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Elemeno P - Gig Review: Elemeno P @ San Fan, Wellington - 25/02/2021

27 Feb 2021 // A review by tonymcdonald

New Zealand’s very own Blink 182, Elemeno P, with support from Fruit Juice Parade and Valentina hit San Fran, on a fantastic warm Wellington evening. It was packed out; beers were flowing, and the sticky smell of the low-ceilinged venue was absolutely buzzing. As the crowd waited for Elemeno P they sang along to songs - Bohemian Rhapsody as I have never heard it before!

Before that though Fruit Juice Parade came out to what must have been a huge audience to this young female duo. If you like something a little different and interesting take a look at them. The singer played guitar and the drummer also played a melodica in between heavy crashes of cymbals. A melodica if you aren’t aware is a free-reed instrument similar to a mouth organ, but with a keyboard. I certainly can’t compare them to anything I have heard before, but the organ certainly took me back to the classic days in the 90’s, think early mobile phone ring tones. They were more chord driven than melodic, with some harmonies thrown in for good measure. Interesting and I wish them well.

Elemeno P came on to a raw from the fans, and in usual fashion everyone from the balcony rushed to the stage knocking drinks flying. In true Kiwi fashion there were plenty of apologies at this 'High Fidelity Vinyl Release Tour' gig. San Fran always concerns me when everyone jumps up and down at the same time, the floor certainly moves a lot. Fun though!

If you haven’t heard of Elemeno P, then perhaps you have been living under a rock, or you have recently arrived I this beautiful land. The band's first album Love & Disrespect was released in 2003 and reached number one in the Kiwi charts. They certainly formed during the heyday of Kiwi music, with plenty of backing from the newly formed government initiatives of the day.

All the classics were played including Verona and 11:57, with some of the new album mixed in. The opener though was the classic Nirvana, and the band were letting out plenty of energy and the performance was spot on. These guys are my age (not old, but not young either), but they kept up the pace all night. They engaged with the crowd well, reminiscing about the last time they played in Wellington. They also read out some messages from the crowd including a happy birthday to one lucky fan, nice touch indeed.

Having never seen them live before, I thought following on from Bohemian Rhapsody was going to be tough, it certainly was not. Don’t miss them when they visit your town.

I wish them well on the rest of their tour.


Photo thanks and courtesy of Garry Thomas Photos
Fruit Juice Parade Gallery
Elemeno P Gallery

 

About Elemeno P

Pop music: an expression of the current consciousness of what’s happening. An onomatopoetic description for sure, a boom, a bang that jolts and shakes things around, it can shift and change into many forms, its chameleon nature becomes seductive. Phil Spector called the stuff he did "little symphonies", encapsulated stories about life that has just as much resonance as the high brow classical form he borrowed from. Pop music is the sound of the actual, all the little details of how we live our lives, the soundtrack to our reality.

Elemeno P make pop music that bangs, guitar power pop with big choruses that is an invitation to a party next to a pool with lots of girlies, where the summer is endless and school or work is but a distant memory. Choice.

Dave Gibson describes the band as "We’re just happy people" and Dave is indeed a person full of the jollification that life can bring. But don’t let that cloud your perspective, he has a solid background in musical performance. Playing in a variety of acts: Queen City Big Band, hardcore band Nickel and in 1998 toured Eastern Europe in a band called Elephant, where he broke his back - the fun has to stop sometimes. He’s also somewhat of a of a media veteran, having appeared in numerous commercials and featuring in the film The Locals and also a stint as a radio DJ. Surprisingly finding time to complete a commerce degree, he’s a man who knows what to do and how to do it.

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Elemeno P

Releases

Elemeno P
Year: 2008
Type: Album
Trouble In Paradise
Year: 2005
Type: Album
Love & Disrespect
Year: 2003
Type: Album
Fast Times In Tahoe
Year: 2002
Type: EP
Every Day's A Saturday
Year: 2002
Type: EP
Nirvana
Year: 2002
Type: EP

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