Daffodils
27th September 2018
The Tuning Fork, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review & Photography by Sarah Kidd.
All ages shows have a heady atmosphere that just cannot be replicated at any other gig. The rampant excitement of young teens attending their first ever concert palpable. Pouring through the door, the fans head straight for the stage ready for the brief but sweet solo acoustic set from Paige; if you haven’t already be sure to check out her tracks such as ‘So Far’ and ‘Alignments’ along with a few other tasty compositions available on Spotify now.
House music filled the lengthy gap between the first and second act – excited squeals soon piercing the air as BENE arrived on stage accompanied by her four-piece band who all wore chintzy golden crowns; her keyboardist looking rather familiar to the Daffodils fans in the audience who quickly recognised him as drummer Isaac Keating. Making her debut live performance only a month ago at Neck of the Woods before appearing at the sold out The Other’s Way festival, Grey Lynn teen BENE has been making serious headways in the local music scene. How serious? 2019 Laneway anyone? From dropping a few covers on Soundcloud to her own single in the form of ‘Tough Guy’ which was accompanied by a suitably stylish video to boot, BENE is on the lips of anyone who recognises good music when they hear it.
Kicking it off with ‘Find an Island’ and BENE in her matching mustard yellow two piece soon had hundreds of adoring faces turned up towards her. BENE’s music is deceptively catchy, pop hooks are cast and quickly reel in fans as tracks such as ‘After Life’ and ‘Eyes Talk’ skip across the stage; the mix of a solid tune interlaid with lyrics of relationships and that tricky little thing called love never to be underestimated. A momentary lull passed across the audience with the slower tempo of ‘Happy’ but this was soon demolished under the pogoing feet of those down front as both ‘Soaked’ and of course ‘Tough Guy’ finished off the set.
By now the venue was full to the brim, all eyes on the stage as they awaited the arrival of Daffodils.
With the three core members of the band – Keating on drums, bassist Louis Graham and of course vocalist Theo Spike Salmon having been playing together since their days at Intermediate (all three are now studying at Auckland University), there is a cohesiveness to not only their sound but their on-stage presence. Two years ago, Jade Bryham took the three piece to four, joining the band on synths, keys and backing vocals, her contribution adding another degree to the 80’s, New Wave inspired group. With his tousled blonde hair and open necked polychromatic shirt, Salmon was striking in his appearance, ornamental touches such as the padlocked silver chain on his wrist charmingly quirky, a subtle nod to the artists of past decades who have infiltrated his life.
From the moment ‘First Time Party Nightmare’ began, fans were infatuated with the bands every move, each lyric sung to in perfect unison. Thanking the crowd, Salmon was still in disbelief it would seem at the fact that they had sold out their first headlining show, the vocal feedback from the fans however only serving to fuel Daffodils, their performance effectively becoming stronger throughout the evening. New tracks were tested on the audience, songs such as the simply titled ‘Dark’ and the poignant ‘Why Don’t You Hold Me’ embraced and memorialized by the hundreds that were present. Salmon’s vocals are luscious, deep enough to bear the weight of their songs but not so much as to lose that romanticism of youth. Parallels to The Cure, Joy Division and the poetic nature of The Smiths cannot help but be drawn while listening to Daffodils, but this in itself is not a bad thing, their influence recognised but never imitated, Daffodils having their own distinctly unique sound.
With the live show coinciding with the release of their latest and intriguingly titled single ‘A Leo Underwater’ – a song Salmon has stated that is about being disconnected from those around you – the track of course made an appearance, however the band appeared to be genuinely taken aback as those in the first few rows once again sang along as if the song had been on their playlists for weeks. Talk of Salmon’s elevated shoes purchased from Vixen on Auckland’s infamous K’rd (which have subsequently seen him through two school balls) and a snippet of dad jokes from bassist Graham interspersed the set while simultaneously linking the members to their fans as a little tongue n’ cheek banter was exchanged.
Closing their set with arguably two of their big hitters ‘Boys’ and the crystalline crests of ‘Two Angels’ and the audience were determined not to have this magical evening end just yet, the familiar calls for an encore nipping at the band’s heels as they exited the stage. Returning mere moments later and Daffodils gifted the crowd with a cover befitting their style; Billy Idol’s 1982 single ‘Dancing with Myself’ a colossal hit with all who were present including the staff. Slipping in one more, Daffodils once again played their latest single ‘A Leo Underwater’ this time to a slightly faster tempo that was guaranteed to leave the crowd on a high.
Charismatic to the nth degree but with the musical chops to back it up, Daffodils better get used to selling out venues…
Were you there at The Tuning Fork for this triumphant indie pop gig? Or have you seen Daffodils perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Daffodils Setlist:
- First Time Party Nightmare
- Face
- Staring At The Sun
- Watching
- Dark
- A Leo Underwater
- We Only Laugh When It Hurts
- Why Don’t You Hold Me
- Boys
- Two Angels
- Dancing With Myself [Billy Idol cover] [encore]
- A Leo Underwater [encore]
BENE Setlist:
- Find An Island
- After Life
- Eyes Talk
- Home
- Cruel
- Wishful
- Happy
- Soaked
- Tough Guy
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