The Black Flames – Paraoa Brewing CO, 10 May 2025: Review

The Black Flames ignite the stage at Paraoa Brewing CO.

If there’s a better way to spend a Saturday night on the Coast than watching a 1980s Soul revival led by one of the architects of New Zealand’s most beloved pop anthems, I haven’t found it.

Tonight, the Paraoa Brewing CO. wasn’t just pouring beers — it was bottling lightning as The Black Flames brought the heat, the horns, and a whole lot of heart to an all-ages crowd hungry for rhythm and nostalgia.

But before we get into the Flames, there was the spark — the Jack Moser Band, a smooth Jazz-Pop quartet with a velvet touch and a subtle swing.

Think The Whitlams, if they traded their inner Sydney melancholy for a sunny Whangaparāoa smile.

Moser, looking like your favourite local barista but playing like your favourite cocktail pianist, led the band on keys with support from Harper Wilson on drums, Dylan Rush on bass, and Gabriel Jack on guitar.

Their set was loungey but playful, with a standout moment being the live rendition of Break My Heart Tonight, their most-streamed track on Spotify. A perfect warm-up. The sonic equivalent of a Negroni before dinner.

As fate would have it, tonight’s Black Flames set was missing keysman Michael Larsen, grounded due to a family emergency.

In an unlikely twist, Moser — who had never played with the band — jumped up onstage mid-set and added silky licks that felt anything but improvised.

This one sounds like Sesame Street, joked frontman Aaron Gascoigne, grinning as Nick Sampson exchanged a quick chord sequence with Moser. The crowd roared as dancers — including a few with some truly eclectic moves — began filling the front of the stage.

But let’s talk about The Black Flames — an 11-piece juggernaut that hits like a cross between Southside Johnny and a Saturday night pub fight in the best way possible.

Led by Nick Sampson, who gave the world For Today back in ’85 with Netherworld Dancing Toys, the group is a celebration of classic Kiwi Soul-Rock.

Moana Richardson returned for Knock on Wood, delivering a confident, if slightly cautious performance, and was eventually bullied (their words) into singing an original in A-flat minor that showed off her bluesy instincts.

The horn section, an all-star line-up featuring Ed Geddes (Instigators), Cam McLean and Gary Neill (Wonderfish Collective), Annette Hart (Alibis), and Simon Berry (Good Oil), added the brassy punch that defines this band’s vintage sound.

Sure, there were some minor flubs (one of the trumpet players seemed to have lost a bar in the rain), but when the groove locked in, it was transcendent.

Then came that song. You could feel it in the room before the first notes were struck. The anticipation.

This next one’s called For Today, Sampson announced modestly. Written in 1985, it became a national treasure, a kind of unofficial anthem for a generation of Kiwi dreamers.

As the opening lines filled the bar, people raised their phones, arms, and beers in reverence. The lyrics weren’t just sung, they were shouted, etched into the collective memory of every over-30 in the crowd.

It was pure joy. Pure release.

The Black Flames don’t just evoke the past — they resurrect it. In their hands, the spirit of bands like The Neighbours and Netherworld Dancing Toys is alive and kicking again.

But this isn’t a tribute act, it’s a new chapter, fuelled by veterans like Tim Robinson (drums), Steven Shaw (bass), and Sampson himself, and lit up by the fresh energy of Richardson.

This band doesn’t just play music. They throw a party with a purpose. And tonight, that purpose was joy.

Set highlights:

In the Midnight Hour – The Wilson Pickett opening cover song

Trusted – original by Nick Sampson

Knock On Wood – Moana’s version with gusto

A Reggae-infused original with a lazy, infectious groove

For Today – a generational sing-along that stopped time

The Black Flames have arrived. Again. And if tonight is anything to go by, New Zealand’s Soul-Rock revival has a fiery future.

Paul Marshall