Gig Review: Lachie Hayes @ Nivara Lounge, Hamilton – 03/10/2025

Review by Amelia Willcox // 5 October 2025

After driving in from the quiet east coast, Hamilton central is the loveable grimy cesspit of Friday night curiosities I’d expect. Making my way down to the basement bar Nivara Lounge, I’m immediately at ease. The space is comfortable, the barman a charming gentleman – I imagine lock-ins are a go here – and the punters are predominantly Gen-X who couldn’t care less what you think of them, they’re here for the music.

Matthew Bannister, widely known as the front man and founder of 80’s sensation Sneaky Feelings, graces the stage with his band The Changing Same, with the relaxed ease seasoned performers command, and a toe-tapping set of bluesy numbers that warm the crowd well. “You’re getting old, you smoke too much” Bannister sings, encouraging chuckles of knowing and a palpable nostalgia for the ‘good old times’. The Changing Same are a bunch of incredibly talented professionals no doubt. They’re tight, effortless and masters of classic blues rock.

The crowd fills the room as Lachie’s entourage set up. Lachie Hayes’ band The Tokanui Chainsaws is comprised of drummer Antonio Mercuri, bassist and long-time co-writer, Liam Fairbairn and guitarist Michael Crook, who absolutely shreds by the way.

Launching into King of The Night Out On The Tiles from the new album Subsatellite, Lachie and his band are flawless from the first, drawing the room in with that combination of grit and vulnerability Lachie’s music encompasses so well. He jokes with the crowd on whether this is a commonly used phrase in the North and begins a rapport with his audience that continues throughout the set, inviting banter and bridging the space between us to create a symbiosis in performer and listener. It’s effortless to listen to the understated arrangements with perfectly placed guitar solos, the thunderous drums building tension and setting the scene and Lachie’s voice so full of fragility, power and sincerity.

This sincerity was particularly poignant in his two new, yet to be released tracks Short Time and Living With The Ghost of You. The message of the catchy and melodic Short Time a necessary truth – “We’re vain to think our lives are long, we’re only here for a short time”, while Living With The Ghost of You tapped into something more personal, Hayes opening the song alone before being joined half-way by the band, the warmth and depth of their harmonies creating something hauntingly beautiful. This song will stay with me for some time I think.

The emotive vocal falsettos of Easy To Fall For You, the gentle breathy quality of This River and all the ways in which Hayes explores vocal texture, reminds me of Tim Buckley’s 1972 album Greetings from LA and I’m continuously surprised by the pliability and phrasing of his vocals. We can hear every word and become as invested as he is, in the stories being sung.The comradery of the bandmates is very clear and plays a vital role in holding these stories of landscape, cowboys and heartache with integrity.

As the title track of the new album is introduced, I can’t stand that no one has been able to break the awkward empty space (classic NZ gigs) in front of the stage so I tap a couple of people on the shoulder and get the dancing going! We sweat it out to the end on the dancefloor and I can’t remember the song order from here I’m afraid, just that it was a hellofagoodtime!

Lachie Hayes is a rare Southland gem. A storyteller who has captured a sound and spirit both nostalgic and completely original. From the whiskey-slinging good time of Convict Guns to the raucous foot-stomping rendition of Got My Mojo Working, to the delicate, eerie sway of closing track Lonesome Hearted Lovers – this set was nothing short of a triumph, this artist undeniably talented, inevitably successful.