bReview: Bret McKenzie
Saturday 4 April 2026 at The Hollywood Avondale
Photography by Joel Armstrong
Written by Alex Fox
Bret McKenzie is far from a stranger to the New Zealand household. Whether it’s as one half of the fourth most popular folk-parody duo in the country, the Oscar winner behind the 2010s Muppet Movies’ music, or as an elf that shows up twice in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, McKenzie has been a mainstay as long as I can remember. Sure, not every 10 year-old listens to Hiphopopotomus vs Rhymenoceros on their iPod, but still. He’s royalty.
This tour is not in celebration of any of those accolades, however. Last year, McKenzie released Freak Out City, his second solo studio album, following 2022’s Songs Without Jokes. The latter, ironically, reflects the unsteady expectations I had going in. While Freak Out City isn’t without humour by any stretch, it’s not outright comedy. So what should I expect from a comedy icon performing non-comedy?
The answer, it turns out, was better than I could’ve hoped.
The Hollywood Avondale is easily one of my favourite venues in the city. It’s just busy enough, full of life and warmth, without the suffocation of a larger venue. There’s room to actually breathe and exist before the gig. My friend (bFM’s own Castor Chacko) tells a listener who recognised their voice that they “just do some news stuff,” in between attempts at finding the funniest way to stash his new Bret McKenzie T-Shirt.
McKenzie doesn’t waste any time; with no opener, and doors opening at 7:30, at 8:07 he comes on stage. Initially alone, he picks up his guitar and starts performing the title track of Freak Out City. He’s followed on, initially by backing vocalists, then by every other band member, as the song goes, with the band’s Saxophone and Trombone players joining last. There’s 8 in the band, excluding McKenzie, and each clearly adds something to the atmosphere of the track. That, in and of itself, underlines the rest of the show. You can tell that McKenzie believes each of his band members is just as integral to the performance as he is, and that comes through from the get go.
The band doesn’t look like a band. That is to say, there’s an air of casualness in dress, enjoyment up on the stage that adds so much combined with McKenzie’s off-kilter, yet authentic lyricism. McKenzie is already putting on voices in the first song. These people are having fun, we just get the privilege of also being there.
Between songs, McKenzie pauses to talk, with some tour related bits. Joking about Australians, saying Americans “love it when you sell things to make money”, and an observation about New Zealanders that isn’t exactly negative is sure to get any crowd here going. He’s truly one of our own. Song two is introduced with an anecdote about running into an older looking man in Wellington. An older looking man who turned out to be the same age as McKenzie. The song following, ‘Too Young,’ is a joyous expression of frustration with the world, with upbeat percussion, and both guitar AND saxophone solos.
Once again, the show pauses between songs for McKenzie to talk (this would be a recurring theme for the whole night, but I’m sure as hell not complaining). This time, it’s reaffirming that the band is all from Wellington, as well as taking shots at the heat in Auckland. Following a story about a time earlier in his career as a part of the Black Seeds, for his third song, he performs a number of theirs, ‘One by One’. Song 4, ‘Dave’s Place’ takes a more 80s vibe, swapping the keys for synths, and giving the lead to the saxophone. At times, it almost feels Springsteen-esque, with a heartland drive.
After a strange detour into asking if the room was ‘on the gram’, which was met with laughter, the fifth song of the night is one that ‘really resonated with the American Audience’. ‘What the Fuck Just Happened’ is a remarkably enjoyable song, when considering the absurdity of its commentary on the world, with an epic chorus and a guitar solo that ends lying down. The sixth song takes a greatly different tonal approach, with McKenzie explaining the context behind the song; that is, the movie adaptation of a kids book about a horse that wants to be a unicorn that the band made music for. McKenzie says the song is ‘whatever you want it to be,’ and he must be correct, because the song, ‘The Only Dream I Know,’ finds a perfect home on Freak Out City. It's maybe the calmest of the night, resting calmly in a folk sound.
This time, McKenzie runs a gag about a family trip in Rome, a city that is “like Avondale, but instead of this theatre there’s the colosseum.” An anecdote about being scammed in another country, and losing cool points in the eyes of his son leads us into ‘All the Time’. It’s really sweet, and ends with a sax solo McKenzie had hyped up before the song started. The hype was appropriate, with a wonderfully winding, and at times severe melody.
This is the moment, however, where something changes about the show. Or, maybe not so much changes, but the ‘fun’ that had been ever-present through the band’s performance and McKenzie’s stories really comes to the forefront. The next song, ‘We are in Love’, is as much of a song as it is a piece of theatre, and one that is right within McKenzie’s comedic wheelhouse. A volunteer to the stage, to fill a simple part, in rebuffing the pained, emphatic, and wailing devotion of love from one character, Phil, to another, Carol. There’s lore for this one too; just your simple background story of a micronation of 7 people disappearing, ensuing tax opportunities, grim politics, and of course, bolted-on brains. It didn’t make much sense on the night, either, but it is definitely one the crowd loved, including me. Thanking the volunteer brings us to the ‘merch section’ of the show. Unorthodox, and really just a front for maybe the best comedy of the night, a New World Bag of assorted hospice shop goodies is shown off in the center of the stage.
Song 9 is followed by a rushed discussion about how McKenzie talks too much between songs, before quickly beginning the next song… before stopping to talk more. Song 10 brings more audience interaction, this time in the simple format of singing for the climax of the song. It’s the songs like these, between McKenzie’s hilarity, and the exuberance of those on stage (and in the audience) that remind you McKenzie has a penchant for more than comedy. They’re gorgeous, earnest songs, with McKenzie’s penmanship always shining next to the passion being poured in by the band. Song 11 sees McKenzie return to the audience to create an improvised song based on someone’s funny (or emotionally painful) story. Without divulging much of what ended up being shared, the end result was a genuinely hilarious experience and a song about Lillian’s in Grey Lynn, and their caramelised eggplant. Also, a trombone solo.
But just when I’d already decided this was the most fun I’ve had at a gig in my life, my deepest hopes are rewarded. By this point, it should be clear that I like the Flight of the Conchords. Beginning with that fact, the next run of songs is a doozy. No concert is complete without a couple greatest hits. The first such hit is a Flight of the Conchords classic, ‘The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)’. A heavy hitter from the Conchords’ discography, it is, funnily enough, a song that doesn’t originally see McKenzie take the lead vocal duties. But it's a brilliant performance all the same, and the Conchords fan within me got to leave happy. After that was a song written by McKenzie for the Simpsons, spoofing Morrissey, involving the backing vocalists’ best Lisa Simpson impression. Morrissey’s ‘hate list’ is not exactly the worst place to be.
The next song sees the introduction of a special guest to the stage: member of the Phoenix Foundation, and Don McGlashan collaborator Chris O’Connor - on the spoons! And what better song to do that with than the first of two songs (spoilers!) written for the Muppets Movie by McKenzie. ‘Life’s A Happy Song’ is a song that shows off both the spoons talent of O’Connor, with a solo, and, once more, McKenzie’s penchant for voices. A lot of muppets have small parts in the song, and he damn well does his best to make sure no voice goes unrepresented. The Muppetmania continues into the next song, with my dearly beloved ‘Man or Muppet’. Performed in the movie as a duet between Jason Segel’s character and Walter, a muppet, it’s performed here live between McKenzie and McKenzie’s Kermit impression. And what a way it is to end the main part of the show.
It’s beginning to feel like a cliche for me to express appreciation over the shortness of an encore, but McKenzie and his band truly refine the concept into something honest. Leaving the stage with a quick “See you in maybe twenty seconds,” McKenzie leaves, and returns to the stage to the same roaring applause. The first song back sees the audience choose ‘Tomorrow Night,’ by the Front Lawn, and appropriately, the audience calls for the return of O’Connor on the spoons. And just like that, the band calmly and quickly transitions into the last song of the night. It’s an appropriate finish, with a groovy bassline, fabulous trombone parts, and of course, no shortage of the spoons. McKenzie, despite having done so at various points throughout his show, reintroduces the band as they play, and that shared passion hasn’t been more noticeable. This is a group of people, all from a city they love, playing music they clearly love. And with a loud finish, they’re done.
It’s hard to capture what made his show so brilliant. Between McKenzie’s stage presence, the band’s prowess, and the infectious grooves of Freak Out City, a show like this is always poised to be one to remember. But there’s something more here. Some might complain about the time spent not performing music, but what did they expect? This is a comedy legend who, while focusing on music for the moment, isn’t going anywhere. This show isn't interested in hiding that fact. This is a weaving of those two strands, without ever tangling them.
Freak Out City ultimately feels like an exploration of the disorientating chaos of the 2020s. While we might not be McKenzie’s beloved Wellington, perhaps now more than ever, Auckland can find itself grappling in that chaos. And god it feels good to laugh.
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