Banks Arcade play Metal with a Progressive Rock approach which means they draw from a wide palette of styles. The essential elements of abrasiveness and cathartic rage is present in abundance.
Two years ago, I caught their show at the same venue. Ex-pat New Zealanders who were establishing themselves in the great Melbourne music scene. They have been working their arses off to make a success in an increasingly tough commercial environment, says lead singer and guitarist Joshua O’Donnell.
The rest of the crew, Jason Meadows guitar, Harlan Allen-Jones bass, James Feekes drums.
Back then we were in the grip of fear, loathing, and lockdowns. Melbourne and Auckland experienced the most brutal of authoritarian control amongst the Western worlds.
Popular music can try and make some sense and unlock the riddles and shadow plays of difficult times. Good Times, Bad Times as Led Zep famously debuted with. What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding as Elvis Costello sang the song written by Nick Lowe.
Worship the Internet is the song they lead with, opening track to Death 2, the latest EP released in February this year and the theme of this mini tour.
I fight better with the lights out/ Don’t try, cut your fucking eyes out. The mantra on the vamp is Incite violence (Shut the fuck up).
Metal and heavy Rock with shearing guitar textures and a little symphonic tone to leaven the texture. The World-Wide Web is a construct that came from the military. But then so did all the componentry that make up cell phones, GPS, communication satellites.
Sentimental and Killing Games are filled with rhythmic barrage, guitar storms carried by disciplined riffing. The are a focussed noise band.
A blood-curdling yell heralds More Want, and then proceeds with medium pace Rock Rap sounding like Eminem.
Change steps down the tempo a few notches with downbeat opening guitar riffs. They rev those up to industrial buzzsaw levels.
Roulette and the adrenaline-high audience are ready for the violence dance of the circle pit. Lyrics are spat out as the singer watches the spinning wheel. Looking for a cheap thrill/ I’m a little bitch. They do remind me a little of that semi-legendary Seventies Rock band.
That is the six-track EP, and they deliver with appropriate venom and relish.
That circle pit looks like mayhem, as the focus shifts to the floor while the band slam out a song called Sick. It’s a progression from when we used to slam dance to Punk in 1977.
The photographer and me are the only oldies in the Fork tonight. The crowd is young and wanting to let off steam on a Friday night.
There are other things to experience in town tonight, and some of us are chasing the conspiracy theorists and the alternative pulpits of truth.
Vana and Coridian were performing earlier. I did manage to catch Written by Wolves, who were in full flight as I arrived.
This is Michael Murphy lead singer, Davie Wong guitar, Karl Woodham drums and Oli Lyons syn-drums and samples.
An energetic and brash Progressive Rock band which clearly has taken influences from some of the Old-Timers like Black Sabbath.
A song with the lyrics Across the great divide/ Your wish is my command, is a Rock ballad which sounds like Sabbath going Power Pop.
That was enough to win me over. Further research and they have a shed load of singles and three albums out since 2015. Young and hard-working and they have built up a good following nationally.
They play equal numbers of slower ballads and faster paced Rock. The quieter ones allow the singer to display his vocal chops.
More melodic than abrasive, sometimes even symphonic, which means I will look out for them soon.
A curious observation this evening. Although it was a Friday night, Auckland was like a ghost town. I felt like I had hit a wormhole back into Lockdown. There were NO cars parked in the area adjacent to the Spark Arena/ Tuning Fork. Where normally there are many.
It took the cathartic rage and Take No Prisoners attack music of Banks Arcade to pull me out of that.
Rev Orange Peel
Photography by Leonie Moreland
Banks Arcade
Written By Wolves
VANA
Coridian
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