Oscar The Third: September 2011

Tuesday, 13 September 2011

She drinks like a chimney and smokes like a fish

This is the show I had been waiting for since early August, the Drab Doo-Riffs release party for their new EP 'A Fistful Of Doo-Riffs'. I got this EP at the Liam Finn show on August 3rd but it wasn't out until Sept 9th officially, so I had to bide my time until the release show to truly celebrate its magnificence. DDR were playing at the Winchester in Auckland City, which is a perfect venue for them and they had some quality opening bands including Allan Pitt playing the saw (seriously, it was amazing) and the instrumentalists Hollow Grinders. The Drab Doo-Riffs took to the stage which was decorated with guitar pinatas and a banner with a severed dolls leg painted on it. They started off the show with their theme from A Fistful Of Doo-Riffs played by the toughest trumpet player I have ever seen and from then on out, it was just a tornado of Doo-Riff. Opening with some older material really helped get the crowd into it and then they unleashed some of their new songs like Lunatic Fringe and I'm Depressed. The set list was filled with new and old songs, which is a wonderful thing to experience. The Drab Doo-Riffs now have enough material to entertain all night and that can only be a good thing. DDR writes new music so quickly that they were playing new songs, like Do The Cat and Fantastic Voyage, that weren't even on the new EP (that is how new they were). The Drab Doo-Riffs live shows are the best in the country with Karl Steven and Caiohme McFehin bringing perpetual energy and twitchy dancing to ever show. It was a great night of madness and the best NZ show I have seen all year. I even came away with lots of goodies, including a t-shirt, 10" vinyl, 3D poster, stickers and a lungful of glitter.

The Drab Doo-Riffs. 09/09/2011. The Winchester, Auckland, New Zealand.

The Drab Doo-Riffs w/ Tim on trumpet

Lucy & Karl

The Drab Doo-Riffs w/ Tim on trumpet - Motorscoot Scoot

Karl, Caiohme & M. F. Joyce

The Drab Doo-Riffs - Ill Equipped

DO THE CAT!

The Drab Doo-Riffs Set List

Try hard not to argue the obvious

Everything was coming in 2's with 2 of my favourite New Zealand artists playing 2 nights in a row. Liam Finn and The Drab Doo-Riffs are electric live bands and brilliant musicians, so this was an unmissable event. The first night started off extremely well, with The Drab Doo-Riffs unveiling their new EP, A Fistful Of Doo-Riffs (which wasn't even in stores yet) and playing all of their new songs. The new material was a little rough, but it was the first time some of those songs had ever been played live so it was really a privilege to experience that. Karl Steven and Caiohme McFehin were spastically (yet somehow gracefully) throwing themselves around as usual and being a die-hard DDR fan myself, I was happily dancing my heart out along with them, even on their new songs which I was experiencing for the first time. Liam Finn was the main event, touring in support of his new album FOMO and he lived up to his reputation. A huge musical performance backed by a lovable personality, his guitar was vibrant, his drums were dynamic and his vocals resonated from behind that signature beard. Liam's set list fluctuated between his 2 albums, while he switched between instruments flawlessly and his backing band was magnificently complimentary. The bearded one loves to end with a big finish, howling the vocals for Lead Balloon while the encore took a much more mellow approach, eventually settling down to just Liam and E.J. performing an intimate song. The second night was a lot of the same, The Drab Doo-Riffs were feeling a lot more comfortable with their new material and really let loose in the Kings Arms, while Liam suffered some slight technical problems that would've been problematic, but Liam covered for it with an impromptu jam session. The set lists for both bands changed slightly on the second night, but mainly just shuffling songs. It was a fantastic night and an absolute blessing that I got to experience it twice in a row.

Liam Finn w/ The Drab Doo-Riffs. 03/08/11. Kings Arms Tavern, Auckland, New Zealand.