29 Mar 2024
UsernamePassword

Remember Me? | Join | Recover
Click here to sign in via social networking

Greg Johnson - Gig Review: Greg Johnson @ The Pumphouse Theatre, Auckland

23 Oct 2018 // A review by butch181

The long labour weekend was coming to an end, and what better way to spend the free Monday than with an early afternoon musical performance. Heading down the track towards Takapuna’s Pumphouse along the edges of Lake Pupuke, the carpark was full, and the venue was packed with fans eager for the show, long before the event was due to begin. With doors opening at 4pm, and every member of the audience already present and waiting to take a seat in the theatre; it is safe to say that this was a highly anticipated sold-out event.

The opening act for the night came in the form of the alternative folk duo known as Eyreton Hall. This brother sister combo provided a simple set, consisting of five songs (one of which was a cover). Of the two, Toni Randle was clearly the showman, contributing the vocals, keys, and all of the banter with the crowd, while brother Tim provided support of guitar and bass.

The only drumming of percussion in the performance coming from their own synchronised tapping feet, their set was rather relaxed and emotive, with an astonishing vocal performance from Toni. Using some good breathing techniques, Toni’s voice never wavered, and never felt forced, and no notes pushed. It was a stellar vocal performance, yet still felt like she was only working at 70% of what she was capable of; it fitted in well with the style of music, but it leaves with a curiosity as to what she could do if she experimented with the extremes of her range.

The played through originals such as Spaces, Beautiful, as well doing a very impressive adaptation of Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, a version that was instrumentally so different, that if it weren’t for the lyrics (or them mentioning it), I would have been unable to distinguish it as a cover. Not the best performance from Tim, looking rather aloof and detached on stage, but it went largely unnoticed as Toni consistently stole the spotlight, track after track.

This made the way for headlining act Greg Johnson, back from Los Angeles for eight shows around New Zealand, as part of the Every Song Has A Story tour. The name of the tour is a very accurate description of what you can expect from the show, as Greg takes his time between every track to chat and banter about each track.  

Considering Greg Johnson had a nearly two-hour set, the setlist wasn’t overly compact, with less than 20 songs, heavy with banter, and an intermission thrown in the middle of the performance as well. Whether hearing the story behind Now The Sun Is Out and owing a quarter of a million to a record company, coming face to face with Mountain Lion (or maybe a raccoon), or mis-understood tracks such as Hibiscus Song, whose lyrical influence is much more morbid than the love affairs that his fans often thought it was about, every song has a story, and often a few extra unrelated stories as well.

Performance-wise there were a few teething issues, with the odd confusion about tuning and capo placements between Greg and his special guess guitarist Ben King (of Goldenhorse), and the visualisations for each track coming to an end well before the song concludes, due to the extensive banter beforehand. But Greg Johnson, has been doing this for nearly 30 years, and instantly turns every technical issue into a talking point, building a rapport with the audience thanks to his ever-present charisma.

It wouldn’t be a Greg Johnson show without performing his biggest mainstream hit Save Yourself or Silver Scroll Award winner, Liberty, which he did one after the other before heading into the intermission. Ben King worked hard on the guitar trying to keep Johnson on track, but apart from some nice vocal harmonies, it was interesting that Johnson needed another musician on stage with him, especially with the level of backing tracks used (or “band-in-a-box”, as he referred to it), most notably on the track that require Johnson to play the trumpet.

No matter how redundant King’s presence felt, the performance was engaging from start to finish, and the audience were hanging off of every word. Finishing their main performance, they headed off stage, but the crowd would have none of it and started chanting, cheering and stamping their feet until Johnson came out one last time, performing Swagger for an encore performance.



Photos courtesy of Chris Zwaagdyk/Zed Pics

 

About Greg Johnson

While many musical fashions and styles have come and gone over the last 30 years, Greg Johnson has consistently maintained a unique style and place in the music world. Quintessentially New Zealand but also universal by nature, his sound and lyrics are both deeply personal while maintaining a broad appeal to his many listeners.

His catalogue of over 300 songs includes many Kiwi classics such as Isabelle, Don’t Wait Another Day, Swagger and Now The Sun is Out with several becoming radio hits in New Zealand and the US.

His 11th studio album Swing The Lantern is a return to the style of production employed on earlier albums, where a band of players get together over several weeks to record the songs in a big studio all at once. The result captures the interactive nuances between players, the mood representing a moment in time - much like the perfect live concert.

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Greg Johnson

Releases

Thunder In Fall
Year: 2024
Type: Album
Tilt Your Interior
Year: 2021
Type: Album
Low Frequency Word
Year: 2017
Type: EP
Swing The Lantern
Year: 2015
Type: Album
Some Other Place, Some Other Time
Year: 2014
Type: Album
Exits
Year: 2012
Type: Album
Secret Weapon
Year: 2010
Type: Album
Greatest Hits
Year: 2009
Type: Album
Seven Day Cure
Year: 2008
Type: Album
Anyone Can Say Goodbye
Year: 2006
Type: Album
Here Comes The Caviar
Year: 2004
Type: Album
The Best Yet
Year: 2001
Type: Album
Seabreeze Motel
Year: 2000
Type: Album
Chinese Whispers
Year: 1997
Type: Album
Watertable
Year: 1993
Type: Album
Vine Street Stories
Year: 1993
Type: Album
Everyday Distortions
Year: 1992
Type: Album

Other Reviews By butch181

Lola Sola - Single Review: Tripping
04 Dec 2019 // by butch181
This latest single from Lola Sola, Tripping, is pure simplicity; simple enough to allow nothing to draw your attention away from the vocals. With very little instrumentation beyond a guitar (which doubles as the tracks percussive element), there is nothing complicated about it, and it creates a slow and weary ambience.
Read More...
Rubine - Album Review: Secret Danger
04 Nov 2019 // by butch181
Rubine hail from North Island’s Hamilton and Tauranga, which is ideal placement, as some New Zealand’s best classic rock sounds tend to originate from the Waikato/Bay of Plenty regions. The five-piece consist of Tana Tapri on lead vocals, Afzer Zameer on the drums, Dennis Ben on guitar, and Keith McGlade and Stefan Doll on the bass and guitar respectively, as well backing vocals.
Read More...
Gig Review: Sevendust w/ City of Souls @ Powerstation, Auckland - 23/04/2019
24 Apr 2019 // by butch181
A decidedly reserved Tuesday night in Auckland and people were quietly piling into the Powerstation and grabbing some drinks at the bar. The upper balcony area was closed, so the fans were amassing downstairs around the inner perimeter of the venue.
Read More...
Sonic Altar - Album Review: Under A Dying Sun
27 Mar 2019 // by butch181
In this digital age, it’s not often that you get a full length record anymore. Everything is short and sweet just to get content out there before fans forget your band even exists.
Read More...
Levi Lights On Project - Single Review: Mirror Man
17 Mar 2019 // by butch181
Levi is a musical amalgamation that would in most cases be categorised as folk, thanks to the groups' uncommon mix of instruments consisting of a saxophone, cello, and cajón, and a lack of a drum kit or electric instruments. That being said, Mirror Man has something unique.
Read More...
The Gemini Effect - Single Review: Little Mouse
17 Mar 2019 // by butch181
Little Mouse is the first single from Bad Alien, the upcoming sophomore album of three-piece alt-rock act The Gemini Effect. With some nice consistent snare work, the track jumps right off the bat with a great organic sense of rhythm that has you bobbing your head and tapping your foot along with the beat, accentuated by some gritty power chords.
Read More...
Mermaidens - Single Review: You Maintain The Stain
17 Mar 2019 // by butch181
The latest release from Wellington trio Mermaidens is a straight up middle finger to the powers that control the world and throws away the mainstream formula of verse/chorus patterns, instead, forming a self-righteous maelstrom of sonic environments.  With no warning given, You Maintain The Stain gets straight into cold, apathetic vocals alongside a pluggy bassline, until the guitar jumps in with an uncomfortable level of discord that sows the seeds of uneasiness in the pit of your stomach as if every instrument is performing a different song.
Read More...
Paper Cranes - Album Review: Voices
19 Dec 2018 // by butch181
Due for release January 18, 2019, Voices is the second full-length album from Indie Folk duo Paper Cranes. While comprised of ten tracks, the album has a short overall runtime of just over 35 minutes.
Read More...
View All Articles By butch181

NZ Top 10 Singles

  • WE CAN'T BE FRIENDS (WAIT FOR YOUR LOVE)
    Ariana Grande
  • BEAUTIFUL THINGS
    Benson Boone
  • END OF BEGINNING
    Djo
  • LOSE CONTROL
    Teddy Swims
  • TEXAS HOLD 'EM
    Beyonce
  • STICK SEASON
    Noah Kahan
  • PRAISE JAH IN THE MOONLIGHT
    YG Marley
  • CARNIVAL
    Kanye West And Ty Dolla $ign
  • SATURN
    SZA
  • LOVIN ON ME
    Jack Harlow
View the Full NZ Top 40...
muzic.net.nz Logo
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 ProblemReport A Problem