Mean Street w/ Damsels, Diamonds and Dirt and The Hairdo’s

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Whammy, Auckland

On Saturday Mean Street proved that their name change wont change anything. Their tremendous talent is only ever marred by the occasional violent audience or, say, someone in front of you who insists on dropping their empty wine glass at your feet so that your shoes become full of glass. But I digress. Openers The Hairdo’s had apparently only played twice (once at a house party and once on New Year’s Eve), so it was awesome to see this talented grunge/pop band full of ideas and still in their infancy. Their sweet mix of punk rock ethics and glam girly touches brought smiles and dances all-round. I certainly can’t wait to see them again. Followed by Diamonds and Dirt, Whammy soon packed out and the band’s fun-loving country rock & roll provided the kind of next-step-up party music that everybody was craving. While the gig started out so dismally empty, it seems it wasn’t such a bad move in the end to delay Emily’s painstakingly created schedule, even though it meant we were all pretty munted by the end of the night. Damsels were on shortly after, and a lot of the crowd had to race down to catch them after having a party outside in the arcade. The crowd was huge that night and I sure hope Mean Street made enough to recover the recent costs they’ve endured. Damsels were crazy and weird and spooked me out a bit, but I loved their insane drumming that made the tiny little drummer look like he was going to rocket off his stool and into outer space, such was the intensity and speed he was playing. The seamless instrument swapping and skewed and scared-little-boy vocals that emanated out of Sam Walsh (who operates Mole Music) made for one of the most haunting and passionate performances I’ve seen in a looong time. They certainly lived up to their flawless and frenzied reputation, when are they coming back from Hamilton!?!? Mean Street took the stage quite a while later than they’d originally intended to, but they didn’t hesitate at all in bringing their perfect post-punk songs. It was clearly understood why they are loved so much that night, and just how much they are loved. While it was a more sombre and restrained performance for them than normal, it was understandable as the band mates had apparently been up insanely late the night before. It was one of the best performances of Less Chat, More Sewing I have ever seen, and this gig surely cemented their reputation as an unstoppable force, one of the best live bands in the whole country. They are destined for greatness! Don’t worry, Emily. As you asked on stage and there was no reply, I’ll say it here: We’ll still like love you even if your new name sucks!

More Mean Street’s final gig photos

Posted by Sarah Gooding under New Zealand
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