Cate Le Bon, Wellington NZ, 2022

Cate Le Bon

4th June 2022
Meow, Wellington, New Zealand.
Hollywood Theatre, Auckland, New Zealand (Photography).

Review by Tim Gruar. Photography by Doug Peters.

Tonight, Welsh-avant pop artist, Cate le Bon returned to Aotearoa, 3 years on from her last visit. Last time it was just her but this time she’s come with a five-piece band in tow, including her album’s sax-collaborator Euan Hinshelwood.

Meow is one of the Capital’s coolest little bars, more renown for being an oversized living room than a concert hall. It’s book-lined stage has hosted some most intimate performances, from John Toogood’s solo tours to Heavy Metal to Bluegrass to Penny Ashton’s poetry slams – and anything and everything in between.

Tonight kicked of with local wāhine, Vera Ellen. And that felt like a bit of a whānau affair, too. The audience, made up of older generations, students and a fair smattering of local musos (we spotted Abe Hollingsworth and Lilly West of Mermaidens). In the front row, we graciously navigated around a woman in a wheelchair, impersonating a hat check stall, the back of the chair piled high with friend’s coats and handbags. Against the rails was another on crutches. Later, as I helped her down the exit stairs she told me there was no way she’d miss Cate, despite the injury. Dedication indeed.

Vera Ellen, despite her student grunge is your typical modest Kiwi. She lets the music do the talking. She’s a humble riot GRRRL. She confessed that her album, ‘It’s Your Birthday’ came out on Flying Nun last year and “I was going to bring some along (to sell) but I didn’t have faith!” She should have. I would have bought one! Ellen and her band were on fire!

They stomped through a selection of the disc’s raucous tracks of youthful angst including ‘I want 2 B Boy’, ‘Telegram 2’ and the shimmering ‘You’. Helping out on bass we spotted French For Rabbits’ Ben Lemi. Ellen showed herself to be the expert at clear, conscious song writing. On stage songs like ‘Crack The Whip’ and ‘Heart In Reaction’ really get their moment in the spotlight. The highlight, of course was ‘It’s Your Birthday’, stacked as it is, with hooked up melody and attitude. She told us that this was a throwaway, neglected due to it being written when she was so young. But thanks to her brother, who was helping out tonight on keys, it got revived for the album. Thank goodness. It’s a brilliant post punk energy boost. Everyone joined in the chorus – ‘did doo doo doo!” Ellen’s nearly destroyed her vocal cords by the time she’s done and barely recovers to close off with a sweeter, calmer version of ‘It’s Good, It’s Simple’.

Le Bon and company nearly didn’t make the stage tonight. At least not as they’d planned. It turns out their airline had misplaced some of their luggage, causing untold and unnecessary pre-gig anxiety. Fortunately, Cate told us, “the Good People Of Wellington came through for us.”

Cate Le Bon arrived on stage in a gloomy, light reminiscent of an old Welsh church crypt. Appropriately, she’s dressed in a long cassock-dress, like a choir master, complete with sensible leather loafers. Her manner was almost ‘school mam-ish’. Slow, deft movements. Her hard staunch jawline pose is broken at times by smiles of genuine gratitude, received shyly from her enthusiastic audience. Remarkably, she’s not as chatty as she was when I interviewed her. Game face on, all business. Yes, it was all an act, in keeping with the vaguely clerical theme inspired by partner Tim Presley’s stark ‘Nun’ painting that adorns her latest album, ‘Pompeii’.

I’m not sure the gloomy stage lighting entirely worked. Given other shows have a more clerical atmosphere, fingers of red and blue light reach high into the rafters like shafts of sunlight through a stain glass window. Unfortunately, that effect doesn’t really work with Meow’s oppressively low ceiling. However, it does create a more intimate feeling. Even standing at the very back puts you in the middle of the action, so close you can almost hear the fold back.

Tonight, as always, Cate starts off with ‘Pompeii’s’ opener ‘Dirt on the Bed’, with the swirling slow build up engulfed in a haze of dry ice and blue tones, highlighting her vibrant neon pentagonal orange guitar. It will stay strapped on for most of the show.

I was impressed by the variety of sounds and tones she managed to get out of it and the multitude of voices produced courtesy of a vast arsenal of foot pedals. Imagine if the airline had lost those! The show would not have been anywhere near the same. And we would have missed this incredible display of skill. Cate Le Bon is a beautifully understated guitar hero!

All of tonight’s material will come from ‘Pompeii’ and its predecessor, ‘Reward’, except for ‘Mug Museum’s’ ‘Are You With Me Now?’ there’s a clear plan and cohesion. This isn’t a ‘best of’ show. And it was all the better for that. It was great to see how these songs translate to the stage and how they come to life, every note, beat and strum hangs in the air with purpose and poise.

You can’t help being bewitched by her music and her stage presence, despite the seemingly strict persona. Songs have this certain aura about them that is so alluring. ‘French Boys’ for example was a definite favourite, the driving, yet strangled funk of the bass and her very precise diction. Like Julie Andrews, but more seductive and slightly menacing.

Her guitar radiates a certain kind of warmth and flourish on ‘Daylight Matters’, ‘Moderation’ and the popular ‘Mother’s Mother’s Magazines’. There are also some beautiful exchanges between multi-instrumentalist Euan Hinshelwood and Cate. He plays his sax as it’s part of a greater choir, a juxtaposition with the keyboards and some exceptionally accurate drumming. It’s essential to ‘Dirt On The Bed’ but no less dominant throughout the set.

There are more complex songs like ‘Miami’ and ‘The Light’, cleverly executed, given the originals were born of many layered studio productions. This group is super tight and professional. Close your eyes and you could swear it was the record. But live, it sounds so much better. The sound is more expressive and alluring.

In previous shows she’s completed with a cover like John Cale’s ‘Big White Cloud‘ Bill Nelson’s ‘Do You Dream in Colour’. But tonight, there was no need to pay the extra performance royalties. Instead, she completes the set with two classics – ‘Sad Nudes’ and ‘Are You With Me Now?’, played occasionally by standing flamingo-like on one leg.

This was a concert I’d definitely been looking forward to. Not only because it’s the first international I’ve seen in over two years but because of the pure musicianship and artistic capability. Cate Le Bon did not disappoint.

Were you there at Meow (or Hollywood Avondale) for this beautiful avant-garde pop gig? Or have you seen Cate Le Bon somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Setlist:

1. Dirt on the Bed
2. French Boys
3. Moderation
4. Daylight Matters
5. Pompeii
6. Running Away
7. Cry Me Old Trouble
8. Mother’s Mother’s Magazines
9. Magnificent Gestures
10. Harbour
11. Miami
12. The Light
13. Home to You
14. Remembering Me
15. Wheel
16. Sad Nudes [encore]
17. Are You With Me Now? [encore]

_{Note: Ambient Light was provided with passes 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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