Grant Haua Explosion
10th February 2024
The Filter Room, Meeanee, New Zealand.
Review by Rob Harbers, photography by Andrew Caldwell.
On a typically toasty Hawkes Bay summer afternoon, the fourth iteration of ‘A Day Out With The Blues’ took place at Meeanee’s Filter Room. This was an opportunity, on the verge of a year since the weather event that dare not speak its name, for a battered community to come together over a shared appreciation of a musical form that can trace its roots back over a century. Or just to boogie down and get rat-arsed*, which is an equally valid response to events, particularly more recent ones!
Headliner for the event was the man with fingers of fire, Tauranga’s Grant Haua. Firstly with a solo acoustic set, then followed by an appearance of The Grant Haua Explosion, bursting in to the consciousness of many new fans.
I arrived in time to catch Grant’s first set, which was entirely on form with his last entry in these pages, although this time augmented here and there with the mouth harp of his old friend Graeme Clark, a compadre from years past now resident in one of Hawkes Bay’s liveliest spots, the bustling metropolis that is Waipukurau. Ranging through the joys of domestic life, the adventures and motivations of politicians, and touching down on a couple of influential covers, including SRV’s “Pride and Joy”, the first song he learned on guitar. All great stuff, setting up appetites for the later appearance.
Between these two outings came a brace of sets from locals Dusty Rhodes and the Bluesmobile , bringing the benefit of all of their 40+ years of experience playing this music. A performance that gave ample opportunity for some*, filling the dance floor with a fair portion of local lasses keen to bust a move.
In their Hawkes Bay debut, the Grant Haua Explosion (Grant, bassist Brian Franks and drummer James Bos, with occasional contributions by the aforementioned Graeme Clark) burst out at a cracking pace with “Bad Man”, setting the scene for a lively and energetic set, emblazoned with the sheen of Grant’s Little Red Telecaster. A funky rendition of “In My Time Of Dying” eschewed the extended treatment given to it by Led Zeppelin, keeping it short and sweet at under five minutes!
In these drama-free times, without malign political influences seeking to divide the population and drag race relations kicking and screaming in to the past, it almost seemed redundant for Grant to sing a song such as “Keep On Smiling”, but he did anyway, the irrepressible rogue that he is! This enthusiasm for life, and particularly appreciation of aesthetic elements, carried over in to “Blue Jeans”, before grounding it all back in “This Is The Place”, dedicated to his brother who was in the audience. An acknowledgement of roots, a mihi of sorts.
The finale saw a revival of both funk and pace, with Graeme rejoining the line-up for the last two numbers, bringing the hour-long journey in to port on a white-hot note, and leaving the aficionados hanging out for the next appearance.
So a great experience all around, and one that serves as an encouragement to attend the event same time next year!
Were you there at The Filter Room for this blues gig? Or have you seen Grant Haua Explosion perform live sometime else? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Note: Ambient Light was provided 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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