Thu 14 Jun 2012
Chickstock III Review, The National, 2/06/12
2/06/12
The National
New venue in town, The National, hosted the latest Chickstock, number three to be precise. It was a nice size and good location for the bands which was evident in the increase of audience size from the last Chickstock. The afternoon started off slow with people dripping in, making me feel older and older.
First band on the bill was The Good Chaps, a acoustic duo who performed mainly covers. I was really impressed by the singer’s voice, it reminded me of a lot of Kimbra’s high school and Rockquest performances. Their cover of “Too Late for Lovers” was particularly good one for the duo and suited her voice really well.
John George MacLeod’s Melon Platoon were up next starting off with the Beatles’ classic, “Revolution”. It was a shaky start but they recovered quickly delivering a heavier version of the Lennon/McCartney number. These guys surprised me by following with some heavy funk songs including “Don’t Let the Bear Kill the Funk”. Soundie and amazing musician Bugs came to the rescue when a the bass lead came out but apart from that a smooth set.
The next band, Thoughtful and the Mighty Heart, performed a tight set after their recent victory; taking out the Otago Rockquest Regional Final. They have a great British pop-rock sound and are individually also incredibly talented musicians. I was pleasantly surprised when the band members did a full instrument swap and Connor took over lead vocals. The vocal ability of all 3 members allowed for some wicked vocal harmonies.
A tough act to follow, Ladiez First were up next with perhaps the most energetic lead singer I’ve seen in any Chicks Project band. The stage was tightly packed with all six members so he often took to wandering in the crowd. The interaction seemed a little forced and the audience held back but otherwise was a upbeat set, even getting the audience inspired enough to clap along to the beat.
Outright were the fifth band of the night with only four members this time. I think these guys are incredibly adept musicians, the drummer was fantastic and kept the driving the beat with great dexterity. Their final song, described by the singer as being their “best song” had a sweet heavy break down. Definitely like where these guys are going.
The three piece that is Crisis followed, was not entirely sure what to expect but was happy with what I heard. They described their songs as being “lyrically impaired”. Despite a bit of trouble with a guitar lead, there was song well controlled shredding, too much and and it would have become tiring, but it was just the right amount. The bass had some funky solos and they finished off with a guest vocalist from H.C., who were up next.
H.C. took the stage with a commanding presence, playing through some classic rock songs. They had an original addition to their performance in the form of a bagpipe. I was uncertain at first but it worked really well and added extra character and individuality to their set.
Christchurch band T54 closed the night as the Chicks Project band members celebrated a great afternoon. Big thanks to all the bands for providing a great afternoon’s entertainment and to Jess Young, the organiser of the event, making sure that she did not forget to thank anyone, so here’s a thank you her in writing.
By Melissa Flett
