Hans Pucket
5th August 2023
Common Room, Hastings, New Zealand.
Review by Rob Harbers, photography by Andrew Caldwell.
Poneke’s Hans Pucket, a combo built around the duo of twin brothers Callum and Oliver Devlin, have brought their energetic sound to Hawkes Bay, rocking Hastings’ coolest little venue while making some new fans and pleasing the long-time ones!
This was my second night running at the Common Room, surely some kind of reflection of the quality of what they’re presenting. Both nights hugely distinct from each other, but each very entertaining in its own way. Hans Pucket channel a sound with strong echoes of late 70s/early 80s powerpop/postpunk, such as Television, Talking Heads, Buzzcocks et al, in a package that pleases all who encounter it!
The scene was set by the opening number “My Brain”, which immediately conveyed the jumpy, clipped vibe of early Talking Heads, a strong influence on the band and a great favourite of Ollie’s. The subsequent “Misery” built on this setting, channelling Buzzcocks atmospherics into the mix, constructing a richly layered amalgam of classic power pop, with roots stretching back to the 60’s. These influences permeate through the material, which is not to imply that this is an any way a retro act stuck in the past, imbued as it is with a fresh and dynamic vein of more contemporary elements, particularly the keys of multi-instrumentalist Callum Passels. Given the breadth of inspirations, the age demographic of the audience was similarly wide, with all converging, from diverse points of reference, at a consensus that this is some pretty fuckin’ cool shit!
The fourth member of the band is drummer Jonathan Nott, who along with providing the backbeat to this glorious celebration of all that’s best about the timeless nature of powerful pop played loud, demonstrated his diversity by swapping out the drum stool with Callum P on occasion, in service of providing additional guitar. Necessary in the context of trying to reproduce certain numbers which originally featured strings and clarinet!
Look, all these words amount to mere icing on the cake that is the immensely enjoyable package delivered and appreciated by all who were in the room. If you love the sound of classic 60’s power pop, filtered through the post-punk era, sprinkled with enough contemporary elements to freshen the mix without masking the essential nature, go see them. If ya just wanna have a fuckin’ good time and dance your ass off, also go see them!
There’s only a couple more opportunities to do so this time around, but there will surely be many more to come, so when you see the announcement, get your tix. Ya know ya wanna!
Hans Pucket:
Emma Webb:
Were you there at the Common Room for this superb alternative rock gig? Or have you seen Hans Pucket perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
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