The Adults
1st September 2018
Meow, Wellington, New Zealand.
Photography by Bruce Mackay.
Jon Toogood has long been a stalwart of the New Zealand music scene; 2018 marking his thirtieth anniversary as the lead vocalist of one of New Zealand’s favourite bands, Shihad. But Toogood has many chambers to his rather creative heart and while one has fairly recently been filled with the lifeforce from the last Shihad album FVEY another was already craving material with which to ignite the fires from which the sophomore album for The Adults would be born.
What Toogood did not expect was for that inspiration to come from a place so far away in physical locality but so close emotionally.
Having discovered traditional Sudanese music entitled Aghani-Al-Banat (girl’s music) during his very own wedding in Khartoum the seed was planted and the album HAJA (referring respectfully to an older more experienced woman) slowly began its journey to fruition.
This September New Zealand fans have a very limited chance to personally witness tracks from HAJA performed live by the current version of The Adults which sees the witch pop teachings of the ethereal Estere blended with the lyrical stylings of Rwandan born Raiza Biza. Along with Toogood himself and the soul infused contributions of Emily C. Browning, the fabulous quintet is completed with the very talented Ben Wood from Trinity Roots.
Last night saw The Adults thrill Wellingtonians with an inimitable set that included not only the entire new album but a few hand-picked tracks from their 2011 debut.
With just two dates left on the tour it is highly recommended that tickets are secured as soon as possible for what promises to be an exceptional evening of culture melding compositions.
Were you there at Meow for this amazing Kiwi supergroup? Or have you seen The Adults perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
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Saw the Haja show last night at the Northcote Social club. I thought it was amazing. I loved it. To see such talented musicians take on such a different project, was well worth the visit. Jon never fails to impress me, from when I first saw Shihad play down in a shed at Queens Wharf, many years ago.
serious? 10 songs for $70?! less than on hour onstage and not even time to finish 3 beers..no “live show” feel at all except for the very last song & Mr Toogood having quite the time.. culd’ve just played the album and watched the videos..4/10