Soft Bait 'No Bad Days' Release at Whammy
Saturday 27 July, 2024
Full feature by Elle Daji
Photography by Shreya Walthati
I have never felt more empathy for a fish. Saturday night’s Whammy bar gig, the bait at the end of a gleaming hook a shining beacon for the alternative crowd. Following the release of their single ‘No Bad Days’, the post-punk four-piece invited us for a viewing of their funky new music and some old favourites.
While speaking to 95bFM, Soft Bait revealed that we can look forward to a new album. The album is said to build on the existing world created by their debut album ‘Plot Points’. However, it is more ‘fun and exciting’ to play live. ‘Fun’ doesn’t even begin to encompass the feeling of the crowd on Saturday night. They have definitely delivered in that respect. Joined by GroopChat and Awning, the ear was spoilt for choice.
GroopChat
These girls have been putting in the mahi and gigging around Tāmaki Makaurau so much this year, it’s criminal that I’ve yet to see them live. They are so comfortable on stage It’s hard to believe they are still in high school. They are simply the steeziest teenagers I’ve ever encountered. To start us off, bassist and vocalist Huia urges the crowd forward, her korero familiar and disarming with subjects including op shops and her mum.
There are a couple of stand-out tunes for the night. Firstly, ‘If You Want To’, a groovy number that got the audience up and moving. The song carries an easy and percussive bassline, and funky themes echo from guitarist Aiyana. A Second favourite of mine was ‘Rubbish Collector’, a song pertinently about ‘letting shit go’. A clever and often humorous analogy to the art of moving on.
Awning
After hearing them at JUNK FEST, it was an exciting prospect to listen to a full set from these guys. We get a moment to truly sink into the distorted sounds of Awning. Vocalist and Guitarist Christian Dimick slinks around the stage, inspecting guitar peddles in true shoegaze fashion. It is a delight to hear Gold Star, the titling track from their latest EP. Reverberating bass and guitar coat Whammy Bar accompanied by some effortless, smooth drumming from Riley Noonan.
Soft Bait
This is the third time I’ve happened to catch Soft Bait this year, this time finally as a headliner! My friend and I zoomed back down the Whammy Bar stairs just in time to catch the band ambling on stage. A set list packed full of unreleased music, the night's goal is to soak it all in. Since you can’t listen back to the tracks after, yet there’s an urgency to memorise every grungy guitar riff and the gritty, unflinching lyrics.
We reach a 2022 vignette in their set with Plot Points. Whammy seems to take a breath with the contemplative number. Louisa Nicklin’s dreamy vocals drift in the back of my mind; I’m reminded of how well the feature solidifies the song’s idea. Thematically, it articulates problems caused by friends encountering different inconsistent and incompatible life stages, plot points, if you will. I clutched my friend’s hand just a little tighter during this one.
Next, it’s time for the anti-consumerist anthem Big. It feels a little bit hypocritical yelling these lyrics in my new pleated skirt. But it's thrifted! At this point, the frenetic energy that has so far bubbled under antsy dancing shoes lets loose. The mosh pit becomes a whirlpool of bodies and leather, spilling beers and cleansing screams. There’s an impenetrable sense of joy in the air. Everyone is happy to be here and so am I. A slew of rhythmic arm-flailing tracks are yet to come. Safe as Houses has some Whiplash-esque relentless drumming from Cameron Mackintosh.
We’ve made it. Where to? No Bad Days, of course. The ripper of a single closes out the set. Born out of lock-down frustration, the closest real life will ever get to Groundhog Day, the single laments periods of only good days. It articulates the monotonous nature of life when variability is at a minimum. It carries a hopeful message that frames your bad days as ones that help you relish enjoyable moments. If I wasn’t so busy jumping around and pulling people off the floor, I’m sure I would have had a moment of introspection.
Speaking of, the crowd has become homies. Friends and strangers alike revelling in the presence of such an engaging band. They have barely strummed the final chord when the audience pleads for an encore. They take the bait. Mackintosh doesn’t even leave his seat. We are treated to True Stories, a track that espouses the rants of those who are eternally online. If I weren’t so busy throwing my body around and picking strangers off the floor, I would have a bit of a crisis about my screen time and inability to fact-check. A denim-clad man puts his arms out a la Jesus Christ and gets raised to the heavens, or just the Whammy Bar ceiling. Who’s to say?
Sitting on St. Kevin’s Arcade floor, gross, I ask a few flabbergasted strangers about their experience. Many panting and lost for words there are exclamations of awe and exhilaration. Covered in sweat, most of which is not my own, and veins pumping with energy, this dream-pop, shoegaze listener is officially a post-punk convert. Soft Bait has something for everyone to bump to. I have some post-gig clarity and realise I am down a lip-gloss, liner and mascara. However, I did not have a bad day. In fact, I can think of several antonyms to describe my experience: exhilarating, raucous, lively, punky, and so much fun. I could add to that list, or you could, at the next one.
95bFM 
