Stryper
11th March 2023
Galatos, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Kev Rowland. Photography by Mark Derricutt.
I was chatting to photographer Mark Derricutt before the gig, and neither of us can remember a night in Auckland when international bands were playing at Spark Arena (Backstreet Boys), Trusts Arena (Snoop Dogg), Western Springs (My Chemical Romance) and Galatos (Stryper) on the same night. Just goes to show that bands have finally started to remember where we are on the map (if they actually have one which shows New Zealand, many don’t).
Galatos has long been one of my favourite venues, and I was really looking forward to tonight as I have been a fan of Stryper for more than 35 years, buying the first two albums from America before they became known in the UK. I walked in and there was the famous Stryper backdrop, so it really was happening. But before that we were going to be treated to House of Ousey, who I was also looking forward to. I had seen them play for literally two minutes at the Ding Dong Tenth Anniversary as I had been reviewing in Aux and just popped into Dead Witch to say goodnight to the crew as I had to leave early due to an early flight the next day. I looked at the guys killing it on the stage and made a mental note that I must catch them soon and thankfully tonight was that opportunity.
Torrance Kam (drums), Josh Ousey (guitar) and Kalind Hutchinson (bass) took to the stage, with Josh and Kalind standing behind their microphones with their heads down. The synth backing track started and suddenly Torrance was doing his very best to demolish the kit, all the time wearing a suit, shirt and tie. I was already impressed and he was the only one playing so far. Suddenly Josh and Kalind kicked into gear, and one advantage of having a left-handed bassist is that the shapes they create onstage look great, and when they separated, Frank Zhao was there as they blasted into King of these Streets. Not only is Frank a great singer, with a very theatrical style which is quite at odds with the melodic hard rock blasting out beneath him, but he is a frontman in every sense of the word so even though the other guys were working it as well, all eyes were on him. Josh kicked us into Goodbye Singularity and Frank got the crowd waving their arms in the air and then had them jumping up and down in time, all this before the second song (from the support act, remember) had really got going. House of Ousey are a band who have great songs, with lots of contrast and sections within them, a drummer who mixes it up all the time, a bassist who keeps it tight or plays with melody when the need arises, a killer guitarist and a great frontman. All of which combined to make me wonder how I have not come across them among my heavy gig going over the last few years. The crowd was being worked, and the woman stood behind me (wearing her Stryper shirt with pride) was shouting in time to the music so these guys were making fans, and when Frank ended with a scream there were loads of approval.
Frank had the crowd right where he wanted them, and when he said the next song was for the ladies he asked for shouts from them, and when it was not loud enough, he asked them to respond in a better fashion, so they did. This was Lighthouse, which started with gentle keyboards, with Frank placing his vocals against them, but gradually it rocked out even though the tempo stayed quite slow. Once one has heard Frank’s vocals one cannot help but wonder what training he has had as he sings very differently indeed to other popular singers, as he is always projecting as if he is on a stage so I can’t help but wonder if he comes from a musical theatre background. It certainly works well with everything else which is going on around him as the quartet combine to create something both special and different. Angel Free Me started with a drum beat and Frank again encouraging the crowd to singalong, and when he decided it was loud enough the rest of the band kicked in. Josh has an easy style, adding loads of nuances, so he strikes hard, but also provides flourishes while throwing great shapes. This song calms down for the chorus and the crowd, having already had practice, all joined in as requested. They ended the way too short set with The Family, and the band knew they had made loads of friends and kept piling on the show with a song which is incredibly dramatic with shifts in drum patterns, changes in tempo and melody, along with vocal gymnastics. They had certainly made an impact as there were a lot of people in here by now, and all of them were paying close attention to the stage. Let’s just hope some of them turn up to the next House of Ousey gig, as here is a local band which really do deserve support. I personally have already made a note to keep in touch as I want to hear a much longer set than the five songs they were allocated, as in just 30 minutes it was over way too soon.
As soon as they were off the crew were stripping everything back so we could see the only drumkit I know which is always placed at 90 degrees, as drummer Robert Sweet is of course the visual timekeeper, not hidden behind a bank of drums. The rest of the band still contains Michael Sweet (lead vocals, guitar) and Oz Fox (guitar), while the newest member is bassist Perry Richardson (formerly of Firehouse), who joined in 2017 so has already been there for three albums.
The backing track started, Robert entered the stage, and then the rest of the band came on and they blasted into ‘In God We Trust’. The crowd were there to have a good time and tonight there was planned to be a lot of older material, and very soon everyone was shouting and singing. This was mostly a middle aged audience so they weren’t going to get too rowdy but everyone was here to have a good time and right from the off the band were going to deliver. Robert was the only one wearing black and yellow, which was something of a disappointment, and there was way less hair on show than the classic ‘Live In Japan’ video, but given that was 38 years ago perhaps that is no surprise. They kicked through Revelation, and everyone was already having a great time.
That the guys are tight and locked in is no surprise given that although they split up a few times, and people left and rejoined, the three founders came back together in 2003 and have been solidly together for the last 20 years, with Perry slotting right in. The last time they played Auckland was 1989, and quite a few in the crowd were here back then. The guys were playing in front of friends and Michael had no problem getting strong interactions, and even though the band all look older that’s because they are, but they sound great, with superb harmony vocals and a hard edge to their melodic rock which never really comes across on their albums which are somewhat more sanitised.
Tonight, they were favouring their third album, To Hell With The Devil, with more songs from that than any other and there was a great reaction to ‘More Than A Man’, but I have personally always enjoyed their first two albums the most, so to hear Michael and Oz harmonizing on Surrender was very special indeed. Here and now, it is much harder and heavier, but still as melodic and packed with hooks as it was back in the day.
I thought there were already a load of people with their phones out videoing, but when they kicked into Calling On You it just went mad. The harmonies from Perry and Oz were spot on, Robert was bashing the kit and moving like he was nearly 40 years ago, Michael was getting all the crowd to sing along, and the power ballad was taken to new heights. Given this is called the Calling On You tour, and it is one of their biggest numbers I confess to being surprised it was so early in the set, but it was certainly well received and then they segued straight into ‘Free’. From this we went into the quite different ‘Sorry’, which was mentioned by Michael as a new song (or would people rather hear 23 takes on ‘Crying On You’ he wondered? That did get some cheers to be fair). It’s not exactly new, as they have released two albums since God Damn Evil, but it certainly felt much heavier than their other material, way more melodic metal than hard rock. Guitar tech Dave was invited up onto the stage after that song as today was his birthday, so we all had to sing “Happy Birthday” to him, which was nice. There were also loud cheers when Michael said they are hoping to come back next year as well.
After some battery changes we’re into ‘All For One’, and although there was not much running around tonight as there was not the room, there was no doubt the guys were putting everything into it, and with Robert’s drums high in the mix one could hear just how much impact he has to the overall sound. The guitars really crunch, but over the top are those melodic vocals we all know so well, and age has not changed how the guys sing. This was clearly apparent on ‘Always There for You’, where Michael reached the notes, while the harmonies were spot on. What was also interesting is that in the old days there was some preaching between songs and here we were more than halfway through the set, and nothing had been said about religion at all.
From here we went into ‘Divider’, another newer one (from Even the Devil Believes) and yet again one could tell the difference as it is much heavier and faster than the earlier material, although still with the harmonies. They followed this with another newer number, ‘The Valley’, with both Michael and Oz giving us some perfectly formed solos. A quick backing track followed and then we were into one of their heaviest songs, ‘Yahweh’. We had a lot of hands being raised to the heavens, both by the band and the audience, Oz and Michael were still ripping it up, Perry was keeping it tight, while at the back Robert was putting as much effort into the drums as he had been all night, pounding it out.
‘Soldiers Under Command’ is still one of my favourite Stryper songs, but I not only never expected to hear it played live, but never expected it to be blasted out like this. The crowd knew all the words and were happy to sing for Michael and it was soon a powerful metallic singalong. It ended with Michael holding a really long note and then they segued into ‘To Hell With The Devil’, which of course ensured another massive singalong on the chorus. Tonight had been a great show, with the band showing they can do it just as well as they did in their heyday, and the crowd certainly had an amazing time.
As there was nowhere for the band to go, they did not leave the stage to get the crowd asking for more, but Michael said what a great time they had, and then the riffs led us into ‘Sing-Along Song’ which was always designed to get everyone singing with their arms in the air and that is exactly what they did while the guys continued to make the song way more powerful than it was originally back in the day, all the time providing those wonderful harmonies.
Yet another incredible night at Galatos with two great bands, and an audience who certainly appreciated what was in front of them. Superb.
Stryper:
House of Ousey:
Were you there at Galatos for this heavenly metal show? Or have you seen Stryper perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Stryper Setlist:
- In God We Trust
- Revelation
- More Than a Man
- Surrender
- Calling on You
- Free
- Sorry
- All for One
- Always There for You
- Divider
- The Valley
- Yahweh
- Soldiers Under Command
- To Hell With The Devil
- Sing-Along Song [encore]
House of Ousey Setlist:
- King of these Streets
- Goodbye Singularity
- Lighthouse
- Angel free me
- The Family
Note: Ambient Light was provided passes to review and photograph this concert. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.
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