Seamless Vol.6
Feat. Yoko Zuna, Nakita, Cool Tan & My Anatomy
18th May 2018
The Tuning Fork, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Andre & Isaac Fleming. Photography by Lara Marie.
While Seamless may be an all-ages show, young minds were quickly attracted to the chillaxed jams of ‘My Anatomy’ as the elders made their way to the back for a bit of groove time. The Auckland band consisting of 6 members (Hugo, Niamh, Erik, Taite, Asa and Mikey) were unfortunately unable to have their saxophonist Erik on the scene tonight, but this mattered none as My Anatomy still performed tremendously.
Niamh has fantastic vocal power easily shifting from melodic to a subtle growl where required. Although the band fits quite well into the jazz/blues genre they had a rather interesting bouncing tempo change from the first to the second song ‘Symonds Street Cemetery’ threads of The Cure coming through Hugo’s guitar and proving that the band isn’t able to be categorized, because they are instead very well rounded. While they entertained the crowd musically unfortunately they are not as well rounded with their stage performance; even though the stage was quite small they didn’t utilize the space to the best of the ability, instead almost blocking some members from view completely. This was only a minor setback however as the band still put on one hell of show for their audience. To the crowds disappointment the band only played a 4 song set due to the fast changing schedule which was a shame as they and especially Hugo who came alive with some furious hunched shouldered and gritted teeth guitar playing really seemed to be hitting their stride. A great local kiwi band who are definitely worth going to see if you are looking for a relaxing yet simultaneously exciting show.
Cool Tan, also previously known for their solo acts under the names of Meer and Dbldbl (and formerly known as HEAVY) was the second of the four groups to perform at The Tuning Fork for Seamless. While Cool Tan only consist of the two members, a female rapper (Meer) and male rapper (Dbldbl) they had a presence that was bigger than the room itself, bringing with them some late 80’s and early 90’s flows that left you salivating for more. You ignored the fact it was a small stage and instead just listened in astonishment as the duo rapped giving you that old school feel, at times reminiscent of Beastie Boys with lines such as “I’ll stab you in the face with Walter White’s dinner plate” which were pure gold. Their content may not be age appropriate for anyone under 16 but their rap capabilities were superb. They were clear and concise with the rhymes and had a nice bassy sound to back their vocals, keeping a rhythm so they could maintain their flow. At one point Dbldbl came down from the stage telling the audience “ignore my broke ass knee” as he slowly dragged himself down whilst his partner in crime Meer remained on stage stating “I’m on my period” in response to Dbldbl asking if she was gonna join him. Dbldbl immersed himself in the crowd like they were a group of old friends, basking in the overall happiness as he rapped like it were the 90’s again leaving you grinning from ear to ear. Charismatic with a gilded edge, this is a duo that has some serious talent, check out Cool Tan ASAP.
With a rather appealing and dramatic starting position, the crowd knew as soon as the tunes started to vibe through the air that they were in for a treat. Kiwi band Nakita are a four piece who are aptly named after their lead singer. They are classified as being of the Pop genre and they are of sorts, but the band also had a strong techno appeal. This could be heard almost instantly as they started off their performance with one of their new hits ‘Vision’. Stumbling slightly at the forefront you could hear that the tone was slightly off when higher notes were trying to be reached by the young vocalist, but those vocal chords soon warmed up as she hit the higher notes beautifully later in the set with the greatest of ease. With a hefty backing track that they used to their advantage, the set was draped in a fantastic first rate robotic/techno vibe; the backing track even featuring robotic vocals and a persistent percussion to keep a balanced tempo going throughout. As the band progressed further into the show they slowly adapted/changed up the tune to a heavy bass, bass that would literally make you deliciously vibrate in your skin, the audience sharing the same cheerful energy as the band were giving them. While a little stiff looking at the beginning of their act, they shared a delightful synergy with their crowd. Adding a personal touch Nakita played a song dedicated to her sister the bands emotions becoming far more visible to the audience. Although very emotive with their lyrics to some they may have come across as very generic in this day and age of pop, but Nakita herself certainly makes up for it with her fashion sense, killing it in a jumpsuit. With a definite finesse to their techno themes Nakita is certainly another local band that are worth your time to check out.
For the final act of the night there are just two words; freaking amazing. Yoko Zuna a band made of up of four musicians, Frank Eliesa (bass, synth and keys), Swap Gomez (drums and percussion), Kenji Iwamitsu-Holdaway (guitar, bass) and JY Lee (saxophone and flute) were spectacular to witness live as you watched and listened to a show completely unique to any other. Yoko Zuna has created a style of music that they can truly call their own from using David Attenborough’s voice for intros of songs to random changes in genre; for example rock/techno sounds moving through to jazz/synth the seamless segues leaving you speechless. The band was super hyper active even after giving what seemed like all their energy in their first song, clearly displaying the true vibe of the band, energetic and joyful. The band couldn’t thank the crowd enough for turning up and the drummer Swap Gomez even acknowledged himself that he is happy to have the band playing for people under the age of 18 since they don’t get to do many all ages gigs, so it was truly a treat!
Yoko Zuna is a band with raw freestyle talent giving them that sense of originality. As Swap Gomez has said himself previously “The way we write music is really raw”. This is what makes the band so special in their own way; the members of Yoko Zuna don’t rely on preset boundaries or rules and instead just vibe with one another to create music that amazes.
Looking around the room there wasn’t a single audience member who wasn’t either swaying or dancing with the band by the end of their set; here was a band you just knew the audience would continue to think about long after they had left. Their music which ranges from purely instrumental with a big focus on saxophone to songs with robotic voices and heavy synth to really get you into the rave mood is music for the ages. If you get the chance to catch these guys live I would highly recommend that you do!
Were you there at The Tuning Fork for these awesome showcase performances? Or have you seen one of the acts perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
This content is a part of our NZ Music Month coverage, celebrating old, new and upcoming Kiwi artists. For more information on NZ Music Month you can visit their website.
