Postmodern Jukebox
29th September 2017
Bruce Mason Centre, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Mike Thornton. Photography by Leah Victoria.
I’m early, seated in the back row of the stalls, and not sure of what to expect from the show ahead of me. That’s a lie. I do know to expect scintillatingly skilful jazz musicianship, dextrous, powerful vocals, and professional delivery. Anyone who’s seen anything of Postmodern Jukebox through their web and social media presence knows this. What remains a mystery, is exactly which iteration of Scott Bradlee’s Post Modern Jukebox ensemble will grace the stage, and which delectable morsels they will have plucked from their impressive menu of jazzed-up covers to set before us.
This evening’s punters are an eclectic lot. A reasonable number have pushed the boat out in the “dress-the-part” department. An array of swing-dance, Charleston-like and other bygone-era period-costumes can be spied amongst the crowd. This is quite befitting an event whose musical genres, and indeed source material, will span several decades of jazz and pop variations, respectively. Suddenly, 10 or so minutes after the scheduled kick-off, the entire (and now jam-packed) house bursts into raucous and rapturous applause as the band takes the stage. This is an educated crowd – they know and love the band well, and have come here tonight with high expectation that they will not be disappointed.
And – let me tell you – disappointed, they most certainly were not!
M.C. Lavance Colley takes the stage and immediately has everyone’s eager attention, getting straight to the business of entertainment with the ubiquitous “how are y’all doing tonight” and comments about how beautiful we all are… then – with obvious warmth and humour – issues an excited squeal when he spots a couple in the crowd that catch his eye: (and I quote) “I see two black people! Yay black people! MY PEOPLE!” Its a sign of the good-natured humour that is to follow – jokes and anecdotes are peppered liberally throughout the evening.
We are introduced to Von Smith – described as the hearththrob and heartbreaker of the troupe, who delivers Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” in grand style with tempo shifts and impressive Broadway show delivery vocal skills. This song also features the next artiste to take the stage – tap dancer extraordinaire Sarah Reich, who wows the crowd right from the get-go; and goes on to feature in solo spots and cameo appearances throughout the evening.
Now for some time-travel. We are transported from 2012s Carly Rae Jepsen to 1978s Gloria Gaynor, as Sara Niemetz takes the stage to deliver the smash I Will Survive–transformed from disco to uptempo jazz with lots of rapid-fire bass work, and featuring a stunning clarinet solo by Chloe Feoranzo (the multi-talented Chloe will also sing for us before the night is out) and a dynamite crescendo to close the song.
Postmodern Jukebox debutant and youngest member of the troupe Hannah Gill is up next and proceeds to unfurl Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” in a sultry, smouldering voice with some truly impressive powerhouse deeper tones, set to a down-tempo trad jazz arrangement.
Our M.C. returns and welcomes (by contrast to the newbie) our veteran… “she is the mother starship of singers that will sing any, house, down… the amazing Maiya Sykes”. And yep, Maiya lives up to her billing as she fair belts out a big-band rendition of Sam Smith’s “I Know Im Not The Only One” which awes with high highs and low lows in a series of runs and scales that are awesome to behold. Maiya takes the M.C. role at this point, as the other two female vocalists join her on stage. We are entertained by quips about NZ (this being Maiya’s fourth visit, whilst it’s a first for the others) that include mentions of the Flight of the Conchords, the All Blacks, and all the burly “THANKya Jesus fine” men. This mention serves as a segue into *NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye” which breaks down to include solo vocals from Maiya, and also features some pretty niftily choreographed moves from all three ladies.
And so the night goes. We are taken (over a full 2 hours) on a musical journey that spans time and genres to deliver dizzying, virtuoso performances by all members of this troupe of artistes. There is a featured duet/battle between the “rhythm section” (drummer Dave Tedeschi versus tap-dancer Sarah Reich). There are high jinks and wiggled-butt-jokes aplenty (plus a mock drunken feud between lady singers) during Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass”. The covered material sweeps from three decades of pop, to 90’s hip-hop (Biggie Smalls himself) to Radiohead (twice!). During the night we enjoy solos from each of the other specialists on stage: Nick Finzer on trombone, Adam “the Bass Whisperer” Kubota and Logan “Maestro” Evan Thomas. All of this is delivered gloriously and with style, passion, and the utmost skill. The crowd is enveloped in a happy buzz of hand-claps, sing-alongs, cheering and foot-stomping. There is no doubt that “all of this is thanks to you, we have no record-deal” viral juggernaut that is Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox shows no sign of slowing down. It’s a sure-fire formula, and long may it reign. No matter which collection of guest musicians and singers forms the troupe next time, make sure you get along and revel in the Postmodern Jukebox experience. It’s a night to remember.
Were you there at the Bruce Mason Centre for this fabulous vintage take on modern classics? Or have you seen Postmodern Jukebox perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen (Von Smith)
- I Will Survive – Glorie Gaynor (Sara Niemetz)
- Somebody That I Used To Know – Gotye (Hannah Gill)
- I know I’m Not The Only One – Sam Smith (Maiya Sykes)
- Bye Bye Bye – *NSYNC (Sara, Hannah, Maiya)
- That’s What I Like – Bruno Mars (Lavance Colley)
- Rude – MAGIC! (Von, Maiya, Sara)
- Heya – OutKast (Lavance, Von, Sara)
- Exes and Ohs – Elle King (Hannah Gill)
- Tap vs drummer battle
- Juicy – Notorious BIG (Maiya Sykes)
- Halo – Beyonce (Lavance Colley)
- All About That Bass – Meghan Trainor (Hannah, Maiya)
- No Alarms And No Surprises – Radiohead (Chloe Feoranzo)
- Cry Me A River – Justin Timberlake (Von Smith)
- Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Jet (Hannah Gill)
- What Is Love – Haddaway (Lavance, Maiya, Sara)
- Love Yourself – Justin Beiber (Sara Niemetz)
- Creep – Radiohead (Maiya Sykes)
- Shake it Off – Taylor Swift (Lavance Colley)
- Such Great Heights – The Postal Service (All) [encore]
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.