The Exploding Rainbow Orchestra Songbook Volume Three: Night One at Hopetoun Alpha
Wednesday 9 October 2024
Full feature by Rosetta Stone
Photography by Milad Asadi
Everybody knows that when it’s sunny after rainfall, there’s a rainbow. But what nobody tells you is that when it’s sunny after rainfall in Tāmaki Makaurau, on a Wednesday or Thursday night, and you head down to Hopetoun Alpha, unassuming and bright eyed… the rainbow explodes. The earth cracks open, and out pours a music-geek’s fantasy draft of K-list (Karangahape-list, that is) celebrities, in glistening rainbow ponchos, humbly awaiting the direction of the most entertaining conductor choreography you’ve ever seen. Nobody tells you that when it’s sunny after rainfall and the rainbow explodes, you’re about to bear witness to 14 unreleased tracks from some of our most inspired songwriters, arranged for a 35-piece orchestra, and unleashed into a wall of organised-chaos sound.
As a second-time attendee of the Exploding Rainbow Orchestra Songbook Series, of which this year will be volume 3, I came in considering myself somewhat of a veteran. Last year quite simply rocked my world - and I guess a part of me knew that a rainbow never explodes exactly the same way twice - but I’m not sure anything could’ve quite prepared me for this year’s showcase. The Hopetoun Alpha was, dare I say it, the perfect venue for the Orchestra’s antics. A buzzing crowd, the grandeur of the hall, the ominous glow of red lighting, and a giant floating gold orb - all harness that colourful middle-ground of magnificence and ridiculousness to a tee.
The orchestra is the brainchild of conductor Joshua Worthington-Church, who has a mad-scientist air about him, and is equipped with a glowing baton - both a practical and stylistic choice I’m guessing. As the low and slightly chaotic hum of tuning instruments settles, Mousey graces the stage, and we’re quickly swept into the lush harp arpeggios, plucked strings, and fingerpicked acoustic guitar of ‘Island of Hope’. Enter the rhythm section, complete with clash cymbals (like, full marching band style) and it’s quickly established that if there’s anything these guys specialise in, it’s scale.
Josh tries to explain this in his intro speech - he’s added MC to his list of responsibilities for the night - and settles on “this is gonna be a little different than your regular gig-going fair. Slightly, if not more… more.”
Aotearoa legend Julia Deans is up next with ‘Before You Leave’, and another quickly established attribute of the show is the range of genre, style, and artistry explored. You’d think that the lush dream-pop sounds of Mousey followed by Julia’s epic glam rock would result in some kind of vibe-switch whiplash, but every chapter transports us, and I’m so enthralled that I’m pretty sure I don’t even blink as the climactic ending of ‘Before You Leave’ washes over me - I simply can’t afford to miss any of it.
Three songs in, and three genres deep, Hales gifts us his smooth RnB track ‘Icarus’, complete with a string-heavy arrangement from The Beths’ Ben Sinclair, who plays clarinet in the orchestra (frontwoman Liz Stokes can also be spotted sporting a tiny trumpet in the brass section). Hales’ soulful vocals are a heavenly match with the band’s string section, melting together like some D’Angelo rainbow lovechild just in time for DBLDBL to shake things up with ‘Hot Cakes’. It feels an appropriate time in the set to acknowledge the four backing vocalists positioned either side of the featured songwriters, who seamlessly match the energy of each performer; via gorgeous vocal harmonies, or in this case, electric adlibs and dance moves. The pocket is disgustingly tight for 35 musicians, and I especially loved the heavy drop into the song’s second half, held down with dirty stabs from JY Lee on baritone sax.
Oliver Delvin takes the stage and announces “This song is about two nightmares I had. Hit it.” Before a jangly guitar line rolls in, not far off something you might hear on a Hans Pucket stage - that’s until the strings begin to chug and the song builds into a soaring arrangement. An unforgettable showcase of Oliver’s songwriting talents and range as a performer.
Diggy Dupé bring’s an epic energy to the stage with ‘On The Run’, which settles into a dark and heavy hip hop groove - no surprises from the skilful arranging of Skilaa’s Michael Howell. RNZŌ brings a new flavour to the table with another heavy hip hop beat, this time flanked with the synth arrangements of Joe Kaptein - an exciting and futuristic direction we hadn’t yet seen from the orchestra.
After a swiftly dealt-with technical difficulty with hilarious running commentary, Grecco Romank shine, in what I didn’t expect to be such a seamless blend of orchestral, industrial techno and operatic elements. Much like the orchestra, I find an expect-the-unexpected approach leads me to consistently fantastic experiences when witnessing these guys perform.
Fresh from the Scrolls, Lucy Suttor unsurprisingly rocks the stage, with an arrangement from Chelsea Prastiti that twists and turns before settling into fitting levels of angst and headbanging. At this point in the show, I’m finding the breadth of genre has hugely expanded from last year, much like my appreciation for sound team Bob and Jarred because a 35 piece orchestra playing punk rock in an old church? Evidently not impossible, but probably very bloody hard to get right.
Josh periodically takes time to thank the village that have made the Songbook series possible: “It’s an inordinate amount of work that goes into this. Whatever you think it is… it’s more.”
Keira Wallace is a gorgeous pocket of gentle sweeping texture, their tender lyrics floating above dreamy swells. WAIWHAI creates a moving introduction to their track ‘Burnt Out Beliefs’ with taonga pūoro, and settles into a surprisingly upbeat groove, with elements of spoken word and a healthy dose of autotune. Erny Belle is her usual mysterious self on stage, with a haunting air added to her signature folk-noir sound thanks to layers of strings and vocal harmonies.
A moment for the Exploding Rainbow Brass Band, thank you very much. Finn Scholes shines on tuba in the loveably dorky introduction of Jazmine Mary’s ‘My Brilliance’, before the rest of the band chug along nicely. And miraculously, after the incredible dance moves of Jazmine have made us all giggle, we’ve come to the final performance. The crowd erupts in applause as Josh begins listing all 35 musicians that make up the band, and a rolling cheer finally settles as Finn Johansson arrives center-stage.
‘Bottle Opener Dog’ is a track that builds and builds and becomes bigger than you thought possible. The song encapsulates the concept of organised chaos like I have never witnessed before, with every performer continuously outdoing themselves. Josh’s conducting gets so animated that he’s jumping up and down. I’m no orchestral musician, but I get the feeling that if your conductor is jumping up and down, then it’s time to be really loud… and these guys got the memo. Finn completely rose to the occasion, and we couldn’t have asked for a more explosive, or rainbow, track to end the night.
I implore you to submit yourself to the Exploding Rainbow Orchestra. Take your earplugs.
Get your grippers on tickets for tonight's final performance here before they sell out!
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