Public Service Broadcasting
3rd May 2018
Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Chris Zwaagdyk.
Sound and Vision. Two little words that can encapsulate a multitude of elements; many of which Auckland last night were treated to thanks to Public Service Broadcasting.
As the crowd began to filter through the doors, the opening act consisting of Jamie Pyne and Maurice Miller took to the stage armed with little more than a guitar, laptop and keyboard. What they produced however with their small arsenal of weapons was something uniquely fresh and completely engrossing that somehow managed to carry with it the threads of familiarity which simultaneously made their sound instantaneously appealing. Pyne and Miller combined are Dual, a self-described psychedelic-dance act who have been steadily gaining traction thanks to appearances at festivals such as Rhythm & Vines and this year’s Splore.
Opening their set with ‘Ricochet’ from their self-titled EP, Miller immediately takes to pacing the stage like a highly agitated young Morrissey; his emotions flowing freely through both his physical form and voice. And what a voice. While at times Miller adds effects courtesy of some fevered knob turning, much of his vocals remain untouched, leaving the audience to revel in his perspicuous telling’s of loves lost. All the while Pyne remains a rock steady base, delivering the live instrumentational element to the set on guitar before moving onto the keys late in the final track. He is the anchor to Millers angst while still allowing him the freedom to express. With tracks such as ‘Kiss’ which have delectable hints of The Cure with a side order of Massive Attack-esque beats and the gorgeous ‘Flow’ which has an undeniably 80’s feel to it without sounding dated; Dual proved that they are indeed a force to be reckoned with. Concluding their set with ‘It Feels So Good Cause You’re Not Here’ Dual took the audience through an evolution of sound, the track itself morphing into a completely different creature before their eyes.
As the dulcet tones of David Bowie’s ‘Sound and Vision’ sashayed around the venue, whispering in people’s ears and turning their heads towards the stage, three bespectacled gentlemen entered in a calmly reserved manner while around them the crowd erupted in a fanfare fit for a king.
Public Service Broadcasting are comprised of three London based musicians and they wear that persona well. Settling in behind their melodious workstations for the evening and a blanket of expectant silence befalls the crowd as the screen behind PSB springs to life with black and white images of the coal mining industry of Wales. Public Service Broadcastings latest album graces the stage first, both ‘The Pit’ and ‘People Will Always Need Coal’ providing a gloriously textured sample of the album in its live form. While none of the members of PSB sing, they do play their allotted instruments – both J. Willgoose Esq. and JF Abraham certainly having more than one – with a ferocious passion that communicates volumes. Coupled with astounding historical images projected onto the screen and overlaid vocal (speech) samples and it’s as if the pages of history have come alive. With their third studio album Every Valley, PSB have captured the history of the mining industry in Wales, the recording itself a concept album that is in Willgoose Esq. eyes a metaphor for today’s discarded communities of the western world which have led to a brand of “malignant politics”.
While Public Service Broadcasting has been accused by some of cultural misappropriation, one only has to truly immerse themselves in their work to understand that this is as far away from the truth as possible. The album is the product of extensive research of both historical records and research and it involved many members of the Welsh mining community itself; Every Valley was even recorded in the former steel works of Ebbw Vale in South Wales; PSB later playing two sold out shows in the very town itself to mark its release. While it would have been curious to have seen the entire album played in sequence live, it also would have been a little unfair to expect this of the trio, considering it was their first visit to Auckland. Instead Public Service Broadcasting delivered a performance that comprised of equal parts from each of their three albums. While this meant that the stories being told through the music did not always feel linear as they do in their recordings; the show was pieced together well and segued into Public Service Broadcastings perspectives with minimal jarring. Early tracks such as ‘Theme From PSB’ and ‘Korolev’ (named after the father of practical astronautics, Sergei Pavlovich Korolev) from their second – and wildly popular amongst the fans – album The Race for Space were easy favourites with the crowd.
With all three members being stationed so close to the front of the stage in a reasonably intimate venue, it was the perfect opportunity for fans to really bask in the musicianship of each individual member; drummer Wrigglesworth in many ways the stand out. With a methodical drive he pounded out definitive complex patterns with clarity, reminiscent of fellow English drummer Thom Sonny Green of Alt-J; both men a wonderment to behold in action. Willgoose Esq. while quite interactive with the audience tonight; often thanking them for their attendance and confessing that both he and the rest of PSB were blown away by this unexpected reception, preferred to converse through his instruments and sampler. Adroitly moving between guitar, electric banjo and keyboards he was the epitome of a London gentleman with barely a hair out of place by the end of the evening, his velveteen jacket and bow-tie remaining firmly in place. Appearing for the first time on New Zealand soil (both Willgoose Esq. and Wrigglesworth previously performing at Womad in 2015) JF Abraham was as enthusiastic as he was talented. Between bass, keyboards and a hauntingly beautiful Flugelhorn – which at one point he used to serenade Wrigglesworth with the theme from Last of the Summer Wine – Abraham would often step forward and encourage the audience to applaud or clap along to a track. He was especially buoyant during the popular set closer of ‘Go!’, fist pumping the air as the word “Go!” appeared on the screen, the fans following his lead as they shouted the one syllable with glee.
Returning to stage after vocalized demands for an encore, Willgoose Esq. leaned forward and speaking softly into the microphone declared “We’re back … uh, this is a loud one” before unleashing upon his guitar for ‘All Out’, the chaotic and colorized scenes of riots playing out on the screen before all. Moving back to The Race for Space Album and it was the funky celebratory beats of ‘Gagarin’ that saw many of the fans get their groove on, cheering as images of Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin appeared on screen; the first human to journey into space playing a pivotal role in the album’s story. But once again as they did three years ago at Womad, Public Service Broadcasting closed with a track that has its roots in many ways firmly entrenched in New Zealand soil. ‘Everest’ a colossal and looming giant of both a summit and a song seeing the audience cheer wholeheartedly as Willgoose Esq. dedicated it to “Sir Ed”.
Thanking the audience in the only way he could Willgoose Esq. hit his sample pad one last time, as a decidedly English voice stammered out “Thank you very, very, very, very much … Auckland!” And really what more could have been said?
Public Service Broadcasting:
Dual:
Were you there at the Powerstation for this beautiful audio visual extravaganza? Or have you seen Public Service Broadcasting perform live somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- The Pit
- People Will Always Need Coal
- Theme From PSB
- The Now Generation
- Night Mail
- KOROLOV
- E.V.A
- Valentina
- Progress
- They Gave Me A Lamp
- Spitfire
- The Other Side
- Go!
- All Out [encore]
- Gagarin [encore]
- Everest [encore]