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Gig Review: Blindspott @ The Trust Arena - 29 July 2022

Friday, 29 July saw me heading to The Trusts Arena for my first gig in a couple of months, and I was incredibly excited for this show. West Auckland’s Blindspott were playing their “homecoming” show, their first in West Auckland in 16 years, with Written By Wolves and DJ Kane Hawkins as support. As a Westie myself, I was very excited to see a band that is so connected to the area I grew up in. The event was a near sellout, with tons of people turning up to see what would no doubt be an iconic show in Blindspotts career. I saw Written By Wolves for the first time at Ding Dong Lounge at the beginning of June. I was very impressed by that show and excited to see what they could do with a bigger venue like Trusts Arena. Part of what made Written’s Ding Dong show so great was the intimacy of the venue. While it is much harder to create a feeling of intimacy in an arena, the band certainly did not disappoint. They brilliantly fulfilled the job of a support act: to get the crowd hyped. Mikey ...
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Spasticity And Stage-Diving: How I Tackled The Mosh Pit With Cerebral Palsy

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  Mosh pits are one of the most crucial aspects of heavy music, but having Cerebral Palsy makes it a whole different ball game…  Mosh pits are like roller coasters: an element of danger that is overrun by the sheer thrill of the experience. It is this element of danger that has kept mosh pits active since the early 1980s. It is a very high sensory experience: you smell the beer and sweat spilling onto the dance floor. You hear the deafening music on stage in front of you. You feel the heat of the other bodies leaping around you. All these elements make for a truly thrilling experience. Even if you have Cerebral Palsy. For those who don’t know, Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a condition marked by impaired muscle coordination (spastic paralysis) and/or other disabilities, typically caused by damage to the brain before or at birth. I was born with CP and it affects my balance, speech, and fine motor skills. I was also born, however, with a fiery passion for music. This of course means th...
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Album Review: Cherry Blind - 'Cherry Blind'

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  Cherry Blind were one of the most exciting bands in Auckland’s music scene. Their blend of blistering punk rock and heavy breakdowns gave them one of the most unique sounds in the scene. Their new self-titled album sees them explore this signature sound to its very boundaries, and give us just under half an hour of damn good music. This album is bursting with energy from beginning to end.  ‘Papercut’ opens the album with its fast, energetic and aggressive nature. This song sets the tone for the relentless energy to follow in tracks like ‘Drown’ and ‘Burn’. A track that really stands out on this album is ‘Librium’. In contrast to other songs on the album, ‘Librium’ is largely an acoustic song. It’s the vocal harmonies that really make this song great. One of my favourite songs on the album is the title track. Drummer Mark Tohovaka gives this song plenty of energy with his lightning-fast fills around the kit. I also love the marching-style build-up he plays on the snare drum b...
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Single Review: Mesuggah - 'The Abysmal Eye'

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  Iconic Swedish progressive death metal band, Meshuggah, have released a new song called ‘The Abysmal Eye’, which is from their upcoming new album, Immutable, due out on April 1st, 2022. This song features Meshuggah’s classic progressive death metal sound, using different time signatures to create truly mind-boggling, but awesomely heavy music.  ‘The Abysmal Eye’ opens with raging, frantic double bass, with the guitars chugging along. The song is incredibly double bass-heavy, the drums being viciously played by Tomas Haake. Famous for his performance on ‘Bleed’ from Meshuggah's 2008 album, Obzen , Haake is often hailed as one of the best metal drummers to ever live. The drumbeat changes briefly about halfway through the song, changing its feel. Meshuggah often use permutations and odd time signatures in their music, which is one of the things that gives them their progressive element. There is a chaotic sounding guitar solo, using tapping, a technique made popular by Eddie Va...
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Single Review: Red Hot Chili Peppers - 'Black Summer'

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  Red Hot Chili Peppers have released the first single from their upcoming album, Unlimited Love, which is due out on April 1st, 2022. The song, ‘Black Summer’, is the Chili Peppers first new song since John Frusciante rejoined the band, and a testament to the fact that, after a nearly 40-year career, the Chili Peppers haven’t lost their exciting blend of rock, funk, and reggae that set them apart from all other mainstream bands of the 1990s. This song is everything you could possibly want in a Chili Peppers song: funky, melodic music, paired with wonderfully nonsensical lyrics, and a fantastic guitar solo to close the track off.  ‘Black Summer’ opens with a mellow-toned guitar riff, played by John Frusciante. Frusciante uses a Fender Stratocaster, which is a wonderful, mellow-toned guitar. Anthony Kiedis then enters on vocals. Kiedis has a warm, mellow voice, which compliments the guitar and bass. He sounds as good as he did 30 years ago. The bass, played by Flea, acts as a c...
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EP Review: Melanie - 'ABCD'

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  The local music scene in Auckland has kicked 2022 off with a bang with the release of Melanie’s new EP, ABCD. ABCD showcases Melanie’s relentless sound, as the four of them beat their instruments to within an inch of their lives. The songs on the EP are four short bursts of anarchic energy, with just one song that barely crosses the 3-minute mark. On ABCD, Melanie have captured a faster, more aggressive sound than on their debut, 2020’s 42 Losers. The band channels the energy of the Ramones and Dead Kennedys. Joe’s merciless drumming helps create this energy. They blend this hardcore sound with a more melodic punk sound comparable to bands like Blink-182. The vocals, along with Jame’s and Robin’s guitar work brings ABCD its melodic aspect. The EP leaps in, bashes the listener around, leaps out, and is over far too soon. 
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Gig Review: Black Alpine, White Noise Mafia & LIIT @ Ding Dong Lounge - 18 December 2021

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  After 132 long days, I finally got to head back to Ding Dong Lounge for a gig. Ding was throwing a Christmas party featuring three bands: Black Alpine, White Noise Mafia, and Liit. I arrived at the venue, which had been decked out with Christmas tinsel, and was soon chatting away with the two Matts, Chris, and Neo that make up White Noise Mafia. There was an atmosphere of real excitement brewing amongst the place. It was indeed shaping up to be a good night, albeit with some restrictions. Auckland’s Covid outbreak has no doubt changed how we view live music for the time being, as this was a seated gig, with about 30 available seats. Even with restrictions in place, I don’t think anything could have cast a shadow over the sheer excitement of finally having live music back in business.    ‘The worst cover band ever’. This was our introduction to cover band openers, Liit. I was shocked to find out that the guitarist of Liit also plays the guitar in Blindspott, one of my fa...
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