Clap Clap Riot, Auckland NZ, 2017

Clap Clap Riot

12th May 2017
REC, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review and Photography by Sarah Kidd.

It’s the month of May and that means it’s time to celebrate New Zealand Music, and what better way to do so than with Clap Clap Riot on a Friday night at one of Auckland’s newest live music venues.

To start the evening off in style is Auckland band Being. who list themselves as Surf Melancholy. A modest little four piece they are fronted by vocalist/guitarist Jasmine Balmer and feature easily one of the most enthusiastic bouncing bass players in Auckland (Josh). ‘Lucy’ is a wonderfully sweet track and showcases Balmers vocal talents, while their Best Coast cover certainly gets the crowd swaying. Their bio states that Jasmine (aka Being.) ‘confronts streams of mind-mess by sifting through the anxieties of an analytical mind’ which is thought provoking to say the least. Their set consists of only a handful of songs; however each one has an individual beauty to it. For their last song the rest of the band members leave the stage as Balmer informs us that she is going to perform solo; but first she is going to have a bit of a “korero” with us. And with that she delivers an astounding piece of ‘spoken word’ the strength in both herself and her words resonating with each line. At its conclusion she plays ‘Count Me In’ a song that sees Balmer break the bonds of the previous pieces allowing unadulterated emotion to pour forth. When she finishes there are a few seconds of stunned silence before rapturous applause fills the room. What a way to start the night!

Up next were the self-proclaimed Indie Hip-Pop group Balu Brigada who it was obvious to see already had a rather large following as all available space in front of the stage was consumed by eager fans. Comprising of three brothers and a best friend, Balu Brigada were here to bring the grooves. They began with their most recent single ‘Could You Not’ which features a rather nifty little homemade lyric video to go along with it. Lead vocalist and guitarist Henry Beasley has a voice like melted butter, it can simultaneously soothe you while also greasing your feet, encouraging them to slide along to the groove. The band are influenced by artists such as Tame Impala and Tyler the Creator and often mix together elements of pop, indie, hip-hop and alternative; resulting in what can only be described as the perfect product. Pierre Beasley is the master of the keyboard, impressively spitting out a rhyme or two during their set. Combined with the efforts of third brother Charles Beasley on drums and Guy Harrison on bass, this band is a tight unit. Their cover of Pharrells ‘Frontin’ completely slayed the crowd with everyone up on their feet dancing, Henry evidently impressed with their efforts judging by the smile on his face. “We are going to have a bit of audience participation now” Henry tells the crowd, “all you need to do is sing dumb luck during the chorus” which the fans happily comply with. The band followed it up with an upbeat track by the name of ‘Weekend’ which is currently available on Soundcloud. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, Balu Brigada turn it up a notch and end with ‘Grand Central’ a rhythmic soul infused number with sublime vocals.

REC by this point is packed, everybody waiting for Clap Clap Riot to take the stage. You could be forgiven for thinking you had wandered into a Justin Bieber show however, as the front of the room was suddenly taken over by female fans who were rather vocal in their appreciation of the young men who began to take their places on stage. Clap Clap Riot have been an integral part of the New Zealand music scene for nearly ten years having released their first EP (produced by none other than Jimmy Christmas of The D4) back in 2009. The group followed this up with their debut album Counting Spins in 2012 and tonight sees them celebrating the release of their latest album Dull Life; Auckland’s show being the third in a four date tour of New Zealand’s major cities.

Kicking off with the infectious and fast paced ‘Don’t Want Your Baby’ the dance floor is instantly transformed into a trampoline of bouncing peeps; the band then quickly changing gears taking the crowd into a pop-esque sing along with ‘I’m Sorry’. It is obvious by how many people in the front row know the words to every song (including the new tracks!) just how loyal Clap Clap Riot fans are. And who could be surprised by this considering the quality of their music! The five-piece certainly fill the REC stage well; with lead guitarist Dave Rowlands utilizing his section to its full potential as he stomps, jumps and leans out over the edge of the stage. His charisma is certainly noted by many of the ladies in attendance who rarely take their eyes off him the entire evening. Stephen Heard on vocals has fantastic tone and character to his voice, easily shifting between the more high energy songs into the ballads. The band keep their on stage chitchat to a minimum, Heard only pausing to introduce the occasional song. Their set list tonight is a great mix from not only their new album but some well-known Clap Clap Riot classics as well.

Stand out new track of the night has to be ‘Help Me’ which sees Heard grapple his microphone stand as he belts out the lyrics. There is nothing more satisfying in a live music experience than watching a musician completely give themselves over to the music; something that both Heard and Rowland do with conviction. Finishing with the anthem style ‘So You Say’ and the melancholy styling’s of ‘Sweet Patricia’ (Heards falsetto vocals elevating the song) they bid the crowd goodnight. An encore was not surprisingly demanded and the boys once again took to the stage. However there was a change in the air; as Heard took the microphone and began to speak he was quickly overwhelmed and had to turn his back. Rowland put a comforting hand on his shoulder and provided the strength that Heard needed to continue. The next song he informed us was to be dedicated to their close friend Jeremy. Jeremy Toth was an integral part of Clap Clap Riot since their inception, working on several of their music videos; the band often referring to him as their ‘sixth member’. Sadly and unexpectedly Jeremy passed away just last month, so emotions were obviously running high. ‘Just What I Needed’ by The Cars was apparently a favourite of Jeremy’s and the band certainly did it justice, Heard discarding his guitar in favour of just the microphone, the cord wrapped around his hand as he paced the stage. After a huge round of cheers from everyone in attendance, Heard announced that they would finish on one of their own songs (‘Thief’); the band inviting several fans up on stage to dance with them.

A poignant reminder to celebrate life in every way that you can.

Clap Clap Riot perform live at REC, Auckland NZ. Image by Sarah Kidd.

Were you there at REC for this intimate Kiwi Music Indie show? Or have you seen Clap Clap Riot live somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!