Reb Fountain, Auckland NZ, 2020

Reb Fountain

16th November 2020
The Mercury Theatre, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Alexis Brook. Photography by Doug Peters.

Reb Fountain. It is a name that many have been talking about this year, with this long-awaited and highly anticipated album release tour. Social distancing lockdowns may have forced us to wait for the live performances, but the benefit is that you have had over six months to savour her new work, attendees now hungry to bear witness.

Three nights in and Mercury Theatre was positively humming, the glowing reviews from those who had already attended the first two nights seeing the historic venues seats once again overflow. If the idea of Reb with full band wasn’t tantalizing enough, the fact that the Shayne P Carter of Straitjacket Fits and Dimmer was opening with a forty-five-minute solo set certainly sealed the deal.

There have been many words used to describe both Carter’s work as well as the man himself, genius, icon, legend, all of which fit and all of which would more than likely cause the corner of his mouth to twitch into an acerbic grin. The accolades certainly dictate that he is an act worth seeing, the Hall of Fame inductee, Lifetime Achievement recipient and now award-winning author for his autobiography entitled Dead People I have Known demonstrating that he has created a body of work in his life that has truly been – and continues to be – appreciated by more than one generation.

But frankly it is the fact that Carter is just a phenomenal performer, able to not only draw you deeply into his melodic musings, but able to make you tremble ever so slightly before taking that first step; his intoxicant demeanor still offset with a row of razor sharp teeth that have not been diminished by time.

Playfully admonishing the audience about talking during an artists set (something that reportedly occurred during the first night) Carter begun his set with ‘Burn it Up’ from the 1993 Straitjacket Fits album Blow, both his vocals and guitar work having lost none of that edge that has always made his performances so appealing. Throughout the set Carter continued to mix his songs with a bit of heckling banter that was both given and received, his command of the stage never once in question thanks to his extensive experience.  He was clearly enjoying himself, even if a couple of times he admittedly lost his way mid-song and started playing the chords for a different tune. This Dunedin-esque, everyman charm, fit well with the audience, who were often asked “Who paid for a ticket tonight”; a sentiment you would expect at a ten dollar show that your mates are playing at. Definitive highlights were ‘I Know Not Where I Stand’ from his 2016 solo album Offsider, its slightly off kilter keys an allegory for periods of Carters own life and Dimmer’s ‘What’s A Few Tears to The Ocean’.

Following a brief intermission, the night’s opening entertainment continued with a fabulous set from the stunning Medulla Oblongata, who we came to know and love from the New Zealand television series House of Drag. Like an effervescent amuse-bouche, Medulla was a pleasure to watch, their energy inspiring more than one audience member to leap from their seats to dance in front of stage to the infectious soundtrack of classic Donna Summer songs such as ‘Hot Stuff’, ‘Bad Girls’ and ‘Last Dance’. More importantly Medulla’s set was a statement for inclusion, diversity and how a mix of genres can make for one hell of an evening of live entertainment.

By now, it was heading late into the night, and we were ready for Reb. Arriving on stage to thunderous applause and accompanied by the incomparable Dave Khan, Karin Canzek and Earl Robertson on drums, Reb was a diaphanous vision in black, her untamed hair simultaneously speaking of her Southern Californian roots and reminiscent of Aucklands wild west coast beaches that she now calls home. Beginning with ‘Hawks & Doves’ it was immediately evident that this would be a show for the history books, the alt-folk-country-blues we have previously come to know and love still running through the undercurrent of Fountain’s song-writing, but this new body of work comes a raw, punchy and, at times, melancholic Reb that is quite simply divine.

While there is a stark contrast between Reb the person and her onstage persona, you still feel you are getting an honest authentic connection within every composition, each one eliciting different emotions from the enraptured audience, whether it was silent tears during ‘Hey Mom’ or fire in their bellies during ‘Don’t You Know Who I Am’ that saw Fountain take centre stage and pull the very thunder from the skies down around her.

Whether out front with a microphone, mid stage with her guitar or behind the keyboard, each and every song is a work of art, Fountain at ease with any and all of the tools at her disposal.  Behind her Khan – who co-produced her latest album – is a whirlwind of musicality on guitar and keys, to his left the breathtaking Canzek embodies the effortless style of PJ Harvey and the bass playing skills of Paz Lenchantin, Robertson the rhythmical glue that binds them together.

All too soon the evening was coming to a close, Fountain and co finishing with a cover of Nick Cave’s ‘Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow’ that rocked attendees down to the very core, a fitting tribute to an artist that has inspired Reb Fountain for much of her life.

Powerful, delicate, reflective and defiant, this is the evolution of Reb Fountain.

Reb Fountain

Were you there at The Mercury Theatre for this breathtaking noir punk-folk gig? Or have you seen Reb Fountain perform live some other time? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Set List:

1. Hawks & Doves
2. Strangers
3. Quiet Like The Rain
4. Faster
5. Gold
6. It’s A Bird (It’s A Plane)
7. Hey Mom
8. Swim To The Star
9. Heart
10. Samson
11. When Gods Lie
12. The Last Word
13. Don’t You Know Who I Am?
14. Lighthouse [encore]
15. 15 Feet Of Pure White Snow [Nick Cave cover][encore]

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