Live @ Medusa, Wellington 22 June 2012

Medusa in Wellington has a bit of a reputation for putting on interesting nights and Friday was no exception. Kicking off the night was local band Spook The Horses, whose album Brighter was one of my favourite New Zealand releases of the past year. These heavy hitters don’t seem to play much, but when they do it’s always high energy and intense. Despite some technical issues hampering their set, they played well and impressed the full house. If you’re from Welly then they are definitely worth catching next time they play.

Having Auckland band Cobra Khan on the bill next was a real treat. They rock a fast punk-influenced metal style, and with keyboards heavily in the mix at times reminded me of early Killing Joke. They’re also incredibly loud, with several people commenting on the level of noise this five piece was throwing out. This was my first time experiencing the band and I’m hoping it won’t be the last. They’ve got an impressive sound and some great tunes, that while heavy, lend themselves to dancing. If you can’t get out to see them, try their new album Helgorithms, which is getting rave reviews from everyone who’s heard it.

Former Wellingtonians, and current Melbournians, Gatherer headlined as part of their album release tour. Some in the crowd might have recognised the band, as they last played here as This City Sunrise before making the move to Australia. With that move came a name change and a sonic move too. Gatherer are less heavy, far poppier and use a lot more vocal harmony that This City Sunrise.

What hasn’t changed is the level of musicianship they display.This was my second time seeing the band during this tour and both times I was blown away by their sound, their songs and their energy on stage.

They definitely seem to enjoy what they do and give it their all. The crowd had thinned out by the time they started (about 12.30, with the band commenting that they’d forgotten how late gigs started in Wellington, and how great it was that people were prepared to stay out until 1.30 to see a band). This seemed to be just fine with everyone who stayed because it left more room to move when the band started up. And the music definitely inspired people to get moving.

A couple of newer tracks were tried out but for the most part we got to hear a lot of tunes from the album (So Be It). The album has been on pretty high repeat for me for the last couple of weeks, so it was good to hear some now familiar songs played live, and played well at that.

The move to Melbourne seems to have worked well for Gatherer, with a lot of support from other bands, and numerous support slots with touring acts. Hopefully that support translates into a long career, because it’d be great to see them back here again in the future.