Gig Review: The Jordan Luck Band @ The Cook, Dunedin – 16/06/2018

They weren’t listed, but as potentially career making support slots go, Dunedin school band Bark like a Dog scored well getting to open the night for The Jordan Luck Band.

9pm and The Cook is at capacity, the PA sound is lifted, along with the tempo of the pre-show music.

With the best lead up possible Bark like a Dog hit the stage running. The band hail from Taieri High School and have a combined age of under 75. The band is stupidly talented and played a bracket of their own well-crafted songs.

A solid 30-minute set later and the band is off having charmed people twice their ages, and older.

Touring support Ekko Park are on after a snappy changeover. Three blisteringly tight originals in, the band launches into an excellent interpretation of Bowie’s Heroes dedicated to a southern couple known to the band, who front-man Joe Walsh says have “gone through shit no-one should have to go through.” It was emotional.

A handful of more originals followed, including a moody number written when the band was touring in Italy last year. Solid set Ekko Park, although some in the crowd said they preferred Bark Like a Dog. Personal taste I guess.

Jordan Luck is one of the country’s favourite front men, a myriad of contradiction: both the total professional entertainer, while at times seeming like a larrikin who knew the songs and jumped up to sing with the band.

The fourth song in is Who Loves Who The Most, and the crowd is ready to climax. Jordan Luck and the band delved into the Dance Exponents back catalogue including Christchurch (In Cashel St I Wait), Victoria and many more. The only tune of theirs that was missing was Sex and Agriculture.

It was the Exponents songs which garnered the greatest audience reaction with many people clapping along with Jordan and singing in almost perfect call and response.

Victoria was one of the older songs which had many singing along. In his introduction Jordan outlined the background to the song’s words, and it is a great anti domestic abuse song.

Jordan had a bit of a rest, sharing the lead with Bryan Bell for I Wanna Know, then a medley of Gloria and Jailbreak featured Joe Walsh fronting.

The set was pretty much a pub-rock by numbers catalogue, which when you’re entertaining the masses works a charm, and roguish charm is something Jordan Luck in abundance.

The band played and dedicated Blue Lady to its writers, and the version totally does them justice, honouring the memory of those members who’ve passed. With the set around the hour mark they play a song from their new LP, which is followed by a great version of Airway Spies.

Jordan Luck and the band finish with I’ll Say Goodbye (Even Though I’m Blue), then Whatever Happened To Tracey, which is another great singalong, the standard set ends with a full participation version of Why Does Love Do This To Me? which stands up as a great pop song.

After the briefest of times the band returned and rocked Dragon’s April Sun in Cuba, arguably the best pub rock tune this side of Bliss.

A great evening was had by all, even those who may not remember it too clearly.

_{Review written by Darryl Baser}