Gig Review: Supergroove @ Christchurch Town Hall, Christchurch – 19/04/2025

I was as excited as a chimpanzee in a banana plantation when I learned that I’d be reviewing this show.
Supergroove have long been my favourite Kiwi rock band, and Traction my favourite Kiwi rock album (as opposed to Shihad and Killjoy, which I would describe as my favourite Kiwi heavy alternative rock band/album, and Subtract and Talk Minus Action Equals Nothing, my favourite Kiwi metal band/album, just to clarify).
However, I’d never managed to see them live, so I was fair fizzing at the bung for this one.

Christchurch’s Town Hall’s Douglas Lilburn Auditorium is a fantastic venue for live music, I’ve seen so many amazing shows there, and have myself had the pleasure and privilege of performing on that stage. It was highly satisfying to see it filled to capacity for what turned out to be the best show I’ve ever witnessed. To my eternal shame and woe, I was a few minutes late, and finally arrived to take my seat part way through the second song, and for the life of me I can’t actually remember which song it was. Drat, curses, and drat again! What I can tell you, though, is Supergroove had that place absolutely pumping, slick, tight, and super super groovy (so it’s not just a clever name). Your White Shirt was the first song that I had the presence of mind to write down, and it was a real treat to hear one of my all-time favourites so early in the piece. I especially love the brass section in this song, Tim Stewart (trumpet and trombone, but also keyboards, vocals, and percussion as the night went on) and Nick Atkinson (saxophone) just as smoky and slinky as it comes. Joe Lonie (bass) is an absolute monster, and he certainly didn’t disappoint, laying down basslines as fat as my middle-aged puku.
Then it was time for one of their group of similarly outrageously talented guests to come and join them onstage, the one and only King Kapisi, as they backed him on his legendary track Screems From Da Old Plantation. I would love to see them record the songs they played with their guests throughout the night, and release them as an EP. That would be one worth having in the collection. After King Kapisi left them to their own devices again, they played one I didn’t recognize, but it was a banger all the same, the whole night was All Killer, No Filler. They then launched into You Gotta Know, a song so thick with mojo that it managed to cause the sound system to stop working. With the band using in-ear monitors, they continued blissfully unaware until the song’s end, when their tech crew came out to deliver the bad news. Nick Atkinson wasn’t going to take that lying down, and stepped to the front of the stage, to lead the crowd in a rousing version of Pokarekare Ana. The problem was sorted within 5 minutes, and the band returned to the stage to pick up You Gotta Know from the moment the sound system had died. Class.

Up next was a magnificent version of For Whatever Reason, a song I’d only ever heard without percussion, but the full band backed Che Fu (vocals, decks) on this one. Man, the PIPES on Che, unreal. Almost otherwordly. Superb. Karl Steven (vocals, keyboards, harmonica) simply never stops moving (well, to be fair, none of them do), and is the epitome of a frontman, frenetic and engaging. Then it was time for “The Druids”, a trio of Karl, Tim, and Nick, to stomp out the blues classic Mannish Boy by Muddy Waters, sax, harmonica, and stomping feet the only instrumentation.

After that unexpected and fun moment, Troy Kingi came out to join the whole band for a rip-snorting performance of Sister, Sister, in such a stonkin’ fashion I thought they may very well tear the roof off the place. Rubi Du and JessB came on for a number, exhibiting a masterclass in flow and feel. Don’t Look Down has always been an awesome song, but it was intense live, it nearly took my head off. Then- what a treat!- Supergroove backing Che, performing his gorgeous hit Misty Frequencies, I’d also never seen Che as a solo artist live, what an amazing way to hear that song performed.

The band then took a 20 minute intermission, and left the crowd (at least, those not going to fetch drinks or see to other needs) in the more than capable hands of His Royal Highness Kapisi, performing a fun and crowd-pleasing DJ set, complete with a dance-off, the winner gleefully accepting a well-earned Supergroove t-shirt.

The second set started with Ian Jones (drums) and Nick Atkinson playing beats and samples on electronic pads, as backing for a performance by Rubi Du. As she departed the stage, they were joined at the electronica by Karl, Tim, and Ben Sciascia (guitar), which quickly became a performance of Che’s Machine Talk, my favourite track from 2b S.Pacific, Che’s debut solo album. I was gobsmacked by all the wicked ear-gems we were being treated to.
Che then took to the decks to spin in the beginning of the whole band playing Bugs & Critters, an absolute belter of a performance. Troy Kingi came back on for another number, followed by King Kapisi reappearing to help with the D.L.T. & Che Fu number, Chains, another favourite of mine. Speaking of favourites, next up was You Freak Me, as powerful as a bulldozer on steroids, followed by another Troy Kingi performance. The classic Can’t Get Enough was followed by an introduction of all of the band members, naturally with each doing a brief solo. King Kapisi and Rubi Du came back out for a number, along with a pair of astonishingly good young breakdancers, before Sitting Inside My Head ostensibly brought the night to a close…

Except that it didn’t. Rubi Du came back onstage after a suitable pause, to enquire if we wanted MORE??
And more we most assuredly wanted. The band backed Che on his P-Money collab, Fade Away, gave a fantastic performance of The Next Time, and then finished with the number I thought I might sadly have missed by not arriving on time: Scorpio Girls. Stoked. My 16 year old has become a big Supergroove fan and Scorpio Girls is his favourite, so I was tickled pink that I hadn’t missed it, and was able to video it for him… along with the full standing ovation the audience quite rightly provided.

Supergroove: Thank you, thank you, thank you. From the very bottom of my heart, to the tippy-top.
Worth every second of waiting 30-odd years to see them live, I’ve been telling anyone who’ll listen that it was hands down the best show I’ve ever seen. I’m still geeking out about it, days later. The Phenomenon Tour is perfectly aptly named… it was, indeed, phenomenal.

Photo Credit: Cartwright Creative Imagery
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