Gig Review: Garden Party Riot @ The Dogs Bollix, Auckland 20/04/2017

This trio took to the stage at Auckland’s Dogs Bollix, and they seemed a rather unassuming group. Apart from the vocalist, Paul Goddard, who dressed with a spiffy jacket and waistcoat in a look not dissimilar to Oasis and Beady Eye vocalist Liam Gallagher, the other members are dressed very casual in t-shirts and short sleeves. Comprising of a vocalist, guitarist, and drummer, interestingly the trio’s guitarist is actually playing a bass.

The group name Garden Party Riot had me thinking that I might be in for a night of 80’s cover songs with an edge, instead I’m hit with some original heavy hitters, with some clear 90’s grunge influences. Goddard, embodies the rebelliousness, enthusiasm, and passion that one would expect from a punk outfit, and has no qualms with battering his sound equipment, and using the full stage and even parts of the audiences seating area within his performance radius. A refreshing change from the first opening act of the night, whose static performance left much to be desired.

Each track had it’s own style and influences, with the first track having riffs that shared techniques from Filter’s 1995 hit Hey Man, Nice Shot, as well as a having similar form to Jane’s Addiction tracks. Subsequent songs seemed to have gained influences from the likes of At the Drive-In, and Silverchair, with one track having such a deep grungy Nirvana resonance that Cobain himself could have written it.

How the group manage to get such a full sound without a lead electric guitar amazes me, and I have to take my hat off to their guitarist, Brent Wallwork, for creating such depth in the music. I would however, love to see more technically intricate stuff from him on the bass to liven up that melody and rhythm. Vocalist Goddard does a great job at keeping the energy flowing throughout the set, and his performance vocally and visually show there is a lot of potential for Garden Party Riot to go places.