25 November 2017, Paisley Stage, Napier
Four bands in one night. The venue: Paisley Stage. This is a great new space for live music in Napier and it became the heart of Napier’s music scene on Saturday night.
The opening band, The Counts, a three-piece metal band from Auckland, started the night off with high intensity. They played a 30-minute set where they filled the large Paisley stage with their energy and guitar-bass battling, screamed lyrics and great drumming.
Next up were Without Borders, who brought Deanne Taumata’s beautiful voice to the stage, backed by driving, rock guitar and bass and Jason Johnston on drums. For me, they were the highlight of the night. Deanne’s voice was something special, very powerful and evocative. I would have loved to have seen her bring more performance to their live act though.
Queens of Beauty School added a different dimension to the night. The band brought a stylised, dreamy show to the stage. Lots of instrumentals and epic noise. Glen on guitars showed his virtuosity and character as he ripped into his guitar strings repeatedly with a drum stick. Their set ended with a brilliant climax of noise and scream.
The final act of the night were Auckland’s Loud Ghost which features two members of The Counts. They got the crowd on their feet with their high-energy set and were the only band to really interact with the audience. Smashing out heavy rock tunes, their enjoyment of being on stage was infectious, really getting into their songs and ensuring the night ended on a high.
The Hook 