Pendulum
6th October 2023
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Doug Peters.
Drum and bass fans were out in force last night for Australian favourites Pendulum on the beginning of their five-night tour across Australasia. Despite the usual ruckus that comes with an all-ages show, it was a fantastic to see fans both young and … not so young gather together in the same space to celebrate music.
Kicking off the night fellow Perth based DJ ShockOne brought the vibes with a fantastically good vibes set, unfortunately more than a few punters would have missed it due to being stuck in the lines outside and necessary security checks. Word to the wise, always get to shows early!
By the time Pendulum hit the stage though at just before 9:30pm, the crowd were packed in tight and ready to go. The lights dropped and the roars of anticipation rose, a beautiful piece of spiritually moving aboriginal music flowing through the speakers that was surely a dedication to not only Pendulums place of origin but to the true owners of the land of Australia.
Moving onto the stage the (now) four members of Pendulum comprising of Rob Swire, Gareth McGrillien, Peredur ap Gwynedd and KJ Sawka were greeted with welcoming arms and the hollering of thousands of voices, Pendulum always finding much love in the land of Aotearoa.
Coming out swinging, ‘Driver’ hit the crowd hard and fast. From the EP Elemental released in 2021, it was obvious that the crowd were not just there for the classics, everyone instantly breaking into dance mode that did not cease for the entirety of the show.
Independent risers gave the chance for both Swire and Gwynedd to work the stage, Swire seamlessly moving from keyboards to guitar and vocals without missing a beat. Sawka held down the kit, arms an absolute blur at some points as he hammered out incomprehensible patterns with ease.
‘Propane Nightmares’ and ‘Come Alive’ kept the energy at high point, outstanding visuals playing behind the quartet providing yet another element to a show that was absolutely flawless. It is not often that one can state that about a show, but Pendulum certainly attained it.
From their crowd interaction, calls for arms up and synchronised clapping all enthusiastically followed by their dedicated fans through to their undeniable talent musically it was nigh on impossible to find a negative point. Most impressive of all were Swires vocals that were sounding stronger than ever.
The first of the classics came through with the unmistakable sounds of Prodigy’s ‘Voodoo People’ that Pendulum mixed together with ‘Blood Sugar’ for a double hit of pleasure. ‘Colourfast’ soon moving into both ‘The Island’ both part I and II which was fantastic to hear live in back-to-back fashion.
Calling for all the kiwi metal fans to raise their hands – and there were definitely more than a few in the audience last night – Pendulum dropped their latest single ‘Halo’ featuring Matt Tuck from Bullet for My Valentine. With visuals that fitted the track perfectly, it tore the room apart, fans obviously well familiar with the new single already and visibly stoked to be getting the chance to experience it live.
‘Witchcraft’ brought out the singers, as everyone joined in on the beloved lyrics, immersing themselves in the song as the end loomed near. It was hard to believe that almost ninety minutes had flown by so quickly, but with a performance that damn good, time is the furthest thing from one’s mind.
An encore was expected and let’s be fair usually delivered, ‘Watercolour’ yet to make an appearance and the favourite pick of many to close out the show. But Pendulum wanted to finish the set on a high, and ‘Tarantula’ from their 2005 debut album Hold Your Colour was the song with which to do it. Featuring vocals from $pyda, ‘Tarantula’ saw some serious skanking go down as giant spiders of the same name moved across the screen. Flawless.
As predicted ‘Watercolour’ closed out their encore in style, everyone giving it their all up to the very last second, Pendulum showing their appreciation as they slowly left the stage with drum sticks and picks thrown out and hands on chests in respect.
If latest single ‘Halo’ is anything to go by, Pendulums next album will be an absolute killer. And as for their live shows, do not ever miss the opportunity to witness what will quite honestly be one of the best live experiences of your life.
Pendulum:
ShockOne:
Were you there at Spark Arena for this triumphant mashup of electronic heavy rock and drum n bass? Or have you seen Pendulum perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Driver
- Propane Nightmares
- Come Alive
- Guiding Lights
- Blood Sugar / Voodoo People (Pendulum Remix)
- Colourfast
- Granite
- Encoder
- The Island – Part I (Dawn)
- The Island – Part II (Dusk)
- Nothing for Free
- Halo
- Showdown
- Witchcraft
- Self vs Self
- Tarantula
- Watercolour [encore]
Note: Ambient Light was provided passes 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. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.
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