Back in the swing of it all

Well its been a great three weeks for reactivating one of my favourite past times- live music.

Three weeks ago it was Liam Finn and friends. A fantastic show, a bit like last years one man mad professor shows with EJ Barnes in part, but also very interesting as a big part of the set saw him as a bit player in a new band with Conan Mockasin and Larence Arabia. It was intriguing, and had me thinking of early Split Enz. I really did wonder if we were witnessing the birth of something special. Have a look for yourself if you are a fan at the new Liam and EJ track...



The next week it was Head Like a Hole. What a stunning trip down memory lane! Booga has aged as ungracefully as we all would have hoped and is now the proud dad of twins no less. HLAH ripped through a stonking set of all the old favourites from Fish Across Face, to Spanish Goat Dancer, to Comfortably Shagged. Best track for me was the highly energised version of I'm on Fire. The warm up act were good too- Luger Boa. I definitely recommend them. So many memories came flooding back of the crazy student years and this has rekindled hope that HLAH might come up with some new material now.

We all know HLAH inside out so I'll give you a Luger Boa track to chew on instead- this song just won't leave my head! We were close enough to the front row to see the whites of their eyes...the true test of a live music experience.




Finally last Friday it was two of the most talented acts up and coming in NZ- The Valves and Midnight Youth. Both acts were standouts at Southern Amp last year so it was good to see them again a year down the track. The Valves are almost what you could call a "Christchurch Institution" now, and deservedly so. They play a great set, each and every time. They did in fact steal the show from Midnight Youth.

I was concerned I'd be the oldest person in the crowd at Midnight Youth. Fortunately I was about the middle. They have a solid album out from all accounts- I have only heard the singles, but they played a good set. I was very surprised to see them cover Alice In Chains and Black Sabbath though- as was half the crowd I think! A very promising band, could become one of NZ's biggest music exports. Lets see how their "difficult second album" goes.



and Midnight Youth making a "run" for my Kepler playlist...