Mitch James
8th July 2023
ToiToi, Hastings, New Zealand.
Review by Hayley Osterfield. Photography by Chris Kiely.
Escaping the rain for a night of emotional and melodic music, hordes of Mitch James fans scurried into ToiToi, Hastings. Greeted by a floating white sheet hung across the back of the stage, a single guitar and a keyboard. Everyone dashed to get prime seating, and readied themselves for a night of kiwi singer-songwriter gold.
Tazman Jack opened up the proceedings. His Tiki Taane-esque vocals, and NZ Reggae Dub sound was intertwined with relatable lyrics and a summery vibe. He treated the crowd to covers of The Frey and Six60. Rounding out his set with two of his original songs.
Loop pedal, backing track and his guitar was all he needed to fill the room with delightful harmony. Guitar leads showcasing his proficiency. His weapon of choice – a Stratocaster in Sunburst. Pre-recorded bassy bits and samples were looped into his live performance.
The audience let out a mighty cheer as he re-entered the stage, with the anticipation of an encore… however, as with most musicians starting out he was only coming back to pack up his own gear.
Our second opener oozed confidence and spunk as he strode to the front of the stage. He plugged his guitar in and immediately wowed the crowd with an original.
Spencer Coyle’s vocals displayed an enchanting raspiness, which turned out to be a result of battling a sickness over the last two days and “Not to being a teenager”
His cover of Goo Goo Dolls mega-hit “Iris” was almost drowned out by the sheer volume of the audience faithfully singing along to every word.
“Somebody To Love” was a high-energy song. A combination of melancholy filled lyrics over dark-sounding production. This song was co-written by a New Zealand music mainstay – Six60’s Ji Fraser.
Although professing to not being a country singer, his Ed Sheeren style of performance ensured his cover of “Best Shot” shone.
Mitch James graced the stage just after 9pm.
He was only partially through his first song when the audience sprung to their feet and hurried to the front of the Opera House forging a makeshift dance floor.
His infectious positivity glowed and his natural ability to connect with this crowd was evident.
His appetite for sharing personal anecdotes about his love life was immense. We learnt that three of his four girlfriends hailed from Hawke’s Bay, and that the most recent one only broke up with him four days ago. This personability established a kinship with everyone in attendance.
Mitch James was not the only musician on stage, we were treated to the mastery of keys by Jamie Parker. His solos, bass additions, and complementary melodies added layers to the performance that would not seem out of place of that of a big band performance.
He belted out his hits, No Fixed Abode and 21, and the crowd sang and danced along enthusiastically.
The simple white backdrop has now transformed into a moving abstract art installation. Constantly changing position, pose and colour. It was a striking element to the performance.
Six songs in and the tempo was slowed right down. Mitch James abandoned his guitar and paired it right back for a deeply personal number dedicated to his mother. It is unreleased but the connection the crowd felt to those words oozed.
As those raw emotions lingered, not a moment has passed and he picked back up his guitar and jumped straight into a Britney Spears cover – which melted into one of the best cover medleys I have heard. It effortlessly flowed from a 90’s Nelly anthem, to Snoop Doog, TLC and circled right back to Britney Spears. What an impeccable way to boost the energy levels in the room and get everyone in the perfect mood for the eight songs to follow.
Everyone was instructed to stand for another unreleased song “Beautiful Stranger” A much darker, moodier and bassier song than we had previously been shown. A more broody edge to Mitch James.
A Kodaline cover got the crowd dancing.
Then the Dunedin influence radiated through and a shoey was performed. An eager member of the audience donated their black boot for the cause. This must be a Mitch James tradition as they were chanting for this exercise from the second he graced the stage. He did not disappoint.
“Bright Blue Skies” hypnotised as the closing song and of course, “Sunday morning” as the encore. It began as a cover of Maroon 5’s song of the same name, and blended so well into his second most popular song on spotify.
Mitch James closed his “Long Road Home” set with a raw and utterly chilling Irish Hymn. He stood back from the microphone and allowed his unaccompanied voice to engulf the space of the Opera House. It was incomprehensibly beautiful.
Mitch James has been catapulted into the hearts, minds and playlists of all who attended, with an exceptional night of live music.
Mitch James:
Spencer Coyle:
Tazman Jack:
Were you there at ToiToi for this entertaining Kiwi-pop show? Or have you seen Mitch James perform live somewhere else before? 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.
If you enjoyed this content, please consider donating towards the running of Ambient Light, covering expenses and allowing us to expand the coverage you love by visiting our PressPatron page.