Gig Review: Stellar* @ Old St Paul”s, Wellington – 30/03/2025

Ōtautahi rock heroes Stellar* are currently touring to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their award-winning debut album, Mix. Other gigs around the motu have been in the more traditional theatre spaces like clubs or gig/pub-style venues.

What made tonight special was this one was under the beautiful, ambient korowai of the high pitched Gothic rafters of Frederick Thatcher’s (Old) St Paul’s Anglican Church – a building that somehow managed to survive the city’s earthquakes, political whims, demolition and rebuilding trends.

It was built between 1865 and 1866 from native timbers and local stone and has long been a live venue for gigs and weddings (plenty of those) since 1967 when the congregation moved to the much larger and more ominous Wellington Cathedral in in Hill Street, around the corner.

St Paul’s sits on an outcrop rock just metres from the original shoreline and just behind the current site of Pipitea Pā. So, for many in the Capital, the building stands as a taonga and icon of the best of our checked colonial past, whilst a clear physical representation of our own connections with the past – and that’s both our Māori and Pākehā whakapapa and heritage.

The Church, as I said holds many memories of weddings christenings, funerals and memorial services. And also, many, many great gigs. I can remember being mesmerized by Paul Kelly (a favourite songwriter of mine), and also by Bic Runga.

Fittingly it’s the turn of her sister Boh Runga to bring back the good vibes and memories. For many of us that were around during the turn of the 21st century Mix was a pivotal album. Released by Sony BMG on 29 July 1999 the album catapulted the Stellar* (Boh Runga, Andrew Maclaren, Chris Van de Geer and Kurt Shanks) into the top of the charts. This was a time when FM radio was still king and hit songs, especially Kiwi songs mattered. We loved hearing ourselves on the air but overseas music still dominated, especially with much of local talent considered ‘not of radio quality’ by the evil gate keeping radio programmers of the day.

Yet hits like Part Of Me, Every Girl and Violent cut through. The songs were honest, sometimes lyrically confronting but also incredibly catch and hook laden. It was also a refreshing alternative to the future karaoke-friendly material from Brittany Spears, Westlife, Vengaboys, Whitney Houston or Shania Twain, to name but a few.

Produced by Thompson Twins’ Tom Bailey Mix was the band’s debut. It entered the RIANZ charts at No.2 and spent 7 weeks within the top 10. It even reached no.1 and has been certified 5xplatinum, selling over 75,000 copies at a time when CDs (yes those) cost over $25-30 apiece. No minor feat, even back then!

Tonight’s audience, many in their mid-age were politely taking their seats amongst the pews when local act SKRAM (with a ‘K’, they assured us) took the podium in front of the alter, where a bare bones stage had been constructed.

SKRAM are simple set up of Henry Ashby guitar and Felix Nesbit on Cajón, supported by a keyboardist and female singer. They play easy-on-the-ear folk that would go down well in a café or bar. We get a couple of unannounced numbers, a rendition of Coldplay’s Yellow and a very sweet little number called Fantail. They finish, rather to quickly, on a positive vibe with a number called Heroes. The last had the most promise, and I’m now keen to go check them out for some more col tunes for my next BBQ party. I very much enjoyed looking at Henry’s sparkly purple suit and glittering high heel sneakers. The man certainly has taste!

After a quick change of instruments Boh and the boys are on.

And they do just what’s printed on the tin, Mix the album from cover to cover – backwards. Yes backwards. The logic being that slower, darker tracks like You, Breather and the sultry, brooding Slowburn belong in the earlier part of the show.

The latter, in particular, suits a Sunday night in a darkly lit church somehow. Maybe it conjures up churchyard spirits or some of our colonial ancestors. Who knows? I certainly felt a little chill around the neck during this one, anyway.

The venom of If You Lied remains intact. And the band have to curb their language when discussing the original name of the song Bastard. “We can’t say that out loud in a church,” they caution.

Hearing Tenderhook again took me right back to arguments with my station manager to play the track on student radio. It was thought too commercial at the time. I was right though; a great song will endure no matter what. It still sounds great, especially live.

By now, Boh has sensed people need to move, and invites everyone up to dance to Undone. We all have to sit for the slow, swaggering Nerve but find our feet again quickly for the super catchy classic Every Girl. Everyone was swaying in the pews like a Sunday morning Gospel session.

Before kicking off Part of Me, Boh takes a moment to thank her friend Jim Hall for swapping guitars. “And he’s regretted it ever since.” I wonder if that was because this very same model, the one in Boh’s hand right now, was the one she wrote this iconic song on. Either way, it still sounds perfect. Boh’s voice hasn’t changed either. You could just close your eyes and be transported back 25 years and be back by dinner time!

Of course, they have to finish on the album’s huge hit, Violent. What else can I say – everyone was singing the chorus at the top of their lungs.

“You know, we actually made another couple of albums, too,” notes Kurt Shanks, by way of an introduction to a few more numbers, to flesh out the night’s proceedings.

They offer up Taken and All It Takes from 2001’s Magic Line album and Whiplash from 2006’s Something Like Strangers. Kurt jokes that this one would be a contender for Fleetwood Mac, should they be looking for new material to record.

There’s a stonking tribute to Sharon O’Neil, adding some techie trim and an ominous bass to her trademark hit Maxine before they close a brilliant night of memorial music with another from Magic Line, the appropriately titled One More Day.

As I left with some very satisfied fans, I heard at least one voice ponder the possibility of some new material. Would Stellar* ever stage a proper comeback. If they can make music like Mix then this crowd with be there with bells on, that’s for sure.

 

Photo Credit: Tim Gruar
Stellar* Photo Gallery
SKRAM Photo Gallery