Flaxxies Winter Tour at Double Whammy
Friday 23 August 2024
Photographs by Z Langit
Full feature by Max Roskilly
A cool grey cloud drapes over the Tāmaki Makaurau sky. Aucklanders bustle down Queen Street in a rush to beat what looked like incoming rain. I felt like I could ask anyone what their plans were for the night, and they’d all say the same thing: “It doesn’t matter anymore, the weather’s gonna pack it in anyways”. But I knew I had something different planned for the night - it was just about to begin.
I trudged up the Myers Park stairs to St Kevin’s Arcade, where I found Hamish, bassist for Auckland openers Back To The Hillside outside the revamped Wine Cellar (now Public House). He brought me into the newly born Double Whammy venue, where - within stomaching the completely new look - I found Nick from Flaxxies over by the merch table. He had kindly let me have a chat with himself and the Flaxxies boys before their gig. Myself, Nick and bassist Chris make our way into the green room and - in-between spare music gear and remnants of The Underground venue - we talk over a Corona and waters.
It had been about a year since the band last played in the Whammy space. “We’re hoping there’ll be a lot more new faces, and there’ll be people keen to check out the new venue”, says Nick. And along with an opening slot for Th’Dudes the next night, it would have seemed right that the band were feeling the nerves coming on. But the boys tell me they just want the night to be a fun jam. “Tonight this is gonna be our show. We’ll play all the hits and have heaps of fun, and then tomorrow night is back to business”.
(Flaxxies. Photo: Z Langit)
However, it’s a different story for Auckland openers Back To The Hillside, who I caught up with afterwards. “I’m feeling kinda nervous” says frontman Neo. “It’s a big crowd, a new venue and a new sound tech I’m not familiar with”. He told me that despite the soundcheck feeling tight (and damn it was!), the band could only fit one practice in for the few days leading up to tonight.
A couple hours pass and I find myself back in the Double Whammy space, immersed in a crowd of all smiles. It seemed that everyone was on a social buzz, and I was kind of kicking myself that I hadn’t brought a mate along. To the soundtrack of The Beatles’ Twist and Shout, the house lights dimmed. Whatever instruments and amplifiers that sat high on the stage now held an awesome aura from the backlights. They weren’t simply about to be played for a show, but would elevate the buzz twofold. The crowd gathered forward, almost like they knew the same.
Despite this being the fifth time I’ve seen Back to the Hillside, they always seem to impress me each time. Maybe it’s the addition of Brandon on guitar, which creates a massive sound. Maybe it’s the energy between Hamish’s dance moves and Mark’s absolute power on the drums. It definitely is Neo’s choice selection of sounds and tones - “your distortion sounds just like a pillow!” I said to him afterwards.
(Back To The Hillside. Photo: Z Langit)
But watching them in front of an eager audience, you wouldn’t think there were any nerves at all. The energy they gave was immediate. Playing their own classics like my fave ‘I’m Alone’, or sprinkling some covers of The Drums and Jimi Hendrix into the set, they were the perfect band to get the crowd growing.
It’s my first time seeing Frank On Tap, who had been opening for Flaxxies through the whole tour. They’re a band I’ve only heard by name, but have never heard any songs from before. When I say that I was blown away, I want you to know I mean it. Shout out to these guys along with their sound techs for absolutely knowing how to craft perfectly mixed and crisp sounds. I had to send a video to my bandmate: “Mate, we gotta get our cleans sounding like this!”.
(Frank On Tap. Photo: Z Langit)
Their performance was absolutely charming. Away from the headbanging that crept into Back To The Hillside’s set, this one was for the phone torches. Songs like ‘Frayed’ had the band putting their heart in, and it was awesome to see the bassist approach the front row. It was a nice giving back for a crowd that was all in.
(Frank On Tap. Photo: Z Langit)
Finally, Flaxxies made their way onto the stage. In front of a crowd that had doubled in size since the start of the night, they rip into the set. It sets up an atmosphere that lingers for the next hour and a half - an audience full of smiles and cheers as the boys progress. It’s a crowd that’s definitely been itching for some of that classic, Flaxxies-tinged surf rock. Such has been the case for the entirety of the tour - Nick tells me that despite the unexpected rain on their Ohakune stint, hard-out fans, friends and even members from the Canadian snowboard team were in attendance.
It’s not hard to see why with a charisma that absolutely pulls me in. While reggae and surf-rock is not typically my go-to, it was a set that I didn’t want to end! Tracks like ‘Snapped Up (By The Boss)’ had myself and the rest of the crowd swaying and dancing, while newest single ‘Blister’ had everyone listening in before its eruption of a back-half.
(Flaxxies. Photo: Z Langit)
I think what sealed the night was when the band brought out their sound tech Ryan to applaud him on his work for the tour. I saw his face change from a sheepish smile to a look of genuine surprise. “F**k! There’s heaps of you out here!” Where talent could have trumped the night, and where so many things could have brought the show down, it was set from the get-go - by the bands and the audience - that it was a night for fun, pure and simple. If there’s one thing I actually learnt in amongst the jams of the night, it’s that you could have a night to remember if you decide not to pack it in because of the rain.
(Flaxxies. Photo: Z Langit)
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