Orville Peck
17th July 2022
Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand
Review by Charlotte Lightbody, with photography by Doug Peters.
He’s a mystery, and no one knows his real name. A masked rider, gracing us all with that deep, baritone voice and killer western-style outfits.
Orville Peck made his way to town for the second time to a sold-out show at Auckland’s Powerstation. The last time he played in Aotearoa, was to a smaller crowd at The Tuning Fork in January 2020 after his debut album Pony was released. How good to see him now packing out this much bigger venue and asking local gal, Erny Belle to open the show.
She was the perfect opening act. Her sweet, smoky lullabies drew us toward the stage, swaying along with the motley six-person band. Ngāpuhi-descended Erny looked every part the country western belle as she commanded the stage in red and black, her dark hair swept back into a crimson scarf reminiscent of sultry south-of-the-border style. Her voice was hypnotic, and we were happy to fall under her spell as she transformed Kiwi experiences like going to the Four Square for milk into folk-tinged poetry. A juxtaposition of cultures that felt otherworldly but familiar.
The crowd patiently waited for our saviour to arrive on stage. He’s a mystery, and no one knows his real name. A masked rider, gracing us all with that deep, baritone voice and killer western-style outfits.
The pearl of a track, ‘Daytona Sand’ from his second studio album ‘Bronco’ had the crowd swaying about immediately. Coupled with his swishy tasseled mask adding such bold, dramatic flair he cycled through ‘Bronco’ beauties we’ve all been repeating since April, as well as tracks from his moodier debut album ‘Pony’ and the EP ‘Show Pony.’
Peck’s tunes are boldly sincere and startlingly vulnerable as he allows the listener to meet him wherever they’re at. There’s no judgement with Orville Peck. He wants you to quietly listen in the booth with friends, standing in the corner alone or right up front thrashing about in your cowboy boots. No matter how you listen to the music, he wants you to participate however you can. But that’s the magic of country music, it connects you through story-telling. It’s a mood.
From there, it was a non-stop journey from A-B from the moment the band rode on stage – with Orville only stopping for his companions to throw roses to the crowd, or to chuckle cutely between performances, particularly when the crowd bellowed out words of affirmation. The mobile phones came out of pockets when ‘Dead of Night’ started playing – a track many know from the first episode of season two, Euphoria. The track’s bass thumps along moodily, before Peck launches into the yodel-like extended vowels of “Seeeeeeeeee, see the boys as they walk on by” giving me hat-to-boot goose bumps as the crowd sang along.
Everything slowed down for the classic steel guitar twang in ‘Hexie Mountains’, a track about depression so beautifully articulated it almost brought me to tears hearing it live. A friend I made in the crowd looked like he floated away to another realm and it felt a privilege to see this vulnerable moment shared so publicly. Ahead of the song ‘Drive Me Crazy’ he yelled out that the song is about ‘gay truck drivers in love’ before beginning on the piano. See? I told you Peck takes you on the journey with him.
Not long after, the dust picked up as he politely asked everyone to participate in the stamping, hooting and hollering along to ‘Take Your Back (The Iron Hoof Cattle Call) – you had to get involved if you wanted to be inducted into the Orville Peck Gang. Everyone was into it, although none of us could perform a fingerless wolf whistle quite like our maestro on stage.
It was a night I’ll never forget, partly because I’ve never seen so many cowboy hats, tassels, rhinestones and chaps in one room – and I’m someone who’s spent a large amount of time in the Southern States of the US as well as Karangahape Road. It was such an extraordinary evening though, the energy was magnetic and the eclectic crowd fell even more in love with our beloved masked cowboy.
The crowd bounced off Peck’s big cowboy energy and we all felt at home. The only thing that could have made the night better, is if I were to witness some line-dancing.
If this show didn’t convince everyone that the world needs Orville Peck and his charisma then I don’t know what will. If you ever have the chance to see this man live, plan your outfit well in advance because you won’t regret a thing.
‘You know I recall somebody saying, “There ain’t no cowboys left” But they ain’t met me and they ain’t met you, Lafayette”.
Were you there at the Powerstation for this magnificent Alt. Country gig? Or have you seen Orville Peck 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.
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