Family of Strangers
(Feat. Blue Ruin, Armed in Advance, His Masters Voice & These Four Walls)
6th May 2017
The Kings Arms Tavern, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Matt Henry Mendonca.
It was a night of the giants as four of New Zealand’s biggest bands took to the stage for the last show of the ‘Family of Strangers’ four date nationwide tour, and what better place to end it then at the iconic King’s Arms which holds so many special memories for both the bands and the fans.
First up on the bill is the mighty five piece Blue Ruin. Sex sells and the audience sure are buying it as these amazing girls strut their stuff. Kicking off with their track ‘Not Asking’ Blue Ruin are hard and fast and waste no time in getting the crowd hyped up for the night. When you have four acts playing in one night, it is often hard for the first band because quite often they end up playing to a half empty room as people turn up fashionably late. So it was great to see an already fairly decent crowd here to support one the youngest groups on the tour. It is clear to see that the girls are enjoying themselves with plenty of smiles being shared and an overall relaxed vibe; the only member of the band who needs a little more of that relaxation is Sarah on bass who still consistently watches her finger work. A little more confidence in her skills will allow her to let loose and truly enjoy the moment. As they move through their set and into songs such as ‘Luna’ and ‘Bang Bang’ it is clear that last night’s outing has done nothing to Jessie’s vocals as she wails the words, playing off the vibes of Charlotte in her wicked red pvc lace insert pants.
These girls may not have been on the circuit long but with support slots for bands such as The Misfits and Steel Panther under their belt they have already come so far. Anna on the skins, her blood red hair flying, always looks so natural and tonight once again she was in her element. Jessie introduces their latest single ‘Green River Thriller’ which has been some time in the making, but well worth the wait; guitarist Simone advising the crowd that the song is based on the serial killer “who you may or may not have heard of” (Gary Ridgway who strangled over 48 women and young girls was nick named the Green River Killer after the first five victims’ bodies were found in the local Green River). Coming towards the end of their set Jessie asks the audience who is a fan of The Misfits, before introducing their short but sweet cover of ‘Witch Hunt’. But it is what Jessie says just before playing their last song of the night – debut single ‘Scream Queen‘ – that garners the most reaction from the fans, and that is the fact that this will be her last gig singing with Blue Ruin. An unfortunate blow for the band as this will be their third time in less than two years that they will have changed vocalist. Jessie will indeed be sorely missed.
Next up we have the powerful trio Armed in Advance who last graced the Kings Arms stage in support of I Am Giant. JP Carroll is rocking the old school leather jacket tonight despite the rising temperature inside the venue. Stepping up to the microphone they let it all rip with their opening track for the night ‘Banquet’ followed closely behind by ‘Stay’. Their set pulls heavily from their debut album Change/Evolve released last year but with so many solid hard rock songs on the album why wouldn’t it? Once again the trio is made all that much stronger for the skills of both Hugh Hokopaura on bass and Ryan Thomas on drums. JP ever the gentleman thanks all of the other bands on the tour as well as the people behind the scenes stating that “it was a pleasure to be on tour with them”; a small gesture but one that goes a long way. It is hard to believe that these three guys didn’t actually know each other before forming the band; originally going by the name stitches before undergoing not only a name change but a re-branding. The change obviously working for the threesome led by their left handed leader as they have had their single ‘Same Old Story’ added to The Rock playlist (as well as NZ On Air funding for the video) and more recently receiving New Music Singles funding for ‘Running You Down’
Straight after debuting new song ‘Pain’ which JP advises us they have only started playing on this tour (so tonight will be its fourth time live) the band decide to have a bit of fun with a cover version of the BlackStreet song ‘No Diggity’, their rock infused version surprisingly entertaining and injecting the rather old school song with a whole new energy. Hugh thanks the audience and points out how nice it is to see not only familiar faces but new ones in the crowd tonight; JP taking a minute to strip off his jacket and lay down his guitar before picking up the microphone and belting out ‘Hope from the Hopeless’. It was nice to see JP cut loose and work the entire stage, full rock stance with foot up on speaker. Finishing on hit single ‘Same Old Story’ it must have been satisfying for the boys to see just how many people were singing along to the song, a testament to its quality.
By now the Kings Arms had filled out nicely, with a rather hefty crowd filling up the spaces. As the house music faded out and the lights went down a ripple ran through everybody in anticipation for the next act, the hard rockin’ blues infused goodness that is His Masters Voice. Dressed in an oversized poncho with a string bandanna tied around his head, lead singer Jessie Sorenson with his signature red guitar stepped up to the microphone and unleashed his soulful voice upon the masses. When a band enjoys not only what they do, but each other’s company it is always obvious in their set. Not only are His Masters Voice tight musically but their friendship with each other is solid. Their set ebbs and flows, building upon the momentum they each generate. Quarter of the way into the set Jessie sheds the poncho revealing a rather nice Black Sabbath shirt, the crowd cheering as the poncho drops to the floor. “Whose idea was it to wear that?” Jessie laughs. His Masters Voice have been on the live circuit for quite a while now and as such have built up a loyal army of fans, many of who are here tonight made evident by the way they completely lose themselves in the groove of the songs, singing each and every word to the songs.
‘Don’t Trust Myself’ a fiery track full of rock ’n’ roll gusto is an unquestionable hit tonight, Jessie oozing sex appeal. Brandon on bass makes light work of the strings, while Az on guitar with his dreads hanging long and loose drives out those riffs. “Well that was a humdinger wasn’t it?” Jessie laughs, but the crowd barely have time to catch their breath before it is snatched away again as Jessie hits them with his amazing vocal prowess in the opening lines of ‘Mourning’ a moving song that stirs you from within, eliciting feelings of loss and longing. As Jessie announces that it is their last song of the night – a collective awwww echoing through those in attendance – he reminds everyone that there is still one more band to come, “so support the bar, and buy a drink!” They finish with the foot stomping ‘Lonely Road’, Rene (of Cripple Mr. Onion fame) a blur of arms and dreads as he rains down upon the drums, sticks flying. Easily one of the most talented drummers in New Zealand, Rene is always a sight to behold and tonight is no exception.
It is rather fortuitous that there is a reasonably large gap between HMV’s set and that of the next band as it gives people a chance to escape outside and catch some of that cool night air after such an intensely good set. Headliner of the tour ‘These Four Walls’ are a well-established band who already have two albums under their belt, their first Down Falls An Empire released in 2009 introducing fans to their sound and their second Living To Write The End released in 2012 fortifying their place in the local music scene. However like most bands that need to spread their wings to really fly, These Four Walls no longer reside in NZ but are now based in the Gold Coast. Needless to say their fans were rather deliriously happy to have them back on home soil again, at the very same venue they cut their teeth upon. ‘Passenger’ opens their set tonight, punching its way through the smoke and soaring high. Steve Gibb is the man with both the persona and the chops, constantly checking in with everyone and asking if all are having a good time. These Four Walls are known for their live shows and tonight is no exception; they are loud and polished while still managing to convey that wonderful rawness. It is little wonder that they have scored support slots with such hard hitters as Trivium, Disturbed and Karnivool. ‘Lilith’ with its extended bridge shows off the skills of both Gray on guitar and Elliot on bass, while Brad on drums is a gratifying sight, surrounded in smoke, arms raised high as he crushes the kit before him. Steve is an animated singer, his face portraying the emotions of the songs and the joy of playing before his home crowd simultaneously. “Are you ready to go home yet?” he howls at the crowd, their answer of “no” being yelled back with just as much enthusiasm, “Good! Then let’s do this!”
The more ballad style of the song ‘Sweet December’ goes down well with the ladies in the front row, more than one pair of adoring eyes fixed firmly on Steve. But when the band jumps into a cover medley beginning with Metallica’s ‘Battery’ the large group of These Four Walls fans lose themselves altogether and a spontaneous mosh pit breaks out in front of the stage. Steve laying his guitar down then invites JP Carroll (Armed in Advance) up on stage, the two of them performing a cover of the Incubus song ‘Circles’, playing off of each other’s vocal strengths perfectly. Steve had earlier pointed out in the set that since moving to Australia and taking the time to work on things the band felt like they had truly rediscovered themselves. This was evident in not only the second to last track of the night ‘Fire Away’ but in their closing number, ‘Bravery’ a new single from the band released just last month. These Four Walls bid the crowd goodnight only to return seconds later, Steve stating that they weren’t quite ready to go home just yet. The mosh pit were ecstatic and turned into a mini circle pit in celebration as These Four Walls rocked it out one last time.
And with that it was over. Four outstanding New Zealand bands, one magnificent night of music.
Blue Ruin
Armed In Advance
His Masters Voice
These Four Walls
Were you there at The Kings Arms for this magnificent night of NZ punk, rock and blues? Or have you seen any of these stunning bands live somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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