Mr Bungle & Melvins, Auckland NZ, 2024

Mr Bungle & Melvins

3rd March 2024
The Town Hall, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Tom Grut.

It has been a big week for Tāmaki Makaurau when it comes to shows, from Queens of the Stone Age, through to Blink-182, Mogwai and Dinosaur Jr., people have been spoilt for choice of what to see over the last few days.

But for many, the one concert this weekend that was a must see or forever hold their head in shame, was Mr Bungle playing with none other than the Melvins; an unmissable double header if ever there was one!

Arriving promptly at 8pm to the earworm that is ‘Take on Me’ by A-ha, it was immediately clear that the Melvins meant business. With a simple set up, Buzz Osborne dressed in a black velvet floor length robe emblazoned with gold eyes took up position on the left-hand side, while bassist Steven McDonald dressed in a snazzy red and black two-piece suit complete with red sneakers took right. Between them commanding drums with an iron fist, Coady Willis (High on Fire, Big Business) who is currently filling in for Dale Crover.

Without a moments hesitation they were straight into it and did not let up for an entire hour of glorious, sludgy, noisy rock that melted faces and left fans feeling deeply satisfied with their life choices of attending a Sunday night show.

Having formed in 1983, Melvins have some serious tenure to their name and it shows; opening with ‘Sesame Street Meat’ from their album Hold It In, the audience was hit with in your face crushing riffs and off the scale drumming from Willis who played as if his very life depended on it. Watching McDonald was in itself an uplifting experience; between the killer bass lines, death knell screams and the ever-present look of unadulterated joy on his face (truly the happiest bassist in the world) he busted out rock star moves that were hard to tear your eyes away from.

Buzz Osborne too was in fine form, his distinctive vocals on ‘It’s Shoved’ from 1991’s Bullhead, proving just how punchy he can be in tones that just cannot be replicated (though many have tried). The – what can only be described as mad scientist hair completing the look, and one of his most recognisable features.

With barely breathing room between tracks, the fans took any opportunity they could to show their appreciation when a fleeting moment of silence came by. ‘The Bloated Pope’, ‘Hag Me’ and ‘A History of Bad Men’ saw the chugging rhythms continue, Willis displaying prowess and unbelievable stamina on the skins, a couple of sticks being sacrificed along the way as they snapped under the sheer ferocity of his playing.

‘Night Goat’ from the 1993 album Houdini got heads simultaneously banging, Osborne’s vocals deliciously gravelly, before breaking into a screech that was unnerving in all the best ways possible. By now the pit was heaving, sweat was dripping but the ecstasy everyone was feeling was palpable, this is what music is supposed to be about.

Introducing Trevor Dunn (Tomahawk), Dunn took place beside McDonald for the last track of the set ‘Boris’, the over eight-minute masterpiece a swaggering journey that enraptured the audience and just drove the temperatures down front even higher as bodies pushed up against one another, like crashing waves; a sense of camaraderie washing through one and all.

The track reached its crescendo, guitars raised in the air as Willis stood atop his stool and held his arms aloft, the crowd going absolutely wild as they farewelled the legends with everything they had, Willis dropping back down to smash out one final line before the trio quietly made their way off. Epic.

Against the backdrop of a rather demonic looking white rabbit head staring down upon them, the fastidious roadies and techs (yes shout out to those that make these shows happen, we see you!) bustled about in preparation for what can only be described as a metal head dream team; Mr Bungle featuring several revered musicians in their own right.

Having never played in New Zealand despite forming in 1985, it was no surprise that the floor was packed with bodies, those in the seated sections already on their feet as each band member made their way down to the stage.

It is no secret that Mr Bungle have been through several reincarnations, with a revolving door in some ways of members. Tonight’s line-up however makes one want to salivate as original members Mike Patton (Faith No More), Trey Spruance (Secret Chiefs 3) and Trevor Dunn (Fantômas) are joined by none other than Scott Ian (Anthrax) and the legend of the skins himself, Dave Lombardo (Slayer).

Having recently released The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo in 2020 (which is a re-recording of the band’s first self-released 1986 demo tape) the audience was a sea of t-shirts featuring bunny faces. Unsurprising really, this is the first album the band have released in twenty years, hell it was only a couple of years ago that they even got back together and began playing live shows again after a nearly decade long hiatus. In other words, last night was something very special and the fans were here for it.

Donning a casual outfit of cargo shorts and short sleeved Hawaiian style shirt over a black singlet, Mike Patton looked every inch the eclectic genius that he is. Love or hate his bands (and my god he has a fair few) he is hands down one the greatest vocalists of the last three decades. With a vocal range that spans a range of six octaves, Patton can sing and anything and everything, as he would go on to prove over the next couple of hours.

Kicking off with ‘Grizzly Adams’, it was obvious that Mr Bungle were on form, and they came to play, Sunday night be damned. The wall of noise that poured forth was in many ways incomprehensible, and it was often difficult to decide where to look. With Lombardo pounding the skins and Scott Ian having the time of his life on guitar wearing his familiar camo; Patton always a charismatic and highly entertaining performer there was never a danger of becoming disinterested in the spectacle on stage.

‘Anarchy Up Your Anus’, ‘Bungle Grind’ and the infectious ‘Eracist’ which got the crowd chanting were all a beautiful full assault on the senses. Patton, a vocal virtuoso was incredible to watch as he paced like a caged animal, stretching his neck every so often as he threw down vocals that covered the full gamut of what a rock/metal/alternative vocalist can do.

Patton isn’t afraid to experiment either, in fact that is half of his beauty, his unwavering attitude towards music and how hard working he is, always willing to push the envelope and experiment, the set last night including a whistle around his neck, a radio handset and at one point what was believed to be an Aztec death whistle, from which a eerie scream emerged that sent shivers down the spine.

Ian was in fine form, often stepping out to the edge and displaying his exquisite finger work. This was evident on the first cover of the evening ‘Loss for Words’ by Corrosion of Conformity, Dunn smashing out the bass lines as Lombardo became a whirlwind of limbs.

‘Hypocrites / Habla español o muere’ was easily one of the definitive highlights of the set, as the group switched up the track – which was already a reworking of the SOD (Storm Troopers of Death) song ‘Speak English or Die’ – into ‘Speak Māori or Die’, a stunning Māori performer joining the band wearing a feather cloak and spinning a taiaha; Patton taking a seat on the ground to watch with both awe and respect. Nga mihi nui Mr Bungle for acknowledging Aotearoa’s tangata whenua.

The Slayer cover of ‘Hell Awaits’ unsurprisingly created a mosh pit of the ages, a few patrons who managed to squeeze themselves out from the sea of limbs to crowd surf looking ecstatic as they did so, the band acknowledging their efforts.

Switching up, as Mr Bungle love to do, Patton donned his glasses and became very still as he smiled at the audience and launched into ‘True’ by Spandau Ballet. This pivotal moment is not only what makes Mr Bungle a compulsory live act, but what proves indelibly that he is indeed one the greatest vocalists. Crooning to the audience, as it came to the end of the verse, he opened his lungs, and threw an arm back, the sheer clarity in timbre and volume of his vocals jaw-dropping.

Two more covers from 7 Seconds and Crumbsuckers featured before crowd favourite ‘My Ass is on Fire’ destroyed the mosh pit. “That was a song about poo” one of the members pointed out, Patton laughing as he grinned at the audience, before launching into ‘Sudden Death’ which brought the set to a close, the band waving farewell as they left, the fans already yelling and stamping their feet, demanding an encore.

Arriving back on stage a few moments later, Patton gave those in attendance a serious look as he stated “remember, you asked for this”, the opening bars of ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’ receiving a few confused looks as the fans questioned if that was indeed what was about to be played before embracing it wholeheartedly.

Once again Patton was unwavering, his falsettos, lengthening and deepening as he hit the chorus with gusto. It was beautiful, glorious and what made it even more unique was the fact that it was a live debut for Mr Bungle, so something special for their New Zealand followers.

And while no one wanted the night to come to an end, end it had to, but what better way to take it out then with ‘Territory’ from the Sepultura Chaos A.D. album, which truly allowed all band members to demonstrate why they are at the top of their game; Spruance shredding like it was a walk in the park, Dunn and Lombardo providing the backbone that had necks snapping.

A phenomenal night of live music.

Mr Bungle:

Melvins:

Were you there at The Auckland Town Hall for this mindblowing metal double-header? Or have you seen Mr Bungle or Melvins perform live somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Mr Bungle Setlist:

1. Grizzly Adams
2. Anarchy Up Your Anus
3. Bungle Grind
4. Eracist
5. Spreading the Thighs of Death
6. Loss for Words [Corrosion of Conformity cover]
7. Hypocrites / Habla español o muere
8. Methematics
9. Hell Awaits [Slayer cover]
10. True [Spandau Ballet cover]
11. You Lose [7 Seconds cover]
12. Raping Your Mind
13. Just Sit There [Crumbsuckers cover]
14. My Ass Is on Fire
15. Sudden Death
16. Hopelessly Devoted to You [Olivia Newton-John cover] [encore]
17. Territory [Sepultura cover] [encore]

Melvins Setlist:

Sesame Street Meat
It’s Shoved
Anaconda
Never Say You’re Sorry
The Bloated Pope
Hag Me
Your Blessened
A History of Bad Men
Honey Bucket
Revolve
Night Goat
Boris

_{Note: Ambient Light was provided a pass to review this concert. All photography was spplied. 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.}

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