REVIEW BY STEVE SHYU / PHOTOS BY GINELLE COCKS
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Let me first begin with admitting this: I’ve never been to a ska show before.
With very little knowledge of the scene, I only knew they were pretty prevalent both here and abroad about a dozen or so years ago, but it never crossed my mind at any time to go check out one.
My partner was once a regular attendee of such gigs, and pointed to the Mad Caddies with the WBC event page on Facebook. Why the heck not? Aotearoa legends The WBC have reformed, Cali ska icons Mad Caddies have a new lineup, Torbay locals Rumpus Machine are opening for them, and Paraoa serve a nice range of brews – It’d be a shame to miss it!
I had previously stumbled across Rumpus Machine while in Browns Bay one weekend, and this band of brothers and sisters were performing covers in the town square rotunda. And goodness me, were they fantastic, effortlessly pulling off rock-radio staples. Needless to say, when I heard the quartet were to play the opening slot, I was stoked!
Delving into their repertoire of covers, the team picked their reggae-inspired numbers, starting off with 10cc’s Dreadlock Holiday, followed not long after with Bob Marley’s iconic I Shot the Sheriff, to extremely hearty reception from the gathering crowd.
All four siblings appeared very much at home, their confidence no doubt the result of hours of rehearsals in, I imagine, the family rumpus room!
The frontman and eldest member of Rumpus Machine showed hints of teenage swagger in his stage presence while still laser-focused on vocals and rhythm guitar work. In fact, both brothers were impressive in their guitar-playing capabilities, as was their sister behind the drums, resolute in holding down the rhythm. However, the standout performer has to be the bass player, singing while also handling a lot of fairly technical basslines, all while making it look super easy. As a novice bass player, I was in complete awe witnessing it that day in Browns Bay, and was again tonight in Paraoa.
To quell any disappointment in the news of Aotearoa not getting a Sublime With Rome performance, it was only appropriate to pull out their hit tune Santeria. I saw eyebrows raised at the standard of Rumpus Machine’s performance, drinks held high as people sang in unison, as a well-warmed up semi-circle bopped along before the stage.
Needless to say, we are off to a great start.
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The seven-man, recently-regrouped WBC was up, with tonight’s set being their third in three days! No shortage of brass sounds here, a trumpet, one trombone and a saxophone duo made sure that unmistakable vibrant ska sound was front and centre.
Being years-old icons in Aotearoa’s ska punk scene, they made it very clear that they can still bring the energy and presence. In particular the one comically animated saxophone maestro who made sure he never stood still at any point during any one song. Part-way through the set, the saxophonist ran down stage and into the audience, rallying people to groove and move about.
“Come on, don’t do that Auckland thing and leave a huge gap between the stage!” pleaded frontman Matiu. The crowd obeyed and the void closed, filling up with the shuffling of feet and skanking dancers.
Seriously, there wasn’t a single motionless attendee in sight. With off-tempo shuffling of drums and guitars, rounded out perfectly with grooves served up by brass, there was no way anyone could move about without a spring in their step.
Meanwhile, I got an education on The WBC from my partner as she explained the key songs that the group had brought back from the good old days: The super upbeat Thru Thick ‘n Thin, the reggae-heavy hit single Ease Ya Mind, and capping off the set was Ol’ Skool. Turns out the latter was used as the intro song to TV3’s old comedy series Pulp Sport. A true blast from the past.
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And now it’s Mad Caddies’s turn. “We’re here to do one thing and that’s to throw a dance party”, said band leader Chuck Robertson, as the seven-man group kicked things off with Lay Your Head Down and Backyard. And boy, did the crowd dance. Many in the audience had likely been waiting years for the band to make their way from California to Aotearoa, following the cancellation of prospective gigs with no thanks to the big ol’ C-word. But Mad Caddies are here now, and people are loving it.
As a nod to fellow Californian rockers, Chuck joked about covering a song “by a band that will probably get really big”, and launched into a reggae-inspired rendition of She by Green Day. As a fan of said band, this made for a seriously delightful experience.
There was no shortage of positive energy projected from both the stage and among the crowd. Many sang along and even more were bouncing along on the spot to the band’s 2014 tune Brand New Scar.
Those familiar with Mad Caddies will be quick to point out how eclectic their sound can be. Meanwhile, I found out first-hand just how often they’ll skip from punk-rock to ska, reggae to polka, between songs and even within individual songs. A quick browse of their Wikipedia page reveals they’ve covered these genres across seven albums (and an eighth on the way!) and tonight, they’re covering A through to B, and everything in between.
Mad Caddies’ percussionist did a superb job supplementing the rhythm section with what looked like several dozen tambourines, guiros, maracas and bongos. It was entertaining to watch him play with such fervour as he locked eyes with the drummer to ensure the rhythms were interwoven perfectly. Pity that the size of Paraoa’s stage saw him relegated on the floor out of the spotlights’ reach!
In acknowledgement of his near-thirty year ska punk career, Chuck joked that the band ought to be renamed “Dad Caddies”, while the bassist and Chuck quipped about their children back home. The atmosphere was equal parts high-energy as well as positive and relaxed, something I don’t always get to experience at many other gigs of other genres. My partner assured me all ska shows are like this. Neat!
Shoot Out the Lights drew a fantastic response from the crowd, as the reggae-rock ballad got even more people dancing and grooving. However, the climax of the show was an extended version of Weird Beard, their renowned sea-shanty-esque tune. The instrumental portions of the band were left to work their magic, building up energy before Chuck led everyone into one more chorus, and the crowd erupted.
What a delightful night out. Plenty of good vibes just in time for Christmas, too – What’s not to love? With my first ever full night of ska-punk recorded for the books, it certainly left me wanting to experience more. The scene has arguably laid dormant, but with the reemergence of The WBC here on our shores, and Mad Caddies still maintaining momentum around the world, there’s every possibility we’ll see and hear more ska-punk around these parts. I’m certainly here for it.
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