Dave Dobbyn, Auckland NZ, 2020

Dave Dobbyn

1st November 2020
The Cauldron at Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand

Review by Sarah Kidd, with photography by Doug Peters. 

New Zealand currently sits in the very fortunate position of being able to live life to the fullest at the moment, despite the global pandemic ravaging the world. However, with no major international acts coming through, large venues such as Spark Arena have had to rethink their game plans. And thus ‘The Cauldron’ stage was born.

A more intimate setting, with a stage featuring an open cubed centre that allowed for fans to take in the action from three sides of four, The Cauldron is partly the brainchild of the iconic Brent Eccles who also did a little MCing last night from side of stage. From the bar leaners around the outer edges of the general admission area, to the specially lowered stage, it all gave the venue a rather pleasing little makeover.

An especially nice touch was the DJ who performed before and during the intermissions of the evenings acts; and not just any DJ either, but a true-blue vinyl gun slinger, local enthusiasts and fans instantly recognising the gregarious Tito Tafa, owner of Rebel Soul Records and local personality. Dropping some tasty numbers such as Blam Blam Blam’s ‘No Depression in New Zealand’, ‘I Need Your Love’ by Golden Harvest and the classic shuffler anthem of ‘Green Onions’ by Booker T. & The MG’s, there was plenty on offer to shimmy along to while awaiting the evenings billing.

Opening the festivities was the wonderful Milly Tabak & The Miltones who just recently released their latest album Honest Woman. Ever resplendent, Milly Tabak was an absolute joyous vision in a dazzling silver dress, the Miltones themselves luminescent as they laid out their welcoming carpet of blues infused Americana stitched with glittering threads of rock n roll.

This is a band that always had an affinity for the live setting, but now six years on from their formation they are a force to be reckoned with. Leading the charge, Milly spoke of their love for Dobbyn and how thrilled they were to be opening for someone they admire so much, her humbleness despite her wealth of talent an endearing feature. The admiration for the young singer only intensifying as she introduced the gospel styled track ‘Hey Sister’ from their aforementioned new album with a touching backstory of her two great aunts, both nurses, one of whom sadly suffered the indignity of being subjected to conversion therapy. This personal insight combined with such thoughtful delivery ensured that all eyes were on the stage.

While Milly herself is a more than competent guitar player, The Miltones are the jewels that surround her; in particular the talents of both Guy Harrison on keys and Liam Pratt on guitar, both of whom during the short but punchy set were able to demonstrate their exquisite skill sets with some solo work during the more up-tempo numbers. Furnishing the performance with an extra flourish were the glorious backing vocals of the gorgeous Sandy Mill (an outstanding songstress in her own right) and Maia Huia both of whom also performed with The Miltones for their album release show a couple of weeks ago.

Finishing the set with the title track ‘Honest Woman’ and Milly Tabak and The Miltones solidified their standing as one of the best little live bands currently on the circuit.

As the rows of seats quickly filled, and patrons down front jostled for the best vantage point along the barriers, Dave Dobbyns band made up of a who’s who of talent which included not only Ross Burge, bassist Jo Barus and Victoria Girling-Butcher on guitar but also APRA award winning musician Mark Vanilau on keys and a two piece horn section of Guy Harrison from The Miltones, and the sax man himself JY Lee of Yoko-Zuna and Avantdale Bowling Club, arranged themselves quietly on stage.

But it was the man of the hour that saw the room erupt in applause as the unassuming figure of Dave Dobbyn made his way out to the front and greeted the crowd warmly before decimating them with a raucous version of the DD Smash classic ‘Outlook for Thursday’. Without a doubt, the legend himself had arrived; vocals as strong as the mighty kauri, falsettos as sweet as a tui on high.

What followed was a superlative set of well-known classics and introspective musical musings, interspersed with humorous and at times thought-provoking banter; Dave Dobbyn instinctively guiding the audience throughout the evening as they at times threw themselves fully into sing along tracks such as ‘Whaling’ – which wins the award for best impromptu line of the night as Dobbyn described orange roughy as the ‘gingers of the fish world’ – or swayed gently to the quieter offerings such as ‘Lap of the Gods’ and ‘Blindman’s Bend’.

Twisting and turning as Dobbyn led the audience through a thoughtfully curated selection of his expansive back catalogue, there were some surprises to be had; the upbeat ‘Just Add Water’ written in collaboration with Tim Finn and Bic Runga, imbuing the audience with a sense of hopefulness despite the years events while the Footrot Flats love ballad of ‘You Oughta Be in Love’ was given a new spin as Dobbyn handed Mark Vanilau the reigns. While DD Smash had already made an appearance earlier in the set, Dobbyn had yet another track up his sleeve, this time from the 1982 album Cool Bananas, ‘Devil You Know’ quickly identifying the true fans in the audience, the backing vocals and superior guitar work of Girling-Butcher and Barus only elevating the songs vibrancy.

It would be impossible to deny though that it was the juggernauts of his discography that truly sent the fans into a frenzy; slowly building the anticipation, intense rapture emanated from the audience as they sang and danced to ‘Language’, Th’ Dudes classic ‘Be Mine Tonight’ and the riotous ‘Bliss’ as well as ‘Love You Like I Should’. The evening ending with Dobbyn inviting Chris Mac from Six60 to join him on stage for the feel good kiwiana anthem ‘Slice of Heaven’.

Of course, there was no way his fans were going to let him leave without an encore, the audiences call for more met with a generous three song farewell that culminated in the earnest ‘Welcome Home’, which considering current times seemed more poignant and heartfelt than ever.

A consummate performer, and a legend in his own right, Dave Dobbyn is more than just a New Zealand icon – his billing at the upcoming Bay Dreams proving that his music has transcended both genre and time – he is indeed a national treasure.

Were you there at Spark Arena for this amazing classic Kiwi rock gig? Or have you seen Dave Dobbyn perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Dave Dobbyn Setlist:

1. Outlook For Thursday
2. Whaling
3. Loyal
4. Devil You Know
5. Just Add Water
6. Lap of The Gods
7. Blindmans Bend
8. Guilty
9. Beside You
10. Language
11. Be Mine Tonight
12. Love You Like I Should
13. Bliss
14. Slice Of Heaven
15. You Get So Lonely [encore]
16. It Dawned On Me [encore]
17. Welcome Home [encore]

Note: Eccles Entertainment 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.

---

If you enjoyed this content, please consider donating towards the running of Ambient Light, covering expenses and allowing us to expand the coverage you love by visiting our PressPatron page.

---