Leftfield
30th January 2018
Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review & Photography by Sarah Kidd.
It was the album that paved the way for innovative and progressive house music across the world. Leftism (released in 1995) saw elements of Techno, Dub and Afro-Beat, stirred together with splashes of Jungle and Reggae and seasoned with a touch of Ambience by musical chefs of the time Neil Barnes and Paul Daley. Not only was their magical concoction genius when it came to the instrumental, it was next level in the vocal arena, Leftfield inviting artists such as Earl Sixteen, the superlative Toni Halliday and the highly unexpected John Lydon to add their talents to the mix.
Last night’s sold out Auckland show was always going to be something special, of that there was no doubt. There was already a long trail of rave reviews and sold out shows behind this tour; but it was the fact that last night marked exactly twenty-two years from when Leftism was released that took the anticipation levels to new heights. The atmosphere felt celebratory; there was camaraderie in the air as fans – yes many of whom would have been old enough to remember hitting the clubs in the nineties themselves – gathered together under the eaves of the iconic Powerstation.
As darkness fell over the crowd, a rolling, thunderous bass note signaled the entrance of Neil Barnes who took centre stage, raising a quick hand in acknowledgment of the audience before getting down to business. Joining him on engineering and programming was Adam Wren, the partnership of Barnes and Daley long ago dissolving. Wren however certainly brings with him a finely tuned skill set and a smile that is a mile wide. Last but not least Sebastian ‘Bid’ Beresford commands from behind a drum kit. In fact Beresford is seated so low that he is often lost behind the polished silver of the cymbal stands; however he makes his presence known throughout the evening with his exceptional and at times unfathomable drumming, often appearing almost supernatural with how he keeps pace.
A small technical issue with a mic was swiftly sorted, the fans and even Wren himself applauding as the lyrics to ‘Release the Pressure’ finally soared towards the heavens. From out of the shadows emerged UK’s own Jungle MC Cheshire Cat, his distinctive voice only adding to the already electric vibe coursing through the venue. First track in and the room was on fire, punters giving themselves over freely to the rhythm, the young and the not so young moving as one, proving once again that music has no age limit.
As the lights changed from the deepest blue to a richly elating orange and red, Neil Cole (aka MC Djum Djum) strode forth and raised one big hand to the sky as the opening of ‘Afro-Left’ grew in intensity around him. Against a backdrop of a rising sun, Djum looked like a god, his unique ‘Djum Talk’ flowing from his lips. Barnes who had up until this point been playing the conga drums, turns and placing his lips against the microphone, overlays a robotic style voice, while Beresford is a mere blur of hands and feet as he pelts out the infectious tribal beats. Soon however, the soothing tones of ‘Melt’ transform the room from flailing bodies to those that sway, eyes transfixed on the projected visuals of swirling stars and solar systems; leading the way nicely for ‘Song of Life’ to enter and saunter about the room with its sultry presence. Even non-Leftfield fans would recognise ‘Original’, the iconic sound bites often sampled by DJ’s to this very day. While Halliday may not have been able to appear live, her voice was crisp and clear and if one closed their eyes, one could almost picture her there on stage.
Having had the chance to bliss out and recoup, it was time to really pull out the beats and drive the crowd into a dancing frenzy, ‘Black Flute’ and ‘Space Shanty’ doing just that. The beauty of Leftfields work was their ability to layer, the tiers of samples built upon a continuous bass line, ensuring that unless you were dead no part of your physical being would be able to resist moving.
Twenty-two years on and each and every track still holds up and would easily slay a crowd at any nightclub. Yet while there was an undeniable nostalgic familiarity about the music, it simultaneously felt renewed. As Cheshire Cat once again took the stage, cries of “Inspection!” rose from the crowd, Cheshire grinning from under his pulled down cap as he leaned back, arms folded and regarded the audiences worthiness. ‘Inspection (Check One)’ brought the house down, fans filling every available space with their bodies as they danced like there was no tomorrow; ‘Storm 3000’ ensuring that energy levels remained high going into what undoubtedly would have to be the biggest track of the evening.
Secretly there would have been more than a few fans hoping that John Lydon (of both Sex Pistols and PiL infamy) would magically appear from behind the curtain and fix them with that unruly glare of his. However last night they had to settle for his face beaming down from the screen instead as his recorded voice demanded that ‘Tinsel Town be taken down’; the song his personal protest about not being offered acting roles back in the day. Fans raised their fists in the air and chanted ‘Burn, Hollywood, Burn’ with furor, they knew as we all did that the end of the night was just around the corner and they weren’t ready to let this ecstatic feeling of elation go just yet.
But like all good things, the finale did come, and it came in the form of the simple yet poignant words of the eleventh track of the album ’21st Century Poem’; the fans slowing to a steady sway, as Barnes and crew brought the evening to its conclusion. Stepping out from behind his multitude of equipment, Barnes was met with a wall of applause; “I didn’t think we would get through that!” he laughed as he simultaneously gestured for the rest of the members to join him down the front. Barnes, arm thrown around one of his fellow band members looked drained but genuinely happy as he thanked the audience; “I love coming down to your lovely city, but to get a reception like that is absolutely wonderful, thank you so much.”
The fans, determined to keep the night going, began to chant for an encore, their feverish requests for one more song being met with a cheeky retort of “That’s all you’re getting … til next time!” from Barnes as he and the rest of the band exited the stage.
And in all honesty, how could you have possibly have topped that anyway?
Were you there at the Powerstation for this high energy dance music throwback? Or have you seen Leftfield somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Release The Pressure
- Afro-Left
- Melt
- Song Of Life
- Original
- Black Flute
- Space Shanty
- Inspection (Check One)
- Storm 3000
- Open Up
- 21st Century Poem
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