Arahi – The Hurricane Years
30th October 2021
Toi Toi, Hastings, New Zealand.
Review by Rob Harbers. Photography by Andrew & Liz Caldwell.
The winds of change. Rebirth. Rethinking. Stormy weather. Portents of doom. Hard rain. Revival. The search for meaning. All these and more were the themes and inspirations for the final musical presentation of this, the stripped-back, unplugged (almost), socially distanced Hawkes Bay Arts Festival.
In addition to his numerous collaborative efforts in various guises, local soon-to-be-star Arahi is both a prolific composer of his own material and a confident performer, with a stage presence beyond his years. You’ll be hearing a lot more from this man in future, so remember where you heard it first, and file this name alongside the other mononymous ones in your personal pantheon – those who only need a single word to encapsulate their essence.
The show commenced with a bare stage completely devoid of props, which made it all the more dramatic when a black curtain appeared at the rear and the equipment was wheeled on. The stage was set, literally, by a series of risers (an unintentionally poetic term, given the climatic theme of the evening) on which instruments, mic stands etc. were set up, allowing for speedy transitions, of which there were many, throughout the show.
Opening number “There’s Nothing Like It” introduced the string section and backing vocalists, before Arahi took his place at the grand piano, channeling Prince (another mononymous one) in both appearance and presence, striding confidently on and taking ownership of the stage. He held on to this possession for the next hour or so, with a rotating cast of fellow territorialists.
Many locals’ previous encounters with Arahi may well have been in the context of Suzy Blue, the principally covers-oriented band who have circled the traps, playing material one wouldn’t expect from such a young crew. For context, think of your nephews playing your dad’s collection (Stones, Doors, Creedence etc) and doing them proud. This influence pervades his composition, with strong 60/70s influences abounding – many tunes have a certain “Where have I heard that before?” about them, in the best way. The ghost of Leonard Cohen shone through here and there, for example.
A personal highlight, for me, was “The Worst is Yet to Come” with its portentous nature conveyed by an organ and spoken-word accompaniment, along with clouds of fog, rolling in as if from the sea. At the opposite end of this spectrum was “The Purpose of This Man”, with lyrics telling of the search for meaning and identity, alongside instrumentation and playing of a folkish, loping feel, lightening the mood somewhat.
A fitting closer to the set came in the form of a cover of “Heroes”, seeing out the angels on a night that did much to add to the local legend of Arahi, and portends well for the imminent recording of his debut album. Like a hurricane, one might say.
And from here the Festival goes in to hibernation, awaiting an uptick in vaccination percentages, before a planned return in the New Year – which I’m sure will be keenly anticipated!
Were you there at Toi Toi for this brilliant performance? Or have you seen Arahi perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Note: The Hawkes Bay Arts Festival provided passes to Ambient Light 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.
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