Well first review for a while. Should have blogged great reviews for the Smashing Pumpkins and Split Enz shows 3 months ago, but just haven't had the time!
Anyway, having recently bought the new Shihad CD I was genuinely wondering if 20 years at the top of the tree was finally catching up with them. Don't get me wrong, its a good album, with three or four killer tracks, but also some mediocre ones. Which made me waver before Friday night, should I go or was Shihad past it? They are after all the same age as me!
Luger Boa made for a most intriguing first act for the night. Featuring Jimmy Xmas from the now defunct D4, along with Karl Kippenberger on Bass, they played a tight set. Much promise, I look forward to an album later in the year.
Second warm up act was The Mint Chicks, last years NZ Band of the Year. And they remain as far as I'm concerned the most interesting act in NZ. The (now) threepiece take some simple elements and jumble them into a highly refreshing and massively energetic live presence. Great set, but I was a little disappointed they didn't play my favourate track "Walking Off A Cliff Again"
Then it was showtime. And what a show- all doubts were cast asunder by the end of Home Again, that storming live track and what a track to start the gig. Several new tracks were profiled- One Will Hear The Other an absolute standout, and sounded great. The old hits kept coming too, and they sound as great as ever, if not better. An acoustic version of Run was a surprise- one of my motivational Kepler training songs. Very cool to see them playing The Metal Song also, reportedly never played live until this year.
I've been seeing Shihad gigs for 20 years, and when they ripped out the headshattering "Screwtop" near the end of the gig the roof just about came off the Christchurch Town Hall.
Shihad are the Split Enz of Generation X, or so I heard someone say the other day. I could not have put it better myself.
9.5 out of 10. Storming. Long Live The 'Had!
Anyway, having recently bought the new Shihad CD I was genuinely wondering if 20 years at the top of the tree was finally catching up with them. Don't get me wrong, its a good album, with three or four killer tracks, but also some mediocre ones. Which made me waver before Friday night, should I go or was Shihad past it? They are after all the same age as me!
Luger Boa made for a most intriguing first act for the night. Featuring Jimmy Xmas from the now defunct D4, along with Karl Kippenberger on Bass, they played a tight set. Much promise, I look forward to an album later in the year.
Second warm up act was The Mint Chicks, last years NZ Band of the Year. And they remain as far as I'm concerned the most interesting act in NZ. The (now) threepiece take some simple elements and jumble them into a highly refreshing and massively energetic live presence. Great set, but I was a little disappointed they didn't play my favourate track "Walking Off A Cliff Again"
Then it was showtime. And what a show- all doubts were cast asunder by the end of Home Again, that storming live track and what a track to start the gig. Several new tracks were profiled- One Will Hear The Other an absolute standout, and sounded great. The old hits kept coming too, and they sound as great as ever, if not better. An acoustic version of Run was a surprise- one of my motivational Kepler training songs. Very cool to see them playing The Metal Song also, reportedly never played live until this year.
I've been seeing Shihad gigs for 20 years, and when they ripped out the headshattering "Screwtop" near the end of the gig the roof just about came off the Christchurch Town Hall.
Shihad are the Split Enz of Generation X, or so I heard someone say the other day. I could not have put it better myself.
9.5 out of 10. Storming. Long Live The 'Had!
2 comments:
You're not suggesting that you might be 'past it' are you?
Haha very funny....certainly feel "past it" although that may have more to do with 4-5 hours of broken sleep a night for the past 12 weeks...
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