Backyard Burial Final Show @ San Francisco Bathhouse, Wellington, 26/08/2011

The first review I ever had published was of a Backyard Burial gig, so it was a great privilege to be able to photograph and review their farewell show. There were always going to be mixed emotions to this show. It was in part a celebration of one of the longest serving metal bands in New Zealand but also a chance for fans, old and new, to farewell the band, share their memories and heal with the band, following the tragic loss of their singer earlier in the year.

To help send them out in style, the band picked two bands that singer Matt (aka Warmonger Blaps) had a lot of respect for; Wellington’s Aethea and Christchurch’s Vixen Execution. Both stepped up to the occasion, playing outstanding sets of blistering metal that saw hair flying everywhere in a near capacity crowd.

Backyard Burial took to the stage for the last time amidst thunderous cheers from the crowd. Dan from Vixen Execution filled in on vocals for the night, a choice everyone seemed happy with. He put his own spin on classic Backyard songs, while retaining the vocal feel that Matt had, and did every song justice – not an easy thing to do when Backyard has such a strong and loyal following.

Playing from throughout their extensive 13 year repertoire, and including fan requests made through their Facebook page, the band never let up the intensity. Being their last show, and having had a number of lineup changes through the years, it was great to see all the old members return and take to the stage for at least one song each. As the night went on familiar faces kept appearing and reappearing on stage, giving it a real reunion feel. The sound was a bit rough at times, but was consistent through the whole set, despite the constant changes of musicians and instruments.

Despite playing for what seemed like hours, it wasn’t long enough for most, and there was no encore from the band, although having witnessed the sombre mood and emotion backstage as the band came off after their last song it’s understandable.

A selection of their songs on the PA afterwards gave the crowd time to replay favourite Backyard gigs, catch up with old friends from the metal community, and check out the wall of Backyard gig posters stretching back to their early days.

The band has made a lasting impact on the New Zealand metal scene, has been respected as a heavyweight in that scene since the beginning and has been one of our longest standing metal acts. They will be sadly missed and leave a hole in the metal scene that may take a while to fill. Thanks again for 13 years of grind.