The Darkness and Push Push
20th April 2017
Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Kate Taylor. Photography by David Watson.
A packed to capacity but still friendly and vibing Powerstation was home to the triumphant return of both Push Push and The Darkness on a short week Thursday night in Auckland; with that weird vibe of ‘not knowing what day it really is’ hanging in the air, fans of both bands turned up to turn out. Waiting outside to gain entry, the bubbles of excited conversations manifested as the very interesting mix of old rockers and very attractive women milled around, with most being shocked into realising we’re so past the t-shirt sleeves only portion of the year. We all filed into the gig in an orderly fashion, to which one punter ahead of me chortled in commentary, “well, most of us ARE middle aged.”
Inside, bodies moved into spaces in the dark to occupy for the night, getting territorial about where they wanted to view the evening of raawk that was about to unfold before us. Then casual AF, Mikey Havoc, the man undoubtedly a lot of people are excited to see here tonight, swans out, wanders to the far side of stage, fiddles with something and then in his bare feet, sidles across to the safety of the back stage area; but not before waving and playing it up for the already quickly filling out front row, chatting to them affably. A quick glance up to the mezzanine revealed some small shadowy figures whose energy was undeniable; these were the little ones of the Push Push members, out, up late and getting rowdy to see their parents perform their much loved brand of kiwi grunge riddled rock.
Then without pomp or ceremony, Push Push arrived. Waving to friends in the crowd and looking like the hometown heroes returning from a long journey, the appreciative yells and applause was further stoked by Mikey’s first address to the crowd – “North Shore in the motherfucker.” Launching into their set with Beating Up Bullfrogs and What My Baby Likes, all the nerves had shaken out and the assembled are loving what Havoc and co. are bringing us this evening; with tightness of tune and excellence of vocals. Before launching into Doosh from their new 4 track EP, Mikey addresses us, “So we’re going to play some new songs we wrote 23 years ago, but haven’t played until tonight” – cue crowd going wild and Mikey has us in stitches. “Anyone here younger than 24? Put your hands up.” Dutifully a smattering of hands around the venue rise gingerly into the air. “Hah-hah! You were born after music was good!” teases Mikey before kicking right back into the rock and gyrates and clowns for the crowd, bringing back those Jack Black comparisons to my mind that I realise I’ve always sort of harboured. Push Push collectively are genuinely and clearly loving performing together again; and for us, as the crowd swells and sings along and bassist Steve and Gat-man Silver riff off each other’s energy and have a bloody good time.
Between song breaks, Mikey has praise hurled at him from the front row, to which he answers on-mic “Thank you bro, you sound good too. I’ve been waiting 23 years to hear you say that.” Cue everyone’s heart melting in realisation of this special moment seeing one of New Zealand’s iconic and absolutely least up-themselves band giving us everything tonight. Taking it down a notch because “look at you, you need the break anyway, you’re all old like us…”; the lads ease into the ballad feels with Song 27 as the stage is swathed in red and blue light as we all sway together, before Andy Kane treats us to a searing wee grungy solo, tumbling into Mikey the crowd participation king leading the obliging crowd in rounds of staccato clapping. “Fucking brilliant!” a punter cried at the song’s end; and you have to agree, the boys are in fine form and definitely proved the chops that they can cut it, as visions of all the rad Push Push gigs and Homegrown headline spots we might see stretching out before us, start becoming reality. During their current hit Talk To Me, a reprised slice of Split Enz’s I See Red was wedged in there, getting a little woo from the old heads and aficionados who clocked it. Getting nostalgic Andy shared that Do Ya Love Me is actually about this very venue, the Powerstation and the lads’ days of debauchery passed when they used to make a nuisance of themselves in the upstairs back bar and look here they are now, all respectable and shit…it fair warmed the heart it did. Finishing off their very tidy and very fun set with the song we were all salivating for, Push Push ripped through Trippin’ with the crowd drowning Mikey out on most of the lyrics. There were hugs, there were smiles and then Push Push slipped off stage. Afterwards showing just how wonderfully humble and down-to-earth they are; there was a quick shirt change then, Steve, Silver and Scott slip back onstage and start roadie-ing their gear along with the venue staff…that’s how a bunch of Kiwi legends do it after all.
In the set break the assembled viewed the frenzied gear swap and nattered excitedly, swaying to Aerosmith’s Sweet Emotion and getting loose in preparation for the musi-comedy styling’s of The Darkness, as one lone Vaper plumed away in the centre of the crowd in readiness.
As a sort of a visual pun, the Powerstation was then drenched in black as the PA and lights cut off and in that same moment The Darkness seeped onto the stage and took their places as they launched into Black Shuck and Growing On Me; and I’m mesmerized by Justin’s leather-look purple jumpsuit, in his weird sexiness, fake humping a roadie that scouches quickly onstage and away unbeknownst to him that he was just air violated as Justin then launches himself from the drum riser, sniffy sniffing all the way. This is the night we’re in for I thought. Absolute hilarity and a bunch of tunes that are tongue in cheek and perhaps even silly in lyrical content but only serve as an illusion to the fact that The Darkness create solid, stonking classic rock hits that don’t age. In full rock gods mode, The Darkness lads stride around stage playing off each other’s huge energy as Justin arms himself with his gat and solos his face off, running from side to side of the stage and leaning out into the adoring arms of the crowd as much as possible. “Would you like to know how my mind works?” enquires Justin; in the first real personal address to the crowd of the evening before he regales us with a quip that he was disappointed to see what he thought was a pair of lovingly thrown undies turn out to be a piece of old gaffer tape left here “from gigs past”, Justin looks miffed, we all laugh.
No disrespect to Dan, Frankie or Rufus but Justin is just owning us right now; doing funny little things to crack us up while he rocks us not so gently. He’s sniffing his pits and pretending he loves the scent of his own brand, he’s doing cute little faux advertising plugs for the “New Zealand Artisanal Cave Water” he’s been provided with onstage, walking out onto the hands of the crowd in some moments, he’s sighting punters in the front row putting out their clenched fists for a bump of solidarity to which he wraps his whole hand around and shakes awkwardly knowing all eyes are on him and his actions – that’s command of a room people and he does so in his effortlessly cool and cartoony way. Again that’s no to say that Frankie, Dan and Rufus aren’t absolutely nailing this set of favourites, because they are, we just can’t stop guffawing at the awesomeness that is Justin’s stage antics; “Look. It’s a pantomime, I say something, and then you say wooo. It’s very easy!” Justin chuckles. The energy between The Darkness and the assembled is joyous; from the extended cowbell start (Frankie’s big moment…) to the very well received One Way Ticket or the very sweet a cappella chorus rendition of Friday Night which Justin leads us into before the song proper; which at song’s finish Justin causally lets us know, “Oh, we’ve got a new album out in September, so look out for that” to which the crowd promptly loses their marbles about and is only drowned out to further applause when Justin says “Sweaty, sweaty…” and then strips his kit down…phwoar. Before Solid Gold Justin lets us know “Look, it’s going to be one more new one, then all old favourites till the time we take a short break out the back, masturbating furiously till we come back out, all the while you’re yelling for more, more, come on Darkness, play some more songs. That’s how it works isn’t it?” Again, cue the crowd losing it in delicious rolls of belly laughter.
Coming to an end, there’s an hilarious burl through Get Your Hands Offa My Woman as Justin procures from the crowd, the use of ‘Staunch Reagan’s’ patch jacket and then a multitude of wintry clothing items and the jewel he’s been after, a piece of ladies undergarments which he straps on for the remainder of the song, walking around with pseudo boobs on his back. Letting us know that this is the first gig they’ve played anywhere since before Christmas and it’s nice to “have a bit of a sing, bit of a sweat and a bit of a dance.” If you’ve got a chance to see them on this New Zealand tour or any forthcoming dates in your neck of the woods; get along to see them, but make sure you’ve got some incontinence knickers because you’re going to need them from either wetting yourself in shared hilarity or appreciation of Justin’s goofy sexiness. Justin tells us post encore slash ‘potential masturbation break’ that; “Well thank you, we’ve had a lovely time in Auckland and make sure you don’t forget to tell your friends that the motherfucking Darkness are…the bomb? Sorry. That wasn’t supposed to be a question…the bomb” Justin delivers with gravity, and you know what, The Darkness really is the bomb.
Push Push:
The Darkness:
Were you there at the Powerstation for this amazing double header? Or have you seen The Darkness or Push Push live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Push Push Setlist:
- Beating Up Bullfrogs
- What My Baby Likes
- Doosh
- Euphoric Plunder In Bliss
- Change
- Song 27
- Talk2Me
- Do Ya Love Me?
- Dig My World
- Trippin
The Darkness Setlist:
- Black Shuck
- Growing On Me
- All The Pretty Girls
- Givin Up
- Roaring Waters
- One Way Ticket
- Every Inch
- Love Is Only A Feeling
- Friday Night
- Barbarian
- Buccaneers
- Mudslide
- Solid Gold
- Get Your Hands Off My Woman
- Stuck In A Rutt
- I Believe
- Japanese Prisoner Of Love
- Love On The Rocks
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