Gig Review: Black Alpine, White Noise Mafia & LIIT @ Ding Dong Lounge - 18 December 2021

 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 favourite kiwi rock bands ever, who I had the pleasure of talking to later on in the night. Liit had dressed up for the occasion, the bare-chested vocalist wearing red fairy wings, and the drummer wearing a nun costume. The band brought us metalised covers of classics like ‘I Kissed A Girl’ by Katy Perry, as well as Avril Lavigne’s ‘Girlfriend’. They had great energy and got everyone in a good mood, and ready to enjoy their night. 


I decided to move to a seat closer to the front, to get a good view of White Noise Mafia. Admittedly, White Noise Mafia (hereafter shortened to WNM) were the band I was most excited to see that night. The band entered the stage, generating some feedback on the guitars, before launching into ‘The Divide’, their debut single. As soon as they started playing, you could see, and feel, how excited they were to be playing live. Matt H was almost leaping up and down. Neo was a frantic mess of hair and excitement behind the drum kit. Their second song was ‘Medicate’, a newer song. I saw nothing but grinning faces in the audience around me. The band finished with a cover of Shihad’s ‘My Mind’s Sedate’, a song they nail every time they play it.  WNM has a humorous stage presence that is very rare to come across. Their sarcasm and joke-cracking make their set all the more entertaining. I am very much looking forward to their next show, which will hopefully even have a mosh pit!


Black Alpine was dressed in the typical heavy metal attire, with long hair, tight black jeans, and black button-up shirts. They had a very heavy, traditional hard rock sound, much like Sabbath and Deep Purple. They were also very entertaining, with song titles such as ‘Nasty Cold’ and ‘Melt The Snow’. About halfway into Black Alpine’s set, Banjo’s bass stopped working, but the band managed to push through the technical difficulties by giving Banjo a guitar instead (lucky they had a spare!). Overall, Black Alpine was, without a doubt, one of the best bands I’ve ever seen at Ding, and a great way to wrap up the night.


Saturday’s gig was the perfect way to celebrate the return of live music in Auckland. The great choice of bands, all with a dash of humour in the mix, made it a great way to end what has undoubtedly been a very hard year, especially for live music. 


ALL PHOTOS CREDITED TO DING DONG LOUNGE

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