Che Fu & The Kratez, Auckland NZ, 2021

Che Fu & The Kratez 

13th March 2021
The Town Hall, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Sam Smith. Photography by Dave Simpson.

In 2001, Che Fu’s Navigator was everywhere. The Auckland rapper’s second studio album was a smash hit, and for many in Aotearoa was their first time hearing hip hop, a style of music that had been largely underground since its arrival in New Zealand in the 1980s. Twenty years later, Che Fu and his band The Kratez last night paid homage to this classic album at the Auckland Town Hall in a night celebrating the best of New Zealand music.

Built as the Return of the Navigator, this one-off celebration of Che Fu’s most successful album represents part of an in-vogue craze where artists pay tribute to an album celebrating an anniversary. We have seen this recently with Bic Runga and Drive and will see it again soon with The Veils and Nux Vomica.

Auckland turned out in force in the wake of the lifting of COVID restrictions and a strong feeling of anticipation filled the room at the Town Hall in what was pleasantly an all-ages show with families of kids who were not even born when the Navigator came out.

First to take the stage was reggae fusion singer/rapper Rubi Du. With recent success on student radio and a growing cult following, the splattering of audience appreciated her wholesome performance and electric vocals. Her mixture of reggae, dub, soul and hip hop was the perfect entree and the addition of a full band gave her music extra depth.

Next up was Team Dynamite playing their first show in a long time and their first since releasing their excellent new album Respect the Process. Haz, Lucky and Tony were on point from beat one and bar one, once again proving why I deem them to be the best live hip-hop group in Aotearoa.

During their hiatus, they have clearly thought about their stagecraft and the presence of a two-piece backing band was a masterstroke, taking their already solid stage show to another level entirely. The added bonus of guest appearances by Diggy Dupe and Baily Wiley was the icing on this cake in what was one of the best support act sets I have seen.

Then, after a short break, it was time for the main man. Che Fu and his current six-piece band the Kratez took to the stage in matching grey, and straight off the bat, the audience was transported back twenty years. Che was rapping up a storm from the get-go and even had time to hit the decks for some scratching much to the crowd’s delight.

The opening stanza was fire on all cylinders and saw break dancers, flag wavers, and P-Money weaving his magic on the beats. Then when it came for Che to sing, off came the shades and those silky-smooth Che Fu vocals had the audience dancing and singing along in unison.

Remembering this man is nearly fifty, Che proved age is no barrier to class and the way he effortlessly hit the big notes as the set progressed was inspiring to say the least. It was also on the more soulful numbers that I was reminded how unique Che’s music is in combining rap, soul, reggae and R&B all moulded with a Pasifika bent.

There were many magical moments throughout the set, whether it be the dedication to his parents as freedom fighters and original Polynesian Panthers, or his son Loxman’s stunning sax solo on “Hold Tight”, but the biggest surprise and highlight of the night was when Che invited on stage the original band he recorded Navigator with.

Featuring the likes of Chip Matthews, Godfrey De Grut and Paul Russell, the originals proceeded to give the crowd a double dose of “Misty Frequencies” and “Fade Away” which absolutely stole the show and had the crow in raptures. The encore then completed what was a fantastic night with “Chains” and finally “Waka”, which Che emotionally dedicated to his sick mother watching from home.

As an event, Return of the Navigator was a fantastic idea and something perhaps other artists should consider. In this age of COVID, people more than ever want familiarity and comfort amidst a world of anxiety and uncertainty, and in music that comes in the form of songs that people have grown up with and that sound-tracked their lives.

Che Fu and his band were able to provide that comfort on this occasion, bringing these twenty-year-old songs to life in a contemporary setting and allowing the tried and true faithful to bask in a night of nostalgia and memory.

If anything in watching this show, I was reminded of how good Navigator was and how these songs still sound great, standing the test of time all these years later. Overall, that is a testament to Che Fu’s talent and original vision, and the fact we are still listening twenty years on says a lot.

Were you there at The Town Hall for this magnificent flashback gig? Or have you seen Che Fu & The Kratez perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below! 

Set List:

1. The Mish
2. The Natural
3. Random
4. Roots Man
5. Share The Info
6. Catch One
7. The Abyss
8. He Kotahi (As One)
9. Top Floor
10. Hold Tight
11. Interlude
12. Full Immersion
13. Misty Frequencies
14. Fade Away / E Kore E Motu
15. Chains [encore]
16. Waka [encore]

Note: [AD] Auckland Arts Festival 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 an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission.

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