The Chills
8th May 2021
The Cabana, Napier, New Zealand.
Review by Rob Harbers, Feature photograph by Alex Lovell-Smith.
Martin Phillipps, enjoying something of a renaissance in recent years, brought the latest iteration of the ever-fluid entity that is The Chills, to the iconic venue of Napier’s Cabana. As this was where I first encountered their distinctive sound in a live setting, 36 years ago(!), this was a reunion on a number of fronts.
It is often the lot of a reviewer to have to perform their art in a darkened corner, scribbling their cryptic notes to self for later deciphering in the cold light of day. On this night, though, darkness be damned – as a definite fan since that early meeting I wanted to see everything! No dispassionate stance here, I was stood the closest of anyone to centre stage, to catch each note as it effloresced, before deliquescing in the distant reaches.
The band were in a celebratory mood, having been notified just prior to taking the stage that the album had hit #4 in the overall charts, and #2 in the chart of NZ albums. Further evidence of the renaissance, also showing the enduring power of the live experience, one to which the band give their all, satisfying an audience in which, it must be said, grey was the most prominent hair colour, although there was a representative smattering of the next generation.
“Night of Chill Blue” from 1987’s “Brave Words” album, provided an atmospheric introduction to proceedings, kicking off a set that, while still containing touchstone historic elements, was anything but a wallow in nostalgia. The new songs played fitted seamlessly into the overall tapestry, showing both the timelessness of the older material and the consistency of the new. “Bad Sugar” gave multi-instrumentalist Erica Scally a chance to shine, with her violin adding colour and texture. When I say multi-instrumentalist, it’s without a word of exaggeration, with her doing the heavy lifting on keys, guitar, violin and vocals, perhaps proving Timothy Leary’s brave words ( “Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition”). Compared with this range of skills, drummer Todd Knudson might almost be regarded as one-dimensional! To anyone comatose, that is – this is a man who would send the Energizer bunny to an early grave with his frantic, but always skilful playing. Not quite the right age to be the reincarnation of Keith Moon, but definitely possessed of a similar spirit!
“Wet Blanket” was true to its own lyrics in being “so so beautiful”, while new song “Destiny” held a delicate poignancy, with lyrical pleading that “Destiny have empathy, shall I face this on my own”-given special meaning both in the wider context of this strange pandemic era, but also in Martin’s own well-documented health issues.
“You’re Immortal” gave bassist Callum Hampton the opportunity to redress the balance in the workload, adding flourishes of trumpet to the sonic palette, in addition to his backing vocals. “Pink Frost” lost nothing of its power for being nearly 40 years old, while “Doledrums”, in all it’s masterfully complex simplicity, brought back memories of the gig 36 years ago. One which I went to in a spirit of “Hey, why not? These guys are in town and I may as well” and came away from a committed fan, largely on the strength of this song (not to downgrade the rest of the performance, but this was the one that really cut through that night).
All too soon, however, the end of the show was looming, but not before Oli Wilson played the iconic keyboard intro and took us all back to 1990 with “Heavenly Pop Hit”, and it wouldn’t have felt out of place had the roof opened up and the sun poured in, such was the evocation of a time at which it felt like The Chills could take over the world, and maybe taken the rest of us with them! For some the recent “team of 5 million” rhetoric may have evoked aquatic adventures in the mid-90s, or suchlike, but for the cognoscenti this time provided a foretaste of such feeling. The story of what happened after that point is for others to tell, but the powerhouse that is Martin Phillipps remains to this day, and holds this ensemble together with a gentle mastery. One of this country’s true heroes, far more than many that chase funny-shaped balls around a paddock, who would be in the elevated company of Sir Dave if there was any justice (and if he’d accept it, which I’d suspect maybe not), instead he exercises his power by grinding out the heroic riff of “I Love My Leather Jacket”. A song which could’ve suffered fatal damage at the hands of Mikey Havoc, but survives to close out the main part of tonight’s set, prior to an encore consisting of new song “Hourglass”. Further poignancy in its consideration of mortality and the passing of time (“Do the sands rush through the hourglass, only when you’re counting?”), and then it was all over.
Over recent times, it’s been my privilege to witness the current adventures of some of NZ music’s most well-known people, and this band, and in particular its leader, deserve to hold their heads high in this company, with their determination not to give in to the oncoming day.
This Chills tour still has dates to play out, and if you’re anywhere near these last gigs, and you trust this writer (and why wouldn’t you?), you owe it to yourself to get along if at all possible. No excuses, just do it!
Were you there at The Cabana for this magical performance? Or have you seen The Chills perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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