Milly Tabak & The Miltones, Auckland NZ, 2020

Milly Tabak & The Miltones

16th October 2020
The Tuning Fork, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Alexis Brook. Photography by Doug Peters.

Celebrating the release of new album, “Honest Woman” Milly Tabak & the Miltones rocked the Tuning Fork last night to a comfortably large crowd who were thrilled to be out of the house to hear music with fellow live concert-starved acquaintances.

Opening the evening was BEING., the brain child of Jasmine Balmer who had also been busy during lockdowns composing new songs such as “Overgrown” and another unnamed track that was so fresh it possibly may never be played the same way again. With the perfect opportunity to showcase a bit of old and new, and the first gig with two new (but highly experienced) band members, BEING.’s musical style is very catchy indie-pop rock, and at times through the repertoire I’m reminded of classic NZ 90s groups such as Goldenhorse and Fur Patrol. Closing the set with “Fold Into the Sea”, Jasmine quipped that it was funny to have written a song about a nature buff but she, herself cannot keep her home plants alive.

As the Tuning Fork filled up a little more, and the opening chords of “Innocence” played, the crowd started to move. You just cannot help dancing and toe-tapping to Milly Tabak & the Miltones. Their music is a fantastic concoction of rock, pop and folk with many songs showcasing the amazing musicianship of the band members through powerful, but not overwhelming solo’s. Every time I have seen this group perform I’m thrilled with how organically it has grown into a confident show. You can definitely tell that tonight was particularly fun for both the band and the audience. Everyone was grooving along feeding off each other’s energy.

With a 14-song set playing their entire new album “Honest Woman”, scattered with a few popular classics such as “Pursed Lips” and “Glory” (a particular highlight is how Guy just becomes a part of his keyboard during “Glory” – it’s truly an intense thing to watch), time flew by quickly. All the songs from their new album are great, and I particularly loved the new line up with backing vocalists (Sandy Mill, Maia Huia) and a horn section (Jack & Loxmyn). Milly lets us know that 20 years ago, Bassist Chip Matthews played on Che Fu’s album “Navigator”, and on the saxophone tonight is’ Che’s son Loxmyn, who was on the cover of that album. How funny life is! This fuller sound really suits the Miltones and the way Milly plays and interacts with the backing vocals is just grand. We gain some insight into the origins of some of the new tracks – “Roam” which calls out for support from friends and family when you’re down and “Hey Sister” is a song which speaks of love being love no matter who it’s with.

If you haven’t yet caught a Milly Tabak & the Miltones gig yet, get there! They’re just a bundle of fun, and you’ll be humming along for days!

Were you there at the Tuning Fork in Auckland for this brilliant Americana-tinged gig? Or have you seen Milly Tabak & The Miltones perform live some other time? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Note: Milly Tabak & The Miltones / Lorraine Barry Management 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.

Milly Tabak & The Miltones Set List:

1. Innocence
2. Cognac
3. Why Don’t You Love It
4. Part Of Me
5. Glory
6. Roam
7. Disappear
8. Hey Sister
9. Woman You Need
10. Running Your Mouth
11. Pursed Lips
12. Liven The Night
13. Gypsey Queen
14. Honest Woman

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