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  • Gig Review: Pukekohe High School Compilation Release Gig @ Pukekohe High School - 06/09/2017

Gig Review: Pukekohe High School Compilation Release Gig @ Pukekohe High School - 06/09/2017

11 Sep 2017 // A review by Kerry MB

Little Leviathan are three talented teenagers from Pukekohe High school who are on the road to great things with their brand of foot stomping Heavy Rock. The band is just one of the many talents to come out of Pukekohe High, and part of the school’s music project Mondays Rock, a programme aimed at encouraging and supporting budding musicians and artists in the school.

Wednesday night (6th September) saw the promotional release of a compilation album featuring a collection of Pukekohe High’s finest artists and bands. Produced by the school’s own Record Label, Live Sound, the label is run by six of the school’s students, dedicated to Recording, Marketing, Releasing, and most importantly, encouraging youth musicians to make their dreams a reality.

Leading the way for Live Sound and Little Leviathan is Singer & Guitarist, Justin Robinson, full of enthusiasm, passion and a maturity not often seen in someone so young. Together with bandmates (and friends) Nicho Lewis (drums) and Kyle Cavanagh (Bass) Little Leviathan are determined to go places with their music, while still have fun and not take themselves too seriously.

Parents and students filled out the majority of seats on the night, with children’s TV presenter, Walter Neilands emceeing the event and local rock royalty, Skinny Hobos as support.

Kicking off with four-piece band, Misguided Youth, and their funk driven rock and an epic bass solo, that wouldn’t be out of place in any Red Hot Chili Pepper’s song, the band drew loud cheers from the audience, and had a real unity in their musicianship.

Following hot on their heels, were the cleverly named, Hit or Miss, with female fronted vocalist, Renee Sanders. It’s hard to pinpoint an exact genre for the band, and their sound is very much a mish mash of everything, but the band showed a lot of promise, and with time are one’s to watch out for if they decide to make music their careers in the future.

Ella Barwick was the only solo artist of the night, and despite a few technical mishaps, she recovered quickly enough to pique the interest of everyone with her unique, soft, folk-acoustic sound, including a de-constructed version of Foo Fighters, Everlong. An impressive feat, considering the challenge in timing of the song. Vocally, Ella displayed a unique tone and pitch and it will be interesting to see her evolve in her musical endeavours.

Drive were up next and generated a lot of intensity and energy in the makeshift mosh pit, with their heavy metal sound, including a cover of Deftones, Shove it. Again, not an easy song with timing. They had loyalty with the mosh pit punters, musically strong, vocally, falling a bit short, not quite what the audience probably expected, but the band looked like they were really getting into it, so it was fun to see.

Second to last act, before finishing the night with Skinny Hobos, was Little Leviathan. This was the band’s second live performance, and if they were at all nervous, it didn’t show. They launched into their set full of energy, which included originals and a cover of Royal Blood, Out of the Black.

The band clearly rehearse often, or often enough that they look and sound confident and collected in front of an audience. Musically tight, they already show strong control of their sound and it projects well to an audience.  Heavy riffs, great solo’s (especially during the band’s original song, Money Walks) and a determination that still shows they are having a blast at the same time. The band seem to go from strength to strength performing, and although will still have a way to go, with continued hard work and passion, they are a band that is already unleashing their potential, with much more to come. A band to look out for.

Lastly, rounding of the night, was the gritty, riff-fuelled rock of Skinny Hobo’s. Ripping up a storm to the delight of everyone, it was the perfect way to end a night full of talent, by a band who are so humble and sincere about their craft, and the importance of music for the younger generation. If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of seeing Skinny Hobos by now, you are missing out. They never fail to put on one hell of a show, and do it with such finesse and passion for what they do. The excitement of the students being able to witness such a thing at their High School was truly exciting. A lot of the students are not yet old enough to experience a live music gig, so it was heart-warming to see their enthusiasm. Busting out some well -known hits like The Merchant of Tirau, and Jokers and Fools, the band also had a blast surprising everyone with a cover of The White Stripes- Blue Orchid and Muse – Super Massive Black Hole, an incredible job well done, considering the other worldly high octaves, Muse’s Matt Bellamy can hit.

A fantastic night with some amazing talent.

   
   
   


Review written by Kerry Monaghan

 

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