The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
28th November 2018
Galatos, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Chris Zwaagdyk.
It may have taken them fifteen years to finally cross our borders but last night Ronnie Winter and co of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus made it well worth the wait with a heady mix of old and new and of course that song…
Warming up the floorboards of Galatos, Flirting with Disaster delivered an energetic set that fused the boundaries between punk rock and pop. The Auckland four piece have been picking up some rather notable international support slots lately and are well worth turning up early for; their next appearance opening for Mayday Parade in early December.
Following close behind was a rather impressive set from Wellington band Pale Lady. The 2017 national Battle of the Bands winners have steadily been building up a fan base of loyal followers over the last year or so and while not quite having the stage presence of the more seasoned Flirting with Disaster before them, their musicianship is outstanding. With a set featuring not only a very popular cover of My Chemical Romance’s ‘Helena’ – collective sighs of happiness rising into the air within those first few notes – but tracks such as the brilliant ‘Taken by the Toad’ and ‘Beyond the Quota’ which both feature on their upcoming EP, Pale Lady are a band to watch with interest, their fusion of genres and unexpected elements such as drummer Sam Higham’s intermittent turns on the keys taking their set beyond the pedestrian.
It wasn’t long before the lights dimmed, and the Florida natives known as The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus were standing before an audience of ecstatic smiles and open arms, their OG fans having waited many a year for this day to finally come.
Dressed in a simple white t-shirt and black jacket, his shades firmly in place, lead vocalist Ronnie Winter cut quite the figure; announcing that they would be kicking it all off with a ‘really old one’, ‘In Fates Hands’ from their 2006 album Don’t You Fake It scored a big hit with their fans from the outset. Sadly, the striking upright guitar solo from Josh Burke was completely lost in the muddy sound mix, the set taking at least three to four songs before finally coming right and a more balanced listening experience achieved. While the guitars may have suffered in the early part of the evening, Winter’s voice was faultless throughout – despite his confession that he was suffering from a cold. With excellent note control and pitch every song was delivered vocally with spine-tingling precision.
Announcing that for their first ever show in New Zealand they would be playing a mix of old and new, Red Jumpsuit moved into some of the tracks from their latest album The Awakening. A concept record, it is a straight-out rock album of pure quality, tracks such as ‘Fighting Everything’ and ‘On Becoming Willing’ (which as discussed in our latest interview with Ronnie Winter spent an astounding twelve week run at No.1 on the billboard charts) making its mark live. While fans sang in unison to older favourites such as ‘Justify’; vocal requests for ‘Face Down’ peppered the breaks in between, Winter assuring those asking that they would get there and that as a band who had been together fifteen years they had many other singles that they wanted to share with their New Zealand fans first – and rightly so.
Followers of the TV show The Vampire Diaries were thrilled to hear ‘Cat and Mouse’ but it was Red Jumpsuit’s version of ‘Your Guardian Angel’ renamed ‘Toyah’s Song’ for this tour in dedication to the twenty-four-year-old fan from Cairns who was murdered while out walking her dog on the beach that really hit home with all. The song was Toyah’s favourite, the young woman even using it as her ringtone, Winter – who at this point had donned a guitar himself – asking the crowd to spread the word and tell her story in hopes that one day her killer would be caught.
Heading into the home straight and the five-piece shook the audience with some heavier rock in the form of ‘Atrophy’ again from their first album, Randy Winter delivering some killer backing vocals as John Espy filled out the drumline. And yes, ‘Face Down’ was played, Ronnie Winter starting the song off low and slow, building the anticipation within the crowd, the fans gleefully throwing themselves into the chorus with everything they had, the track still just as contagious and forthright with its personal message as it was when first released twelve years ago.
While usually finishing their set with that particular track, Red Jumpsuit pulled out ‘The Grim Goodbye’ as their final farewell to their Auckland fans; the thirteen-song set list a little short for a headline act but leaving their fans well satisfied nevertheless. With a new album already in the works, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus have big plans for the future and are inviting everyone along for the ride.
Were you there at Galatos for this good times emo pop-punk gig? Or have you seen The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Setlist:
- In Fates Hands
- Fighting Everything
- Justify
- On Becoming Willing
- Waiting
- The Awakening
- Cat And Mouse
- Your Guardian Angel (Toyah’s Song)
- Atrophy
- Misery Loves It’s Company
- False Pretense
- Face Down
- The Grim Goodbye
Pale Lady Setlist:
- Safe
- Fear The Fun
- Helena [My Chemical Romance cover]
- Taken By The Toad
- Don’t Let This Be Your Life
- Beyond The Quota
Flirting With Disaster Setlist:
- It’s Not Enough
- Falling Apart
- Live It Up
- Bad Moon Rising [Creedence Clearwater Revival cover]
- Out Of The Band
- I Don’t Wanna Get Up
- Catastrophizing
- Take You Higher
- Anything But Sane
- Never Meant A Thing
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