Whisper it quietly, it’s been creeping up on us for a while. Bands are back. In part driven by the Oasis reunion and the brilliance of Fontaines DC and Idles, young musicians are putting down the soft synths and picking up guitars again.
One of the finest examples of this is Tāmaki Makaurau’s Borderline, who graced the Tuning Fork with a stunning gig on a stormy Friday night.
Not many sets start with Sir Richard Attenborough narrating over a keyboard drone, but here we are.
The band then launched into their opening track Heartbeat from their Chrysalis EP, followed by This is Not Love from their debut Perfect Movie Scene album.
Many good bands are driven by excellent drumming (think AM-era Artic Monkeys) and Borderline’s Jackson Boswell may be one of Aotearoa’s finest young drummers.
His playing drives the band forward with great feel and precision. Ably supported by Max Harries on bass in a rhythm section the belies their young age.
Many artists have murdered Princes’ Kiss, but this version had a power and freshness.
The mostly young audience at this sold-out show embraced a tranche of material from a burgeoning catalogue with Breakdown, Jealous and new song Terrify delivered beautifully by front man Ben Glanfield.
The most heartening part of the evening was watching the crowd react to the guitar solos of Matthew McFadden as if it was a 70s Jazz-Fusion gig.
After years of Pop’s domination in Aotearoa, The Beths, No Cigar, Mako Road and Mild Orange, among others, are embracing the legacy of New Zealand’s classic bands, reinvigorating the craft.
Borderline could well be at the forefront.
Greg Haver
Photography by Greg Haver
