Jason McIver Collective - Gig Review: The Jason McIver Collective and The James @ The Kings Arms, Auckland - 22/04/2016
The Jason McIver Collective are slowly becoming an Auckland mainstay, their latest release I May No Perf finding credence with a growing local fan base.
The Collective’s live show adds another layer to the multi-faceted sound– the heady, driving bass and tight drums develop an almost ‘darker’ feel live, one that is less apparent on the album.
But this in turn could simply be due to the acoustic guitar being a little lost in the mix on the night, lending to a less folky/acoustic sound overall.
The Jester went down well live and the extra percussion and djembe added a unique undercurrent to other pieces throughout the night, but began to feel superfluous at times.
The Collective finished up a solid set , and after a quick turnaround, Enter The James (*note that none of the band members are called ‘James’).
With an easy, affable stage presence (maintained throughout the night by front man, Eddie Jensen) these musos captured the crowd’s attention and held it steadfast, for the rest of the evening. Their harmonies were slick, the rhythm section was tight and their sound was ‘big’ without encroaching on overbearing.
In trying to find an artist or band to compare, none immediately sprung to mind – I was reminded of aspects of Gogol Bordello (which seems an odd comparison, I know), but the comparison is simply one of intensity.
Promises was my pick of the band’s original material, but their cover of I’ll Be There For You by The Rembrandts (better known as ‘The Friends’ Theme Song’) went down killer with the audience.
The night wore on and when The James had all but finished up, crowd demand for an encore drew them back to the stage to blaze through a cover of The Cranberries Zombie – a stellar finish to an awesome night.
About Jason McIver Collective
After moving bases from Auckland to Taupo Jason refreshed the line-up, featuring original bassist Si Folkard moving to lead guitar/vocals, bassist John Curtis and drummer Andrew Marshall.
The music explores the many emotions and movements occurring in life and celebrates a diverse scope of song writing.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Jason McIver Collective
Other Reviews By camy3rs
Myele Manzanza - Album Review: OnePointOne (Live At The Blue Whale)
20 Nov 2016 // by camy3rs
There are very few percussionists I can think of that would be able to pull off a live recorded album that falls even into the same league as OnePointOne (Live At The Blue Whale). From the opening bars of A Love Eclectic and onward throughout, the whole collection draws on many contrasting genres, cultures and aural motifs that somehow harmoniously flow out of and into each other.
Read More...
Openside - EP Review: Push Back
21 Oct 2016 // by camy3rs
Admittedly, home grown pop-rock has never been a particularly easy sell in New Zealand, but when Openside started turning heads with last year’s single Worth It the group began a rather rapid ascent, opening for various international acts including Twenty One Pilots and Melanie Martinez, selling out their own secret headline show and culminating in the recent release of their debut EP Push Back. The collection opens up with the hook-laden All I Really Want – catchy as all hell, the song initially comes off as the kind of upbeat, self-help anthem you might put on a mix-tape for your best friend who was recently dumped.
Read More...
Gig Review: Broods @ Vector Arena 15/07/2016
02 Aug 2016 // by camy3rs
It’s a wee bit of a sad state how seldom a full line-up of Kiwi acts take the stage at Vector Arena, but hopefully after the success of Broods’ Conscious tour, we can see the wheels begin to turn a little more in favour of New Zealand bands. The night opened up with Blenheim-based newcomers, October.
Read More...
Broods - Album Review: Conscious
12 Jul 2016 // by camy3rs
With the follow up to their 2014 debut album Evergreen, Broods are back again with another collection of the moody, atmospheric, dance-pop that gained them their notoriety. Conscious is a straight up beast of an album.
Read More...
Kaushun - Album Review: Tonight
25 Jun 2016 // by camy3rs
Aside from having one of those names that makes fans wary of mispronounciation, Kaushun (pronounced as ‘Caution’), is a electronic music producer based in Auckland, but originally from Leeds in the United Kingdom. Tonight is the producers second album and a decent mix of run-of-the-mill dance/club beats, interesting electronica soundscapes and some high tempo pieces that wouldn’t go amiss on the soundtrack to a futuristic David Fincher film.
Read More...
Gig Review: Avalanche City @ The Powerstation 03/06/16
21 Jun 2016 // by camy3rs
Dave Baxter and ilk have become a rather large part of the quilt of Kiwi music – encompassing all of the personality traits that Kiwis seem to love in their icons, modest about his skill, understated in the news, seemingly soft spoken and dedicated to his practice. Avalanche City itself is a bit of a pop wonder - the roots in folk and country that set the band a part from other pop acts should (at least, to Kiwi audiences) be the proverbial bullet in the heart, and yet at every point they defy the odds.
Read More...
Ladyhawke - Album Review: Wild Things
05 Jun 2016 // by camy3rs
Pip Brown is the kind of musical artist I forever wish that the world had more of, - intuitive, intentional and innovative. Everytime a new Ladyhawke album is released, the incremental advances towards an even more polished, cohesive and genre defying sound are obvious.
Read More...
Gig Review: Drax Project @ Neck Of The Woods, Auckland - 13/05/16
04 Jun 2016 // by camy3rs
Roughly three years ago, I remember walking down Courtenay Place in Wellington and stumbling across a three-piece jazz ensemble playing top 40 pop and RnB covers outside of the Reading Cinema. I’ll tell you now, you have not heard Katy Perry until you’ve heard these guys play Hot ‘n Cold with a saxophone covering the entire lyrical line.
Read More...
Most Viewed Artists
Latest Galleries
NZ Top 10 Singles
- TOO SWEET
Hozier - BEAUTIFUL THINGS
Benson Boone - LOSE CONTROL
Teddy Swims - LIKE THAT
Future And Metro Boomin feat. Kendrick Lamar - END OF BEGINNING
Djo - I LIKE THE WAY YOU KISS ME
Artemas - WE CAN'T BE FRIENDS (WAIT FOR YOUR LOVE)
Ariana Grande - STICK SEASON
Noah Kahan - TEXAS HOLD 'EM
Beyonce - LEAVEMEALONE
Fred Again.. And Baby Keem
More Content on muzic.net.nz
Google Site Search
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report A Problem
