The Cross Street Festival is a music smorgasbord and colourful mini-Mardi Gras helping make central Auckland alive and vibrant. Historically a bohemian area of street parties, fashion shows and flamboyant exhibitions.
Cross Street, in parallel behind iconic K Road, has become a victim to the long-term destruction of the CBD over the last twenty years, with interminable excavations and huge tunnels. We must dodge around the bomb site to get to it.
The show is in full swing when I wander up just on 7pm.
Diversity in ethnicities, ages, costumes and dance. The atmosphere is light and colourful. Some occasional rain gusts fail to dampen spirits.
Dateline
Dateline are playing and Katie Everingham sings about a deal she has to make. Tell me what to say to you? / I love you.
Indie Pop with a solid rhythm spine from the bass and drums, the guitars launch some jangles around this.
Leaves keep the riffs circling and build intensity, ending in primal screams and tension release.
Lips
Lips started as a side project for New Zealander Steph Brown when she was working in New York in various other projects, including one with Deva Mahal.
Sproiking punky Pop sounds and a singer who sounds like a fey Alison Stratton (Young Marble Giants) at times. Then heads toward rhythmic oddities and girly vocals of the B52’s.
There’s a lot happening in their bright and theatrical music and the band has stitched in some No Wave New York City Punk Jazz. That is Fenn Ikner, Ruby Walsh (ex-Dateline) and Maude Morris.
Heave Ho, opening track from 2021 album I Don’t Know Why I Do Anything has Ikner’s dominant drumming.
Nice cover of Kavinsky’s Nightcall. And a great Disco bass line makes a great dance number.
A guest saxophone from Lucas, adds to the Dance Funk on a new song previewed tonight.
Last year’s single Wolf is a highlight featuring a Vincent Price macabre voice. Spooky, as Brown describes it. Its gut-resonating subsonic bass tones leading it out.
Seamouse
Seamouse are Blues-driven incendiary Rock’n’roll trio from Wellington and they blast away in a different manner to any other act tonight.
Led by Seamus Johnson on guitar, a power trio with the other two acute angles Scott Maynard bass and Thomas Friggens drums.
First time I saw them was in the cauldron of the Whammy Bar a couple of years ago. Similar sound tonight but with a bigger sonic presence for this Block Party.
The sound of the Sixties as guys like Elmore James took the amplified R’n’B of Fifties Chicago clubs, pushed the accelerator on Dust My Blues and inspired the first British Invasion bands from Brian Jones to Eric Clapton to Jimmy Page.
Johnson was one of the guest singers on the Led Zeppelin showcase last year, with the Come Together ensemble, where he blasted through with Communication Breakdown.
Over half a dozen songs they pump out a whole lotta riffs.
Rhythm riffs like AC-DC. Molten licks played judiciously. They eschew extended jams and keep the energy level high for the enthusiastic crowd.
When there is a slower Blues intro, Johnson sings in the higher register like is namesake in the great Aussie band. He does that for all the songs.
They wheel around from fast to heavy but keep it tight and disciplined. A great blast of Rock’n’roll.
Who Shot Scott
The festival programme comes right back with a different energy from rapper Who Shot Scott.
Zaidoo Nasir was born in Iraq. He fled the country with his mother and eventually found home in New Zealand via Moscow.
Does it inform his music? Since he has been immersed in Hip-Hop, Rap, Punk and the evolving nature of the art forms, it must be a yes.
Following on from Sea Mouse, he is all hyper-kinetic energy as he unwinds with Loner Anthem.
With him tonight is a drummer, which always helps the energy level, and a DJ who is possibly called Frye.
Twice he comes down to rage and shake it amongst the front of stage crowd. Sports stadium chants. Something wrong with you inside/ How come you still feel like that?
A huge plastic unicorn balloon is kicked into the middle of all this.
Chaii
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- Chaii
Chaii is Iranian-born and raised Mona Sanei.
When she got to New Zealand aged eight, she spoke little English. It took Eminem and the Marshall Mathers LP to be a big teaching aid, and where Rap and Hip-Hop became the hook.
Her music has the middle school of Rap rhythms and a medium pace delivery. What is distinctive is being able to incorporate her native Farsi language with some tribal folk elements and Middle Eastern tones.
Supporting her tonight are Yoko-Zuna, well-regarded as a fusion band behind other Rap artists like Mazbou Q.
The band, Kenji Iwamitsu-Holdaway guitar, JY Lee saxophone and flute, Frank Eliesa keytar and Swap Gomez drums, lay down Funk and Jazz and all manner of variegated sounds.
A Farsi Rap delivered at medium pace features with piercing high tone guitar.
The well-received Pineapple Pizza song a straight-forward Rap, and a flute adds exotic Middle Eastern flavour.
Chaii and the band lock into the party atmosphere of electro tribal Funk on the concluding trio of tunes, overlaying spacey synth effects in the mix.
Quite hot and spicy.
Ardon England
So is Ardon England as he presents himself as a gay performance artist.
Self-described as a multi-faceted Māori queer creative, he has an extensive history in dance and choreography, with a love of music performance bringing him here tonight.
It does appear to be an extension of Pride Month shows from February, and I did attend several events which were music and movement.
Out front with his song F.E.M Man. Addressing homophobia and restriction of artistic expression. If you don’t like it, you can kiss my backside.
Brings on two accompanying male dancers dressed in black, and the show is performed at another level of creative dance to what has preceded. I am a feminine emotional masculine man, set to minimalist beats.
The music gets to approach the Electro-Funk of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s Scorpio, at the conclusion of the set.
Close to midnight as I tagged out of the Cross Street Festival. Could not take it all in. That required some stamina.
Missed some acts I was keen to check out like Blake who was featured one the Ones to Watch annual presentation a few days ago at the Whammy Bar. And Mammalien were impressive from the comments of others.
The atmosphere was one of friendly and relaxed camaraderie and all seemed to be on a high. There is an abundance of quality home-grown art. Hard to accommodate it all.