Hozier, Auckland NZ, 2019

Hozier

28th April 2019
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Chris Zwaagdyk.

The forest king made a triumphant return to Auckland last night with a stunning seven-piece band and brand-new album; the Auckland audience embracing Hozier and crew with open arms on a Sunday evening.

Warming up the crowd was our very own songstress Hollie Smith accompanied by the ever lovely and supremely talented Marika Hodgson who while more than accomplished with a guitar, really comes into her own when wielding her bass. Having just come off the back of her outstanding performances at You Are Us / Aroha Nui, Smith was in a more laid-back mode, the vocals however just as thrilling as ever.

Armed with her usual dry wit that interjected her between songs banter Smith treated those present to a set that included new material – ‘Beside You’ flawlessly haunting in its delivery – and a cleverly rearranged cover of Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake It Off’ that completely changed the way you viewed the song. Closing with fan favourite ‘Bathe in the River’ by the Mt Raskil Preservation Society, Smith once again proved just why she is one of the best. Soon to be embarking on a tour of her own that will involve small, intimate performances, tickets will undoubtedly be a hot commodity indeed.

It’s hard to believe that it has been six years since Irish born songwriter Andrew Hozier-Byrne released the commanding ‘Take Me to Church’, the intoxicating track dominating the charts and propelling Hozier into the limelight. A debut album and world tour soon followed, Hozier finally able to return home to the greener pastures of Ireland and work on his sophomore release, the need to take time out and just breathe as he discussed in an earlier interview with Ambient Light imperative to the creative process.

‘Wasteland, Baby!’ released last month is a stupendous collection of songs that embraces the darker side of love, musicians of the twentieth century who put their values and beliefs into their work and … well the end of the world. The moving of the doomsday clock two minutes closer to midnight a topic that appears to weigh heavily on Hozier’s mind and one that he again addresses at his show last night before performing the title track.

But when it comes to playing live, Hozier is anything but all doom and gloom. Standing at an impressive six foot five, Hozier already commands attention when on stage, but last night’s performance left you begging for more. Flanked by both Cleveland born musician Suzanne Santo from duo Honeyhoney on violin and guitar and music college classmate Alex Ryan on bass, Hozier stepped forward on the carpeted stage and tore straight into ‘Would That I’ before segueing into ‘Dinner & Diatribes’ immediately capturing the fans hearts.

Against the soft ruffled curtain backdrop upon which the image of windows was projected, Hozier and band then proceeded to deliver such a powerful version of ‘Nina Cried Power’ that you almost needed a few minutes afterwards to recover, the sumptuous layers provided by such musicians as Rory Doyle on drums, Cormac Curran and Thandii (Jessica Berry) on keys and vocals making the track shine like a multifaceted diamond.

Hozier beautifully played off against Santo, duelling guitar and violin solos crackling through the air, Hozier often changing guitars, at one point even bringing out his Bohemian Boho Motor Oil electric guitar; backing singers Rachel Beauregard and Kristen Rogers adding not only lush harmonisation but complicated clap / snap combos to further enrichen the sound. Auckland even received an ornithology lesson as Hozier described the life and feeding habits of the butcher bird; also referred to as a Shrike it is the title of yet another of the tracks off his latest album, Hozier dryly commenting that the birds horrific hunting practices seemed like an excellent theme for a love song.

Being the last night of this leg of the tour, Hozier and the entire band didn’t seem afraid to let their hair down, the rock n roll ethos coming through loud and clear much to the audience’s delight, the heavenly music presented before them impossible not to get swept away in. Concluding their formidable set with ‘Take Me to Church’ which Hozier delivered with a ferocity that burned from within, those in the front row were almost beside themselves as Hozier stepped off the stage to join them, his lithe frame soon encircled by dozens of smiling faces and phone screens.

Returning to the stage solo for an acoustic encore version of ‘Cherry Wine’ Hozier was soon once again joined by his band for the evenings finale. But not before Hozier took an extended amount of time to re-introduce and thank not only every one of his band members, but also those on his production team. Something that Hozier has done at everyone of his shows, it spoke volumes of his character.

Inviting his photographer on stage for a wee tipple of Irish Whiskey as a thank you and farewell, Hozier broke out into an abridged version of the traditional ‘The Humours of Whiskey’ his beautiful lilting Irish accent delighting the Auckland audience no end before both he and the band finished with ‘Work Song’.

An astounding musician whose music is as thoughtful as it is entertaining, Hozier has definitively demonstrated that he is no one hit wonder but instead a force to be reckoned with.

Were you there at Spark Arena to witness this magnificent gig? Or have you seen Hozier perform live some other time? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Setlist:

1. Would That I
2. Dinner & Diatribes
3. Nina Cried Power
4. Someone New
5. Angel Of Small Death And The Codeine Scene
6. To Be Alone
7. No Plan
8. From Eden
9. Wasteland, Baby!
10. Shrike
11. Almost (Sweet Music)
12. Jackie And Wilson
13. Nobody
14. Moments’ Silence (Common Tongue)
15. Movement
16. Take Me To Church
17. Cherry Wine [encore]
18. Work Song [encore]

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