Alison Moyet – Civic Theatre, 21 May 2025: Review

There could be no other venue more befitting an artist such as Alison Moyet than Tāmaki Makaurau’s Civic Theatre. Just like her performances, the venue is steeped in history and has a wonderfully lush and enveloping feel to it.

Here on her Key Tour, last night marked the first time Moyet has graced our shores since 2017, where she delivered a sublime performance that fans were talking about for weeks afterwards.

So, it was little wonder that it was another full house.

With no support act, the audience had the chance to arrive, settle in and immerse themselves completely in the evening which was comprised of songs spanning her forty-year career. Carefully chosen, arranged, and delivered to those in attendance as a chef would a degustation.

Each track to be descried and savoured before finally being consumed.

Having recently released her latest record Key last year, Moyet stated that the album, which is a collection of reworked singles, deep cuts, and fan favourites along with two new songs is something she hopes will be a key to those unopened doors.

Opening with Fire, it was clear that Moyet is still very much at the top of her game. Dressed in black, the subtle smoke brushing the edges of her clothes, she cut a formidable silhouette against a simple backdrop of a silver curtain and strategically placed strip lights that flashed red in perfect accompaniment.

Standing upon a small riser she was flanked by guitarist Brendan Cox to her right and her longtime collaborator and musical director Sean McGhee to her left.

Moving straight into More from her 2002 album Hometime and the audience were enraptured by the English vocalist who despite suffering from a cold was in fine form.

Pausing to address her fans, she proved that she is still just as humble as ever as she joked about not being able to hear what people were yelling out and that she sometimes went round the houses when telling a story.

Introducing one of her latest offerings however she spoke of how she has now reached a point in her career where she can be an observer and watcher. Someone who can look back over her body of work with simultaneous retrospection and introspection.

There is a place for elder voices in today’s music. No truer words have been spoken.

Such Small Ale is a beautifully composed piece, reminiscent of David Bowie’s last offering to the world in the form of the Blackstar album.

Refined, restrained but emotive, it is indeed a profound track that demonstrates that even after four decades Moyet is still evolving.

Those who have followed her career are of course aware that before she became a solo artist, Moyet was one half of Yazoo, along with Vince Clarke of Depeche Mode.

It was only fitting that some of their work was scattered throughout the set. The first being Nobody’s Diary which was too much to resist for a few ladies in the audience who were soon dancing off to the side of the isle.

Moving back into some of her more emotive work, The Impervious Me was introduced by Moyet as something she wrote while learning to block out not only her own internal voice, but the external ones as well, to live and love and be who she wanted to be. To become impervious.

It was the perfect lead into numbers such as So Am I, Can’t Say It Like I Mean It and a breath-taking version of This House which Moyet closed with phenomenal vocal clarity that punched straight through the darkness.

Hats off to the lighting team, who outdid themselves on this particular number.

Beautiful Gun from 2017’s Other album was given an almost industrial style remake, Cox and McGhee delivering full bodied strings that emboldened it in a whole new way.

This is what the tour was all about. This was not a heritage tour, or a karaoke sing-along. These were songs handpicked, examined, and approached from a new angle. Turned over in hands that knew their every shape and form and yet remoulded them into something that encapsulated new life while retaining those integral threads of nostalgic familiarity.

Only You, another classic Yazoo track, saw more fans jump from their seats for a boogie, and who could blame them before the lovely Filigree accompanied by another one of Moyet’s wonderful stories brought the Auckland audience into a foot stomping version of  It Won’t Be Long with Moyet on harmonica.

Arguably one of her biggest hits Is This Love was given an interesting and what was probably to many a challenging reworking, which is one of the joys of live music. Moyet and co were not here to roll out album versions of her set list.

Closing her set on a high, Moyet finished with a powerful version of Whispering Your Name by Jules Shear, before All Cried Out.

An encore was demanded, the trio not keeping anyone waiting long before returning and encouraging everyone to find their singing voice. Moyet believing that everyone has one, you just have to find what your instrument is.

If you’re a cello, don’t try to sing like a flute! Her point being that music is all about bringing people and communities together and this was everyone’s chance to stand up, sing, dance and embrace the moment. Together.

And embrace it they did, as Situation, Love Resurrection and of course the Yazoo classic Don’t Go saw arms raised in the air and a myriad of vocal instruments rise into the starlit ceiling of the Civic.

It has been said before, eight years ago in fact, but with her continuous evolution, it is well worth stating again. To hell with heritage act, Alison Moyet is and always will be in a class all her own.

Tickets are still available for the show in Wellington on May 24 at Michael Fowler Centre and her second show in Christchurch on May 27 at Isaac Theatre Royal.

Sarah Kidd

Photography by Georgie Gibbon

SET LIST

Fire
More
Such Small Ale
Nobody’s Diary
The Impervious Me
So Am I
Can’t Say It Like I Mean It
This House
Changeling
Beautiful Gun
Only You
Filigree
It Won’t Be Long
Is This Love?
All Signs of Life
Footsteps
Whispering Your Name – Cover Jules Shear
All Cried Out
Situation – encore
Love Resurrection – encore
Don’t Go – encore