Red Fang
19th May 2018
Whammy! Bar, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Doug Peters.
Whammy Bar was sporting a distinctly different view last night, regulars strolling through the door immediately noticing the large metal barrier across the front of the stage. While the show was sold out, this was certainly a new addition that previous capacity shows had not sported; the sight of the cold steel eliciting both a shiver of excitement and maybe the slight eyebrow raise of question – just how raucous was this show going to get tonight? That question was soon to be answered – but first up some preliminaries in the form of two local acts.
Sere are an Auckland four piece who have stated that they are the ‘musical laxative for a constipated society’; a very big call indeed, but one that proved to be true. No, their set did not cause on mass bowel movements – well to be fair this can be neither confirmed nor denied – but they did create a visceral sound that seeped throughout the room shrouded in soft green lighting. As vocalist/guitarist Grant Sheridan created a lusciously layered sonic environment with his vocal work, visually it was hard to tear your eyes away from barefooted drummer Bridge Shoebridge, his manically ecstatic smile – that remained glued to his face for the entirety of the set – was something that both fascinated and slightly unnerved you. But one thing was for certain his drumming was flawless. Moving through their set they drew the crowd in, many who had not seen them before completely captivated by their sound; a sound that has been described as ‘psychedelic doom’ which sums it up pretty damn well.
With a decidedly sideways shift in tempo, second support band for the night Wolf Wizard brought more of that stoner rock vibe to their own brand of metal, the three piece hitting the fans squarely in the jaw with opening track ‘Black Crows’ from their 2017 album Cursed, the guitar riff very reminiscent of another fantastic local band by the name of His Masters Voice. The three piece who hails from Hamilton are made up of Skoll (who chases the sun), Hati (who chases the moon) and Fenrir – the wolf of the apocalypse; this description of themselves a nod to the almost paganistic earthly threads that run through their tracks. Wolf Wizard certainly perform live well together, their set taut, but not to the point that it restricted those wonderful fuzzy edges, especially on tracks such as ‘Rotting’ which also featured a scorching solo. Their performance certainly set the tone for the main act, the almost capacity crowd throwing themselves into the music; however it would have been nice to have just had a little progression in sound thrown in there, a change in tempo perhaps just to keep the audience hooked in.
Approaching the hour of eleven and Whammy was almost full; the audience, many riding the high of anticipation, edging their way closer to the stage to secure a prime viewing spot. A small group of Red Fang fans who had taken lessons from the music video for ‘Prehistoric Dog’ proudly displaying their makeshift mini armour pads comprised of flattened aluminum cans. As the Portland four piece strolled out onto the stage the very floor itself shook as thunderous applause filled the room. Several of the male fans – who had remained almost glued to the barrier since the doors had opened – began to remove their shirts as if in preparation for the marathon of goodness that lay before them.
Without a word the Red Fang gods began, ‘Blood Like Cream’ bursting forth and flooding the room. Simultaneously the fans moved together almost like one cohesive unit with multiple head attachments, hair flailing, arms punching up into the warm and ever so slightly acrid air. Red Fang’s battle plan began with a three prong attack – ‘Crows in Swine’ completing the trio and seeing the fans almost slam to a halt as bass guitarist and vocalist Aaron Beam screamed into the mic “Fuck YES Auckland! You guys are not fucking joking tonight!”. This acknowledgement of their efforts and enjoyment of Red Fang’s performance only fuelled the audience more, many of the fans pounding the floor with their feet or banging the sides of the barrier in an attempt to communicate just how grateful they were for this night.
Birthed in the year 2005, Red Fang have accumulated an almost rabid fan base. Often selling out shows wherever they go (both their NZ shows being sold out), it is their genuine respect and affection for their fans that has seen their popularity continue to grow over the last thirteen years. Releasing their latest album Only Ghosts in 2016 the quartet are certainly due to release a new material soon judging from their previous release pattern. But while there was no hint of that tonight, there was certainly no shortage of balls to the wall material from them to choose from either. Smashing through the set, vocal duties were of course shared between Beam and Bryan Giles, Giles in particular bringing a huskier tone to the tracks. Smashing out the beats, John Sherman on drums completely destroyed, his kick drum delivering the heavy when and where required. There is something completely infectious about Red Fang, their music coursing through the veins and compelling you to move with it, even if you are a fan that prefers to just stand back and nod the head.
Set favourites had to include ‘Not For You’ (if you have not seen the hilarious music video for this track, do yourself a favour and do so) and ‘Wires’ which featured some excellent riffage, their extended live version of the track prompting the crowd into a chant. Every so often Beam would stop and thank the audience, his on stage persona one that seemingly channeled both the voice and humour of Seth Rogen, his laugh as he spoke about space and time travel “Am I getting younger or older?? I don’t even know!!” particularly endearing. In an obvious acknowledgement to the small group of fans who went the extra mile in arts and craft class, Red Fang finished their set with ‘Prehistoric Dog’, the fans unsurprisingly almost screaming for an encore, their exuberance threatening to cause self-implosion. But the crisis was averted as Red Fang delivered the goods in the form of two more songs, a few beers, several guitar picks and one pair of pants.
Aaron Beams pants to be exact.
Yes that’s right, Red Fang love their fans so much they will literally give them the clothes of their own body. Beam asking if anybody wanted the pants that he was wearing as they now had a giant hole in the crotch, they were of course eagerly snapped up. Lingering to take selfies and sign some of the tasty vinyl they had brought for sale, there would not have been a single soul within that venue tonight who would not have left feeling completely and utterly satisfied.
Just the way a Saturday night show should leave you.
Red Fang:
Wolf Wizard:
Sere:
Were you there at Whammy! Bar for this brilliant stoner rock show? Or have you seen Red Fang perform live some other time? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Red Fang Setlist:
- Blood Like Cream
- Malverde
- Crows in Swine
- Into The Eye
- Not For You
- Antidote
- Wires
- Flies
- Cut It Short
- Sharks
- Number Thirteen
- The Smell Of Sound
- Dirt Wizard
- Prehistoric Dog
- Hank Is Dead [encore]
- Throw Up [encore]
Wolf Wizard Setist:
- Black Crows
- Rotting
- Mystic
- Desert Walker
- Snow
- Devils Charms
- Witch Hat
Sere Setlist:
- Collision
- Lock The Gate
- Something Fucking Special
- Rampage
- Burn
- Vortex
- Numb Nutt
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