Gig Review. HLAH @ Totara St, Mount Maunganui 4/05/2017

Head Like A Hole was a new experience for me, I knew they had been around for a few years and had a solid fan base, I also knew that there was a high possibility of stage diving and being flicked in the face by flying hair, as I was also the photographer for the evening I was aware I didn’t want to be shoved over holding my camera.  

First thing I quickly realised talking to people was just how passionate HLAH fans really are, They have people going to every concert they are doing on this 25th anniversary release of the album 13. And if you don’t know by now they are an Alternative Rock – Industrial Metal band from Wellington.  I am going to go over last night’s performance at Totara St which is their first gig on the tour around NZ in the month of May.

HLAH had two support acts last night, the first one is a band (and Gus) from Thames. These guys were nothing short of brilliant !, the front man Gus wasn’t a lead singer, he didn’t play an instrument but he jumped around the stage and blurted out things with such charisma and eccentricity that it was hard to take my eyes off him, a quick scout around the room confirmed that people were in awe or maybe slightly confused by this vision in front of us. The whole band was extremely energetic and got the crowd into the swing of things quickly. To describe them, perhaps I might say Psychedelic Punk, but I am not sure. If you ever get a chance to see them in action, GO!

Second support act was Edward Gains And The Human Remains, I had heard a lot about these guys, as they are a local band with regular attendance at music festivals such as Woodcock and gigs at the Incubator, I hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing them perform, so I was looking forward to it.  It was more Punk then I thought it was going to be, perfect as a support act for HLAH, two guys playing their hearts out with powerful vocals from Gains. Excellent choice of band to get the crowd even more riled up for the head lining act. I will see more of these guys no doubt, excellent local talent.

Ok so here is the main event, the band we have all been waiting for HLAH. Are you ready?  

I was mixing and mingling with hardcore fans of this iconic band, and talking (or trying to) about what makes them so epic, I couldn’t put my finger on it, I kept hearing how great they are and how much “we love them”, so? And then they came out with a dramatic entrance, and I immediately saw what the people had been saying, they had that aura of professionalism that comes with many years in the industry and a sex appeal of sorts.

An epic solid performance from the entire band, the crowd was worked up into a frenzy with head banging galore. I only feared for my life once as I was pushed hard up against the stage, but that was OK, it’s part of the job and I got a close view of the band’s feet and full noise from the speaker. This was awesome!

Booga Beazley had whipped that crowd up to a state of ecstasy, the energy from the band and the fans could have powered Tauranga for a week. I made the mistake of not asking for the set list, so I cant give you a run down of each and every song they played, but I will say the entire set was brilliant. I am glad I was photographer as well so I had the luxury of standing back yet still getting a good view through my lens (after a few songs I decided this was the safest option).

So New Zealand, you are in for a treat with this tour. It was actually spine tingling awesomness. HLAH have once again proved they have what it takes to last the distance, it was a privilege to be both photographer and reviewer for this event.