The Dandy Warhols
20th September 2017
Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Brad Holland.
Courtney Taylor-Taylor the man with the name almost as iconic as his own band of merry musicians is back and seemingly embodying a bit of a new persona. Technically last appearing on the shores of New Zealand back in 2008 as part of the Southern Amp Festival, it’s been sixteen years since The Dandy Warhols headlined their own show – funnily enough in this very same venue. Any fan who has followed The Dandy Warhols knows that they have in fact been a little hit and miss with their live performances over the years, but with rave reviews coming out of Christchurch from their show last night there are high hopes for this evening’s entertainment.
To get the night started Ha the Unclear, a four piece originally hailing from Dunedin but now settled here in Auckland, regale the crowd with their brand of indie music and “new wave existentialism”. Squashed into one corner of the stage they were tight with tunes that had punters turning their heads and wandering down to the front for a closer look. The secret to any good night out at a gig is to choose a support band that fits in well with your headliner and Ha the Unclear did that seamlessly. Clever songwriting, quirky (in a good way) stage presence and with unique song titles such as ‘Secret Lives of Furniture’, this New Zealand band is going places and fast.
By the time The Dandy Warhols saunter out The Powerstation is humming, all eyes on Taylor as he settles himself slightly to the right of the stage behind two microphone stands. Holmström, a large brimmed hat pulled down tight taking up position to Taylors left, Brent DeBoer on a smaller than expected drum kit to Taylors right. Making up the foursome, the effervescent Zia McCabe all pinstripe and denim glory almost looks like she is segregated from the band as she is off to the far left of the stage behind her Korg keyboards. It is not your usual set up, with basically the entire band lined up across the front of the stage, yet it was delightfully refreshing, giving fans the chance to gaze upon the entire band in unison, rather than focus on one point.
Kicking it all off with ‘Mohammed’ off one of their arguably most popular albums Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia, and it is immediately apparent that this show is going to be good, very good – but probably not what many fans were expecting. With shoulder length hair, the white umbilical cord of his guitar winding down past his long legs, Taylor still gives off the air of the disaffected rock star perfectly as he croons into the microphone, his voice almost gravelly compared to the higher octave style of yesteryear. Compared to his rather calm composure, McCabe is a ball of rhythmical energy as she plays the keys with one hand and shakes a pair of rather large maracas in the other as if her life depended upon it. Upon conclusion of the opening track, Taylor leans back slightly as he adjusts his guitar, a fan in the front row taking advantage of the momentary silence to yell out “What took you so long”, Taylor – without missing a beat – replying “It’s a fucking long way to swim, that’s what took us so long” while barely taking his eyes of his strings. While his comeback seemed harsh, it was obvious to anyone in the front section close enough to see his expression that it was also very tongue in cheek, Taylor genuinely seeming to be happy to be once again headlining The Powerstation.
And with that the band is off, swaggering through the first few songs off the set list, a mix of old and new, ‘Styggo’ being the first of only two songs to feature tonight off their latest body of work entitled Distortland released in April of last year.
While the music was glorious, the sound mix was a tad too heavy on the bass, often drowning out Taylor’s voice and leaving the lyrics in some places completely indiscernible, which was a shame because when the bass dropped away in places, Taylor’s husky undertones wrapped around and seduced you with ease. It was with their fifth track of the evening, ‘I Love You’ off their second album released back in 1997 that clearly defined the tone for the evening, one of sludgy, shoe-gaze, psychedelic goodness as the band disappeared off into a world all of their own, lost in the soundscapes, Taylor’s voice whispering “I Love You, I Love You, I Love You” repeatedly into the mic in an almost hypnotic trance like state; many of the crowd, eyes half closed and swaying on their feet, allowing themselves to be pulled in to the deep waters of their resonance.
Upon the conclusion of the – what had to be at least ten minute – track the crowd erupted, the majority completely blown away by this unexpected change in style for tonight’s show; a simple loud and clear “thank you” thrown out by McCabe. Following ‘You Were the Last High’ the band disappeared leaving Taylor to deliver a couple of delicious acoustic versions of ‘Welcome to the Monkey House’ and ‘Every Day Should Be a Holiday’, along with a bit more tongue in cheek rhetoric about New Zealand “that isolated island in the South Pacific”, a sly smile playing on the corner of his lips as he murmured “that ole New Zealand”.
Band back in place, the set started to come down the home straight, delving into the more familiar tracks for the fans of the singles. ‘You are Killing Me’ again off their latest album Distortland leaving one hell of an impression as the combination of the band and ambient sound effects provided the perfect runway for Taylor’s voice to take off from and soar across the room, sending chills up the spine of more than a few Warhol devotees. ‘Used to be Friends’ was far more thick and viscous live in comparison to its rather synth-pop vibe album version, but it worked beautifully; ‘Bohemian Like You’ unsurprisingly setting the crowd on fire and turning the venue into a giant karaoke bar as punters sang along and emphasised the “Woo” with alcohol fuelled conviction.
Finishing the evening off with the acoustic ‘Pete International Airport’ which morphed into ‘Boys Better’ and the band members one by one slowly left the stage, leaving McCabe to flood the ear canals of all in attendance with bass ridden distortion that pulsated through the veins, slowly grinding to a stop. “Thank you guys, sorry it took so long for us to come back….ciao” McCabes voice echoing out across the room, the crowd cheering in reply as she waved before exiting.
And with that it was all over, the house lights rising quickly while Johnny Cash came in from behind with tales of a ring made of fire. Let’s hope it’s not another 16 years before The Dandy Warhols headline again.
Were you there at the Powerstation for this great gig? Or have you seen The Dandy Warhols perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Mohammed
- Crack Cocaine Rager
- Get Off
- Styggo
- I Love You
- You Were The Last High
- Everyone Is Totally Insane
- Welcome To The Monkey House
- Every Day Should Be A Holiday
- Good Morning
- Holding Me Up
- You Are Killing Me
- We Used To Be Friends
- Bohemian Like You
- Godless
- Pete International Airport (instrumental)
- Boys Better
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