Oscar The Third: 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.