Gig Review: Greg Johnson @ Old St Paul’s, Wellington – 26/04/2025

Review by Tim Gruar // 27 April 2025

I can’t believe it’s been thirty years since this album came out. Back then CDs were a thing. One advantage was that I no longer had to lug beer crates full of vinyl from flat to flat. Now, of course I regret getting rid of all those great albums. But it’s only recently that Vine Street Stories was even available on vinyl. (Johnson’s Sea Breeze Motel (2000) double album has just become available, too). Tonight, Johnson will reflect on the impossibility of trying to jam 18 songs, 1hr 10mins on to one vinyl disc. “Thank goodness,” he quipped, “that CDs came along and solved that one, eh?”

When I think back to my musical tastes, Greg Johnson was not big on my playlists. I was more into goth and crunchy, arty alt rockers like Sonic Youth and Big Black, and anything out on Flying Nun. Johnson’s music, in comparison was so much more sophisticated, smooth, classy and instantly recognizable. It’s only in my maturity that I’ve come to realize how good his music really is, and so many songs of his have been with us. Under the couch. In the back of the mind. Goodness knows where. But here they are again, popping up, fully formed, and so familiar.

1995’s Vine Street Stories was technically Johnson’s third album. The first under his name, as opposed to the Greg Johnson Set. It was predominantly produced by Nigel Stone and apart from one or two tracks, mostly recorded at Johnson’s Vine Street home in St Mary’s Bay – his dad’s old house. A place where much of his best material was penned, back in the day, and where he hosted some legendary parties. Some which are still hazily remembered by those in the Auckland music scene.

Like many home grown projects at that time, finances were a challenge to complete the album was tight. With distributors EMI breathing down their necks and lacking the big corporate company bucks, Trevor Reekie (band mate and manager of tiny local Pagan Records) need to constantly shuffle money around to get it finished. In the end all that pain paid off when Vine Street Stories hit No.8 on the NZ album chart in September 1995. That was the same year Johnson was awarded best male vocalist at the NZ Music Awards.

Vine Street Stories also spawned some of Johnson’s most enduring radio plays – Don’t Wait Another Day, You Stay Out Of Your Life, Suddenly Cold and Pleasure and Overdose, along with concert favs Come On, Let The Sun Beat Down and If I Swagger. Since Vine Street Stories he’s made another nine albums, with the tenth, Thunder in Fall released last year.

Now a father, and married to stuntwoman Kelli Barksdale, Johnson has called LA home since 2002 but he regularly comes back and tours. This time it’s for a six-date national tour to celebrating his Vine Street Stories. Part of the tour is a chance to relive old stories about making the album – including the time they had to quickly get under the lounge floor to brace the floorboards of the old house because they were buckling under the weight of the grand piano Johnson had brought in for the recording sessions.

Johnson’s homecoming is also a chance for Johnson’s old tour band to reunite. Tonight that was guitarist Ben King (Goldenhorse), drummer and longtime mate, Wayne Bell, bassist Mark Hughes, and on keys Lisa Crawley (who has returned from California).

After the recent crazy weather bomb, it was somewhat blissful to be under the calming rafters of Old St Paul’s again. Despite being sold out, people were as quiet as church mice in the pews as Johnson and crew shuffled on stage.

As they were playing the album all through, they kicked off with Come On and Sun Beat Down and the room warmed up gently. It’s good to hear Mr Johnson back on the old trumpet. How we’ve missed that breezy, lounge horn that’s become part of his soundtrack sound.

Looking just a little bit flustered, Johnson took a moment to sip his red wine, toasting us and asking, “Is this room still consecrated?” But whatever was distracting has dissolved quickly. “We genuinely love coming to dear old Wellington. Not least because it’s enhanced by those going through all the other towns to get here,” he laughs.

In my humble opinion the best tracks on the album are Don’t Wait Another Day and You Stay Out Of Your Life (and I’ll Stay Out Of Mine), the latter being a classic mondegreen overheard by Johnson in a nightclub once upon a time.

Just getting into the groove of the tour, Johnson and King consult a few times over the track list. Apparently, someone at the Tauranga gig stole his note book. Rotters!

Suddenly Cold and Screaming Inside are effortless, as is Turn It In. If I Swagger started as a simple acoustic. It’s usually Johnson’s favourite closer and might seem a bit odd being in the middle of the set for long term punters. But not in the context of the album play and tonight’s show.

For the next track Lisa Crawley steps in to duet with Johnson on the country cynical number Those Aren’t Real Tears. That should have featured Barry Saunders, but he was in the UK and the tour budget didn’t stretch to bringing him back, Johnson joked. And then we get lilting, yet catchy Beautiful Chain and the pleasing earworm, Pleasure and Overdose. Both are just so cool to hear live again.

I did a bit of a silent giggle when Johnson goes a bit ‘Barfly’, impersonating Tom Waits for a couple of bars of Bent before it explodes into an exuberant Makes Me Wanna Fly to complete the first half of the show and the album set.

For the second set, Johnson dives into his back catalogue starting with a simple rendition of Next Trip Around The Sun from the newest album, 2024’s atmospheric Thunder In Fall. I really love the lyrics on this song, which have references to the pomposity of the planets the ‘unfair’ downgrading of Pluto’s status – “Give the kid a chance!”

Lisa Crawley returns to perform one of her own, a delightful ballad dedicated to ‘people pleasers’ called What You Can Do from her newest EP New Girl Syndrome.

The band return again for the big hits – Isabelle and Save Yourself, but not Liberty, oddly vacant from the set.
In its place is A Change In Joe’, from the Vine Street Stories. bonus disc. Explaining the backstory, Johnson said that “it was a sweltering day and I was stumbling past the Ponsonby post office. When and ancient car with an even more ancient man pulled over and offered me a ride. And in that three blocks, from there to my house, he told me his whole life story. He lived down the bottom of the street in a house that hadn’t seen a lick of paint since 1910. Wonder what happened to him.”

I think I heard Grasslands in the set, as well. Then the newest single Only A little Rain, which is classic Johnson, hooky, swish and cool, with a bobbing undertow enhanced by Crawley’s melodian which adds an appropriate ‘churchy’ vibe.

The set completes with It’s Been So Long, followed by Remnants of a Storm, Now The Sun Is Out (Anyone Can Say Goodbye) and a track from Sea Breeze Hotel (they should really do that whole album as a tour, too!) to complete the encores.

It’s always a pleasure when Greg Johnson is in the room. And his music really fitted the chill atmosphere of Old St Paul’s tonight, cruisy and convivial. A great way to celebrate 30 years of a brilliant record: Vine Street Stories. Congratulations, nice to have you back in town Greg.

Photo Credit: Tim Gruar
Greg Johnson Gallery

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About the author Tim Gruar

Tim Gruar – writer, music journalist and photographer Champion of music Aotearoa! New bands, great bands, everyone of them! I write, review and interview and love meeting new musicians and re-uniting with older friends. I’ve been at this for over 30 years. So, hopefully I’ve picked up a thing or two along the way. Worked with www.ambientlight.com, 13th Floor.co.nz, NZ Musician, Rip It Up, Groove Guide, Salient, Access Radio, Radio Active, groovefm.co.nz, groovebookreport.blogspot.com, audioculture.co.nz Website: www.freshthinking.net.nz / Insta @CoffeeBar_Kid / Email [email protected]

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