The Dandy Warhols, Auckland NZ, 2024

The Dandy Warhols

22nd April 2024
Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand

Review by Sarah Kidd with photography by Ginelle Cocks.

Déjà vu. It was a feeling that many a Dandy Warhols fan may have felt last night after attending their show at Tāmaki Makaurau’s Powerstation.

But that is not to say it’s a bad thing; it has been a long wait between drinks, with the American psychedelic rock band last appearing in Auckland in 2017 (the gap between that show and the last headlining one before that almost two decades). And they certainly have a liking for our beloved Powerstation, and frankly who could blame them.

It seemed that the support act was a bit of a mystery right up to the day of the show, word quickly spreading that the Australian four-piece hailing from Sydney were worth checking out for their brand of psych-rock music. If you like King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizards, then you were definitely going to find connection with Magic Machine.

A wall of noise, overlaid with melodies that sounded like they were pulled straight from the sixties era of The Doors (thanks to some next level organ playing) and Grateful Dead style guitar work, greeted attendees that had arrived early. Those in the audience who were already devotees of this style of music lapped it up with relish, while the rest certainly caught on rather quickly.

The by now sold-out venue was ready and waiting when The Warhols appeared, raucous cheering creating a symbolic red carpet before them as they moved across taking up their respective positions in a layout not unlike their last appearance. Lined up in a slightly curved horseshoe, the band members hugged the back of the stage leaving a large empty space in front of them; Courtney Taylor-Taylor tucked away between Brent DeBoer’s drumkit and bassist Peter Holmstrōm. On the far left, Zia McCabe was an entire entity of her own, her station as such a collection of keyboards, tambourines and guitars, her long hair gently blown backwards by the fan and giving her a natural air of ethereal grace.

As the opening notes of ‘Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth’ seeped into the air, those down in the front rows celebrated; notably missing from the set list during their last visit, the absolute banger of a tune from the 1997 album The Dandy Warhols Come Down was a welcomed opener. However, as Taylor-Taylor began to sing there was a slight shift in the audience, his vocals distorted and veiled by the instrumentation. For those that have only ever listened to the recorded version this may have been a little unexpected, but the crowd soon leaned into it, especially when McCabe picked up the tambourine and banged it against her leg as if exorcising a demon.

Straight into ‘Shakin’’ and the trippy track with a healthy side dollop of rock n roll shook itself about the room, sliding up next to people and giving them the eye, flicking tendrils of hair, and whispering into ears. The vibe quickly changed as many of the fans, gave themselves over to the faster paced track and shook their Mondayitis away.

Taylor-Taylor making jokes about returning to the same venue again with shag pile carpet so thick that you can’t close the door, led into an absolutely killer version of ‘Ride’ from their debut album, the lighting threatening to deliver seizures in a bottle, but absolutely perfect for the track, especially when focusing on one member such as the fascinating Brent DeBoer on drums, who as the night wore on just seemed to become more enamoured with his own work, an expression of deep satisfaction dancing across his face, occasionally parting his lips and allowing a smile to slip out and bless those who caught it’s fleeting flight of fancy.

‘I’d Like to Help You with Your Problem’ only doubled down on the psychedelic, alt rock that was now pouring from the stage like a mist, its notes snaking around the floor, moving between the bodies, enticing them closer. ‘We Used to Be Friends’ another huge hit from the early 2000’s (who doesn’t remember that killer mohawk that Taylor-Taylor sported in the music video?), Holmstrōm leading the iconic double clap from underneath his wide brimmed hat, fans quickly joining in as the room became a giant dance fest from top to bottom, the band genuinely looking pleased at the reaction.

The Dandy Warhols have also just released a new album entitled Rockmaker, so hitting Auckland with a double header of ‘The Summer of Hate’ and ‘Danzig with Myself’ made complete sense, especially as they were now well and truly warmed up and earlier entry ‘I’d Like to Help You with your Problem’ had been received with open arms. The two tracks moving from a melodic rock chorus that is so danceable it is inconceivable to watch anyone stand stock still into a gloriously grungy track (which on the album features Black Francis of The Pixies) that sees a return to a sound that is synonymous with Warhol’s and what made them a pied piper in the scene in the first place.

But it was ‘I Love You’ that turned out to be the pinnacle of the performance; stage bathed in red, the band went on an extended jam session that was a just a sea of glorious sound that was like oil, coating everything it touched. People all across the room drank it in, heads hung back (or in true shoegaze fashion, hanging forward) their arms loose by their sides as they gave themselves over and let The Dandy Warhols take them on a journey. By the time destination was reached it was if they had been cleansed.

Taylor-Taylor partook in some occasional banter, a conversation that involved walking up parks while shitty, museums that were dope and German amusing the fans. But it was the music that everyone had come for, and the hits kept coming. McCabe – who was hard to pull your eyes away from as she cycled through keys, guitar and tambourine like a woman on a mission with the cool calm reservedness of a contract killer – advising one and all that this was not only the first night of the tour and 30th anniversary, but their first sold out tour in thirty years, everyone cheering with a sense of pride knowing that they were a part of making that achievement happen.

“Welcome to the Monkey House’ was finished with a nice little solo by Taylor-Taylor, while ‘Bohemian Like You’ saw everyone sing a long while enthusiastically crying ‘Wooo!’ in the appropriate parts, their enthusiasm in doing so seemingly greatly amusing DeBoers.

And while at times the vocals seemed to often get lost amongst the gargantuan sound they were making, no one seemed to mind, as it worked in the live setting, the nature of it all enveloping in a comforting way.

No cliché encores here thank you – instead The Warhols took out the night with ‘Pete International Airport’ sliding straight into ‘Boys Better’ before the boys left McCabe to noodle out a nifty little outroset under a veil of blue light.

Like riding the crest of a wave and finding nirvana.

The Dandy Warhols:

Magic Machine:

Were you there at Powerstation for this magical alt-rock gig? Or have you seen The Dandy Warhols perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Setlist:

1. Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth
2. Shakin’
3. Ride
4. I’d Like To Help You With Your Problem
5. We Used to Be Friends
6. Summer of Hate
7. Danzig With Myself
8. Plan A
9. Be Alright
10. I Love You
11. I Will Never Stop Loving You
12. Welcome to the Monkey House
13. Godless
14. Bohemian Like You
15. Pete International Airport/Boys Better/Zia Outroset

_{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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