Voom are post Pepper psychedelic Pop, Reb Fountain witchy Indie Folk, and Vera Ellen emotional Indie Pop. Three New Zealand artists beaming in to the toppermost of the poppermost.
An exotic, Flying Nun connected triple-header on a Sunday night, the middle of the King’s Birthday long weekend.
The quote, a John Lennon prediction about his scruffy band of Scousers playing in Hamburg, could summarise Voom the closest.
This is Buzz Moller’s band, and the rest are Murray Fisher (Goodshirt) guitar, Nick Buckton bass, and Josh Sorenson drums. Moller is lead vocalist and guitar.
Playing since the Nineties and building up a reputation and a cult following, I had never heard of them until I attended a reunion concert at the Hollywood Theatre in Avondale in 2021.
The height of the viral madness. The band played edgy Power Pop, surfing in on a similar wave to Big Star. On the screen they were playing excerpts from Near Dark and the burning napalmed jungles of Apocalypse Now.
They play with the same measured intensity tonight. Essentially a Power Pop band, rather than Indie Rock as they have been labelled.
Beautiful Day starts, one of a handful of classic Pop songs on which their reputation rests. Moller introduces the song by mentioning the coming planetary alignment. Harbinger of the influence of Pan, wild and chaotic, destructive and creative.
Along with We’re So Lost and No Real Reality, it is bathed in the golden light of post Sgt Pepper and Pet Sounds Psychedelic Pop. The melodic nature aligns the band closer to Sixties groups like the Left Banke and Turtles.
New songs Everyone and We Don’t Care double down on this sound. Nice simple drones and smart lyrics with barbs that can cut surreptitiously. In the manner of Alex Chilton and Big Star.
Relax is a great song which borrows from the Power Pop of Velvet Underground’s Loaded period. Just before Lou Reed bailed and reproduced the style with Transformer.
They do get to rock out with songs like King Kong and Marawannabe. Nasty guitars buzz awhile and then sting. Thinking of Slim Harpo and I’m a King Bee.
The end of their set list and they play Martin Phillips, Moller’s homage to the leader of the Chills. He describes it as Beatles confused with the Eagles.
Reb Fountain has become the head witch of gothic Indie Folk in New Zealand. She is dressed in black (naturally) and moves on the stage in the manner of a dark-haired Stevie Nicks. Who is a witch herself.
Essential sideman and collaborator Dave Khan starts the set with a compelling violin drone which leads out the occasionally grisly Fisherman. From her superlative album Iris (2021).
Little lords’ children washing up in waves/ We’ll be fishing their bodies for days.
Beastie is a tasty one from that album, seems to be shuffling around and slouching in the psyche.
Lacuna has a keyboard drone with some tubular bells buried deep. A flash of guitar and she reaches for those high keening vocals.
Memorial and Hey Mom may be new ones. One is stark and pared back. The other carries drum thunder and a nice piano coda. Both have her voice edgy and with teeth bared, as she switches into Patti Smith mode.
New current single How Bizarre is the best version of the famous New Zealand song. Done in the Velvet’s Sweet Jane style whilst giving it a louche drone interpretation. It is addictive.
Finishes with her now iconic Don’t You Know Who I Am? She pushes through her Patti Smith obsession and makes it her own. A dark tale, cinematic in its scope like Natural Born Killers. Only a small matter of time for script writer Tarantino to show up.
Vera Ellen is a young artist from Wellington who has also spent considerable time in the United States developing her music. From Wellywood to Hollywood (Los Angeles at least) and back.
She started developing her song writing in high school, and there were various band projects. She has got an LA side project in Girl Friday.
It did catch some of their set at the Others Way festival on Karangahape Rd late in 2023.
They looked sharp with sunglasses after dark, and they played Indie Pop with a great rhythm section. The vocals were muddy and muffled in the mix, which detracted a bit from their performance.
Second time around and the sound mix is better. Ellen retains a distinct Kiwi accent and a vocal style which eschews over-emoting. Hers is a naked style of emotional interpretation.
Maybe Courtney Barnett is a good comparison. Compelling in its simplicity.
First few songs have the same dynamic rhythm section, a few jazz licks get thrown in and it bounces along nicely.
She showcases a few new ones. Spit At the Sky and she sings about frustrations whilst doing some light Rap at the bridge.
Lenny Says is a highlight. Addressed to Cohen and not Bruce. Riff-driven arty New Wave reminding me of late Seventies bands like Wire or X-Ray Spex.
The band must ask the audience to shut the fuck up before they play Broadway Junction. At the front of stage, we are ok, but I am told that at the back the noise is unacceptable. (The band don’t phrase the request so bluntly).
The song is pared back to just keyboard and guitar, along with Ellen’s voice. Contemplating suicide and coming back from the brink. Beautifully sung and does have some of the sound of Taylor Swift.
That is a compliment.
Voom are finishing up when Buzz Moller asks Vera Ellen and Reb Fountain to join him on stage. They sing Chris Knox’s Love Not Given Lightly.
Great song from a legendary New Zealand artist, and it ties this little tour up nicely. The best of Indie music steeped in local flavour.
Rev. Orange Peel
Photography by Leonie Moreland
Vera Ellen
Reb Fountain
VOOM
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