Bob Mould – Powerstation, 23rd November 2024: Review & Photo Gallery

Alt/Indie icon Bob Mould strode into Auckland town last night and blasted through a quick-fire set with all the Punk ethos you could wish for, and more!

It’s been a while between flights, 22 years in fact since former Hüsker Dü singer/guitarist Bob Mould has ventured down these ways. With a career spanning the former mentioned, a stint with Sugar, and out predominantly as a solo artist since, Bob Mould is as much prolific as he is critically acclaimed as a Punk Rock great.

The bona fide Powerstation in upper Mt Eden was the perfect select for Mould this time round, bringing only his good self on a tour aptly titled Solo Electric.

The New York native, more identified as a Minnesotan (with his education there as well as Hüsker Dü’s formation), made the economical choice to strip things back to voice and guitar, with the proviso of a career-spanning selection of material.

To fit the tour concept, local artist Priya Sami of the group BUB, went it alone tonight as support, and got the steadily building crowd prepped.

Coinciding with her birthday also got us on her side. Sami delivered a half hour set of her originals, with sweet tones and melodies.

Viewing from upstairs, we could see Bob stage-side giving her props at the close of her set.

The house looked pretty full in readiness for Mould, much of a male variety, and long term fans most likely many of them. And when he hit the stage, it was with much gusto.

The War, a stonker gave us a taster that Bob meant business.

Mould described seeing The Ramones as a life/game changer. The Buzzcocks’ Pete Shelley is also in there as a major influence.

It all makes sense with the Dü double-header, Flip Your Wig and I Apologize. Mould is going hell for leather, playing like there’s a band there with him on stage. That’s the energy he exudes. Full tilt.

There was a slight reprieve with the melodic Hoover Dam, off Sugar’s classic debut Copper Blue (1992), before Mould ran through a selection of his solo work.

Wielding his black Fender Stratocaster, decades of playing has turned Mould into a unique guitar player. Strumming and attacking his fret board at sometimes unconventional ways, he hits his mark bang-on every time. Rhythmically and tonally, I’m marking Mould down as a f**ing great player.

Mould’s solo debut Workbook (1989) got some representation with Sinners And Their Repentances.

Seen as an intentional departure in sound from Hüsker Dü, Mould drew on melody and phrasing, mirroring the sparser studio version quite closely.

Mould was moving through his set like wildfire and belted out Next Generation off his most recent record, the protest song themed Blue Hearts (2020). You could hear hues of the family tree that grew from Mould’s music. Nirvana, Green Day, You Am I, and of course fellow collaborators and friends  Foo Fighters.

Mould frolicked around the stage at times, head shakes and all. Hare Krishna’s would be brave to recruit him in that mode, but he certainly fit the profile.

A cluster of Dü tunes and solo material followed, culminating in the sing-along Voices In My Head, cranking his gat volume up a notch.

Mould was delivering these songs at break neck speed, going at them back to back with very little in between. By now he was sweating to extremes, bleeding evidence of his heart and ounce approach to performing. Maybe a bit extra for tonight.

Moving around the venue and viewing from different angles, Mould was facing down the room on his own, giving it heaps.  Three chords and the truth, like another Bob.

Well maybe two chords sometimes. But with his axe, Mould extracts sound from his guitar like a wall of sound. He has groove too, complementing his raw vocals to excellent effect.

If I Can’t Change Your Mind came around so fast that it signalled the end of the set. A near one-hour blast.

Instead of going off-stage, Mould set his guitar to sustain and raised his hands for applause elevation, lifting them to the sky with pointed fingers like an umpire signalling a six. He must know some Kiwi lingo or something because it worked splendidly.

Encore opener See a Little Light brought a hopeful chorus to the fold.

Something I Learned Today off Dü’s classic Zen Arcade (1984) gave us Mould in beast mode. Two minutes of punk perfection right there.

Makes No Sense At All, another Dü anthem closed out the show with mindful selection.

I love ya, I love ya, I love ya, I love ya!  Bob Mould gratefully proclaimed as he chest pumped. An hour of music mayhem had come to close, Mould dripping in sweat and rinsing his drenched cloth out.

Walking the tightrope between composure/performance delivery and losing control in the moment, this was pure and raw from Bob Mould. At 64 he’s alive and kicking. Grabbing a pic of the setlist from a happy punter, he offered the rating I should give – 20 out 20. Yep, that’s definitive.

Now to throw on my Bad Brains t-shirt and get to Real Groovy for some of that Bob back catalogue.

Mike Beck

Photography by Den

Bob Mould

BUB

Setlist

The War
Flip Your Wig
I Apologize
Hoover Dam
Stand Guard
Siberian Butterfly
Sinners And Their Repentances
The Descent
I’m Sorry, Baby, But You Can’t Stand In My Light Anymore
Next Generation
Walls In Time
Keep Believing
Too Far Down
Hardly Getting Over It
Celebrated Summer
The Ocean
Daddy’s Favourite
Black Confetti
Voices In My Head
If I Can’t Change Your Mind
(Encore)
See A Little Light
Something I Learned Today
Makes No Sense at All