Gig Review: Strawpeople at the Hollywood Avondale

Friday 18 October 2024

Photographs by Joel Armstrong

Full feature by Luke van Oorsow

I thought I knew a lot about music from Aotearoa in the 1990s - from the conscious, lyrical hip-hop anthems of the Upper Hutt Posse, to the hardcore hecticness of the bands signed to Balance Records, to the more mainstream rock of Supergroove and everything else in between. However, I quickly realized I had limited knowledge of the electronic acts of that era, and had missed the groundbreaking electronic musical collective known as Strawpeople.

Strawpeople was the name, and creating relaxing, yet energizing electro-pop tunes was their game. A cheesy start to this review? Maybe, but still accurate.

The band formed in 1985, and was created by Mark Tierney and Paul Casserly while they were both working at 95bFM. The band is a collective of musicians that have collaborated together over the last three decades, and, in total Strawpeople released seven studio albums and various remixes over the last 30 years.

When I told my mum that I was going to review Strawpeople, she lit up (in the way that mothers do when they reminisce over their past), and told me that Strawpeople were pioneers of the electronic music scene in Aotearoa in the early 90s, so it was no doubt that she wanted to come along as well.

The Hollywood Avondale is a treasured piece of Kiwiana in Avondale, evolving from the Avondale Public Hall built in 1867. The venue’s cool art-deco vibe is well preserved and it feels both glamorous and homely at the same time. I’ve never been to a gig there and was curious to hear how the sound would land.

When the band and its three vocalists Fiona McDonald, Leza Corban and Stephanie Tauevihi came out, the crowd erupted with applause and screaming fans. At the start of the gig, Strawpeople played a few of their new songs from their 2023 album which were received well. However when older songs including “Sweet Disorder,” “Under The Milky Way,” “Have A Little Faith,” and “Trick with a Knife” were played, everyone was singing along and dancing, swaying along as they felt themselves through the music.

The sound was relaxed and the three vocalists meshed harmoniously with synthesizers, and a guitar, and later a bass in a way that made me realize why this electro alternative pop group was so popular in the 90s and why their sound has endured.

Their songs made me feel like everything in my life had slowed down, my body relaxed and I found myself swaying as I watched the band build their songs layer by layer using the vocalists' individual strengths and collective harmonies to merge with the electronic sounds and beats produced by legendary producer Paul Casserly, guitarist Chris Van de Geerand, and keyboardist Matthias Jordan. I was drawn in, mesmerized and enjoyed how chill the music made me feel. Any concerns about how the sound would land in this small, older venue vanished.

If there is a phrase to describe this band, it would be “chill musical versatility.” The songs would often switch between the more soulful RnB-inspired tunes that are bound to make you bop your head, such as “Sweet Disorder” and “Dreamchild”, to stuff with stronger funk and house influences like “Under the Milky Way”, and “Trick With a Knife.” There were other songs that can’t even be defined by genre or influence, like “Re-Surface.”

One of the highlights of the show which the crowd loved was when a member of another well known ‘90s band, Headless Chickens, did a duet with Fiona McDonald on a Headless Chickens song. I had not heard the song before, and enjoyed the grungy rendition played. The crowd knew the words and burst into dance again.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the gig given I was not familiar with the band. Strawpeople made people move in a way that you wouldn't see at a pop, hip-hop, reggae, rock, punk, or metal gig, Their electronic production, intertwined with the use of electric guitars, and electronic keyboards along with the surreal and powerful vocals, cast a hypnotic spell on us all. I would recommend Strawpeople for anyone interested in musical versatility with a more chilled approach, and would definitely see them a second time if they had another gig in Auckland.