedback. But the trio also had a surprise up their sleeve in the form of new track ‘Bruiser’ which saw the crowd prick up their ears and immerse themselves completely.

When Nicole Gaffney steps up on stage she exudes a light that instantly draws people closer; accompanied by James Stuteley the duo better known as Carb On Carb have a distinct and yet somewhat sentimental emo-punk sound to their tracks, many of them brought together on their brilliant For Ages album released last year. Gaffney is one hell of a vocalist; her voice is robust, and she knows how to get the best out of her own range while still embracing the traditional emo-punk melodies. While Stuteley may not provide backing vocals on every track, when he does, it is damn impressive, the raw emotion of them coming through well and adding an extra punch to the song.

Chatting to the crowd in between tracks Gaffney points out the sheer quality of the bands coming out of both New Zealand and Australia presently and the room vocalises their agreement in unison. It’s a point that can not be argued with as the local music scene continues to produce such excellence.

While tracks such as ‘Mitimiti’ and ‘Nicole’s Express’ – with the amusing backstory of Gaffney ‘s time in Australia and her love of Coles Supermarkets – all made for a great setlist, one of the stand outs had to be ‘Man Says’ which contemplates the subject of ‘defining your personal identity as you enter adulthood’. Having just released a music video for the track featuring the gorgeous Zuri Gaffney The Dog it is well worth wrapping your eyes around.

Making their debut in Auckland, Cable Ties were enthusiastically welcomed to the stage, lead vocalist Jenny McKechnie breaking out into a smile at the warm reception. Accompanied by Nick Brown on bass and Shauna Boyle on drums – both of whom, according to McKechnie, were suffering from the flu but in no way let it affect their outstanding performance – McKechnie began the night on her own with ‘Channel 9’, her striking voice ringing out across the room as slowly Brown and Boyle came into the song with perfectly placed rhythm. Cable Ties maybe post-punk, but their songs are anything but short; instead they are stretched and manipulated, drawn out to just the right length without ever losing their energetic intensity.

While Brown on bass holds down the strings with a perfectly aloof appearance, McKechnie performs each track with increasing attitude and just the right amount of animation. The live experience is one that she thrives on, describing it in an earlier interview as “going into a section of yourself that you can’t express in everyday life”. Soon the room is moving with them, lost amongst the scorching riffs and intense howls; the addictive tag line of ‘The Producer’ from their self-titled debut album worming its way into the brain before unleashing chaos, McKechnie switching to a falsetto with ease.

An instrumental track that blazed across the stage setting light to everything it touched was soon followed up by the catchy riff of ‘Same for Me’, Boyle’s drumming remarkable in just how effortless it appeared to be. Closing their set out with new tracks ‘Tell Them Where To Go’ with it’s mouth-watering undercurrent of bass and ‘Choking to Choose’, Cable Ties laid it all on the line and showed just why they are an act worthy of catching live as soon as possible.

The band may still be searching for that ‘joyous rush’ through their own music, but one thing is for sure, they left Thursday night’s attendees in a state of euphoria.

Were you there at Whammy Bar for this brilliant post punk gig? Or have you seen Cable Ties perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Cable Ties Setlist:

1. Channel 9
2. The Producer
3. Untitled (Instrumental)
4. Lani
5. Sandcastles
6. Same For Me
7. Tell Them Where To Go
8. Choking To Choose

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