His Masters Voice – The Devil’s Blues
28th October 2017
The Kings Arms, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Doug Peters.
Music. It is an art form. A universal language that can be understood by all. In some cases, when just the right combination of elements come together, it can also be nourishment; not just for the soul but for the heart and mind as well. Last night saw local Auckland band His Masters Voice celebrate the release of their third EP simply entitled Woman; and judging by the size of the crowd that packed out The Kings Arms, there were a whole lot of fans that want to celebrate alongside with them.
But before the four piece who sold their souls to bring the world the devil’s blues took the stage, another four piece were strutting their stuff in every sense of the word. She Loves You – also hailing from Auckland – caught the eye of more than a few patrons last night as they stepped onto the stage and laid down a set of pure alt rock goodness. Formed in 2014 the all-female group have been making the rounds on the local circuit and have been gaining quite the reputation as a must see band.
Following a couple of member changes (and what evolving group doesn’t go through those) they appear to have found their groove well and truly with their current line-up. With hair the colour of the sky on a clear summer’s day many would recognise lead guitarist and vocalist Jessie Booth from her time as the lead singer of another all girl band Blue Ruin. Watching her last night – while always a formidable musician – Booth seems to have really fallen into her rightful place and there is a serenity about her demeanour as she smashes out riffs left right and centre, often duelling with lead vocalist Madeline Berry, their heads pressed together as they meld both guitar and voice in a heady sonic overload. Influenced by “late nights, wine and a mutual love for the Arctic Monkeys”, She Loves You brought the goods last night not only musically but in sheer stage performance with drummer Katie Baya proving that the realm of the skins is not only the domain of the male. The only point of note being that while bassist Cassandra King quite obviously knows how to work those lovely thick strings, her on stage persona gives the impression that she is not quite comfortable in the public eye. And while not everyone has to be the rock god extraordinaire on stage – there is the basic formula that if you look like you are enjoying it the crowd will as well. With an inspired cover of ‘Sexy Back’ and rollicking musical lyricism on tracks such as ‘I want it’ and the stunning set closer ‘Zeus’; She Loves You are a band to watch closely.
As His Masters Voice take the stage all eyes face forward, the more eager fans pressing themselves up against the iconic stage that has seen a veritable cavalcade of musical genius perform on its well-worn carpet over the last thirty odd years. Minds and souls open to receive, whoops of delight tumble forth as lead vocalist Jesse Sorenson takes his rightful place front and centre. Not often is the clothing of a male band member mentioned, however Sorenson looks the absolute epitome of the well-dressed man; the matching grey pant and waistcoat over dark blue shirt combo elevating him to a higher status of optical splendour; the intricate bone carving at his throat a proud call to his heritage.
Opening with ‘Burning’ the first track off of their latest EP and the room is immediately filled with the sweet sensations of true rock n roll music. As that wonderful rhythmical sway of the verses gives way to “groove” of the breakdown you can physically feel the momentum flow through people’s veins; with even the staunchest of back row bar dwellers unable to stop themselves from physically appreciating the music. Following it up in an almost one, two combo ‘Evil’ features the kind of guitar flourish that remains with you for hours after the show and undeniably leaves you wanting more. Guitarist Az Burns delivering solo’s with the greatest of ease, the curtain of dreads cascading from his head almost as impressive as his finger work. His tenure with the founder and drummer of His Masters Voice René Harvey, during their time in Cripple Mr Onion certainly lending to both the cohesive sound and nature of the band itself. Often an element that is overlooked, the unification of a band both in their music and in their stage presence is one of utter importance. When a band works well together on stage it shows. Ego can kill talent and luckily it is not an emotional state that plagues this band. This can be seen by the way that all four members share the stage and interact with each other, even during solo’s or on stage duels. Each member both compliments and celebrates the talent of the next. Because of this the overall atmosphere within the room is one of comradery and as such is rather pleasant to feel and just be part of.
Working their way through their back catalogue, Sorensons voice is in peak condition tonight as he summons from the very pits of his gut this winding creature that fills the room. With respected sound desk wizard Mark Petersound on duty tonight, this ‘creature’ easily reaches its full potential and has each and every attendee bowing at its feet. Once again, while unassuming in his stage manner, bassist Brandon Bott is the man that ties all of this harmonious genius together; much like Burns he barely breaks a sweat as he works the dense strings of his bass guitar providing the fertile ground from which springs forth tracks such as ‘Follow Me Down’.
Tonight is indeed a celebration and rejoice the fans did when ‘Lucid Dream’ made a welcome reappearance on the set list. Followed up with ‘Mourning’, it was a flawless display in control; His Masters Voice not just about the frenetic energy of the devils blues but also of its soulful, contemplative side. Harvey in particular working the skins with a reserved grace that many a drummer would just not have the skills to pull off. After a dedication from Harvey to the boys of Head Like A Hole who are in attendance tonight (along with a few other recognisable local personalities) His Masters Voice cleverly brought the exuberance of the crowd back up again with the playful ‘What Do I Look Like’, several fans in the front giving themselves over completely and dancing like there was no tomorrow. Sorenson at this point was all hips, his on stage persona having truly flourished over the last couple of years and while still beautifully grounded he allows himself to let go and in doing so brings yet another layer to this intricate and intelligent band.
But all good things must come to an end and all too soon we have reached the conclusion of the evening, Sorenson and his beloved red Epiphone 335 taking it out with ‘Lonely Road’ from the bands second EP entitled Save My Soul. The fans not happy to let these boys go quite just yet, boisterously demanded an encore, Burns smiling as he made his way back onto the stage, holding his hand up to his ear as if to say ‘what was that?’. What followed was an unimaginable display of musical prowess as these four melodic giants delivered ‘His Masters Voice – Parts I, II & III’. To say that His Masters Voice are at the top of their game would be an understatement; this music will go down in the history books of all that is good.
The Devil told me so.
His Masters Voice – The Devil’s Blues:
She Loves You:
Were you there at The Kings Arms Tavern for this stunning ritual? Or have you seen His Masters Voice – The Devil’s Blues perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
His Masters Voice – The Devil’s Blues Setlist:
- Burning
- Possession
- Don’t Trust Myself
- Woman
- Follow Me Down
- Evil
- Lucid Dream
- Mourning
- What Do I Look Like
- Rollin’ And Tumblin’
- Lonely Road
- His Master’s Voice (Parts I, II & III) [encore]
She Loves You Setlist:
- Someone New
- Teach Me
- In The Water
- Wolves
- Last Night
- SexyBack (Justin Timberlake cover)
- What I’ve Become
- Dirty Orlean
- I Want It
- Clique
- Zeus
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