Marianne Leigh is a bright young musician who writes Indie Pop with a maturity which belies her age.
She filled the muso’s favoured underground Auckland venue, on a hot and humid evening when the city has its quiet holiday down-time.
I first saw her perform in April 2021 at the boutique music venue, Kumeu Live, in the heart of Westie country. This was amid lockdown mania. Curiously, the music heard at the time remains vivid whilst the madness of the time is becoming the shadow of a bad and ridiculous dream.
She played solo with acoustic guitar. She wasn’t quite twenty yet, and she had been a Rock Quest winner in 2019.
She played surprisingly robust indie Pop songs. There had been mentoring from Bic Runga.
She has also played with Jamie McDell (Streetlights), so there was a little country in her sound.
I was curious to see her progress in two and a half years. I understand that she has spent time in London since and getting some recognition in the music scene there.
She is playing as a four-piece band tonight, so the music is a lot louder. Neo Aiono-Fukushima lead guitar (he turns up earlier in a support band), Sam Hatley drums (the same), and Mia aka Mizzy on bass.
Picks up an acoustic guitar for What’s a Girl Gonna Do? Voice is clearer and it sounds like Punk merging into New Wave. Which makes it Power Pop.
The tone lightens up for Nice Guy and that’s good as the vocals shine. She could be Debbie Harry from the first Blondie album in 1978. Leigh is a petite blonde, and Harry did start out as a Folkie in the late Sixties.
One stand-out for the night is Best of Me. Which Leigh explains is a break-up song. The quietest song in volume, and with an emotional impact which can thump. They take the best of you/ Like they took the best of me.
There is a mash-up of crazy gf and I don’t care which is powered by the drums.
As is closing song All American Guy. Hatley on the drums is the secret weapon for the evening as he plays with, and powers all the bands tonight.
Wednesday’s Girlfriend is a power trio led by singer and guitarist Tommy Leigh. That makes him the older(?) brother to Marianne.
They start with a racket, and with second song Pretend, lay out some guitar flash and an older style of Rock power.
Can’t identify the bass player, but the drum thunder is Hatley, of course.
More guitar flash as they power through a thirty-minute set.
They end up with raucous Garage Rock. The bass anchors a song about Eiffel Towers, and they power up like a Shadows of Knight or similar.
Back to the Hillside open the evenings entertainment, the room suddenly filling up by the end of the opening number.
This is guitarist and lead singer Neo Aiono-Fukushima’s band, and he is accompanied by Hamish Brown bass, Rocielli Fernando keyboards and of course Sam Hatley on drums.
I’m Alone is Power Pop and a bit muffled and distorted. The vocals are buried.
All is forgiven and they redeem themselves with a smashing cover of the Stone Roses I Wanna Be Adored. One of the highlights of the night. The singer is quite good.
Hurts sounds like a faster take on a song Th’Dudes may have done when Dave Dobbyn’s first band was starting out. Power Pop with a Kiwi twist
Their cover of Money from the Drums has some Space Age Joe Meek-style Sixties keyboard tones to add an interesting texture to their sound.
Marianne Leigh and her support acts Back to the Hillside and Wednesday’s Girlfriend deliver a gratifyingly robust and varied Indie Pop show tonight. She will be an artist to watch.
Rev. Orange Peel