Live

Rip It Up, Issue 64, 1 November 1982, Page 32

Live

Auckland Musicians' Association Fund Raising Gig Sunday October 24 This was the first in a planned series of fund-raising concerts organised by the AMA to finance a much-needed underage venue in Auckland. With an alcohol ban imposed, the crowd was predominantly teenage. If only their mothers knew ... Stranger Upstairs provided the first of the night's entertainment for me, after missing the Instigators. They were painfully close to Siouxsie & Co., from the vocal style to the borrowed bass lines. Weak vocals were hardly improved by an intermittently inoperative mike. Yet despite this, the band proved itself to be strong instrumentally and played with confidence and enthusiasm. Next lip were the Bongos, materialising after a long delay. Still, it was well worth the wait. Infinitely danceable, managing to perform with a fair amount of energy, not to mention proficiency, in the face of countless technical setbacks and a largely indifferent audience. Two songs in particular stood out: 'Machinegun Running', a very tight, funky number which succeeded in getting more than a few people on their toes and 'Monotony' equally brilliant, their new single. Regrettably, the trio were forced to cut their set short and concede defeat to the elusive gremlins which had

plagued them throughout their performance. Finally, it was the turn of Hip Singles to perform, after more lengthy - delays, to the nowdepleted audience. Nevertheless, the boys made the best of a bad lot, cavorting through a fast set of poppy (but rather bland) songs for those not too dead on their feet to appreciate it. At 12.30 on a Monday morning, what more can one say? Well, just one final comment. Let's hope that in future the AMA will attempt to organise its events more efficiently, thereby avoiding the tedious technical delays which robbed a lot of the enjoyment from audience and bands alike. Raymond Russell Moose Walker.' Willie Dayson Blues Band Clyde Quay, Oct 26. My dear old mum's favourite

observation on the entertainment world is that people may go for all the "arty, 'relevant" stuff when they have money in their pockets, but when times are tough they just want a simple, straightforward good time. Which I reckon goes a long way to explaining the apparent resurgence of interest around the place in blues at the moment and, in particular, why something like two full houses worth of bodies at once managed to squeeze themselves into the Clyde Quay on a Tuesday night for Moose Walker and the Willie Dayson Blues Band. On their own WDBB only really stand out from any number of competent white blues bands by virtue of the fact that Brian Glamuzina's harmonica prowess enables the inevitable guitar solos to be limited to a sane frequency and duration. When backing Walker, however, they seemed to lift themselves to meet the challenge passed by Walker's strident piano work and there was real fire particularly in the chaotic final set when the interplay between Walker, Glamuzina and Dayson's guitar had the real edge of musicians striving to reach an understanding- rather than just hacking through a formula. It was inevitably Walker however, who stood out, with his fuller, stronger vocals surviving the distortion of an inadequate PA being over-driven to death with surprising ease.

The key to this sort of gig is simply atmosphere arising from the right combination material, musicianship, crowd input and location. This was one of those nights when things all came together and standing sweatsoaked, shoulder to shoulder, drinking warm beer and choking on cigarette smoke while you try to see the band, almost seemed a sensible way to spend an evening. I gather this tour was in the nature of trial with the possibility of more blues tours in the offing. So far as Wellington is concerned the experiment could hardly have been more successful. Don Mac Kay Rip It Up N 0.64 Nov 'B2 Post all correspondence to RIU, PO Box 5689, Auckland 1. Editor Murray Cammick Graphics Stefan Morris Advertising Enquiries 790-653 Rip It Up is typset by Artspec Typesetting Systems and printed by Lucas Print, Paraparaumu. Photoprints by Prints Graphic Art Service.