Concert Review - Andrew Fagan – Passage Of Time Tour - Napier - 19th November 2025

Presented by Plus1

Photo courtesy of Plus1

Review By: Rob Harbers

Artist/Band: Andrew Fagan

Venue/City: Paisley Stage, Ahuriri Napier, New Zealand

Date of Event: 19th November 2025

In the world that is the music scene of Aotearoa, there are, have been, and will continue to be, many true characters. People whose lives tell a story as much as their songs do. Some who have been touched with the stardust of fame, that most fickle of paramours, and then have lived out lives in relative obscurity, while still earning the appreciation and respect of the true cognoscenti as they continue to dispatch musical missives. A great example of this is Andrew Fagan, best known as the lead singer and only constant member of The Mockers, whose Forever Tuesday Morning was all over the airwaves in 1984. Currently performing the Passage Of Time Tour in support of the album of the same name, he touched down in Ahuriri Napier’s coolest little venue, Paisley Stage, and took an appreciative audience through poems, stories and songs drawn from a rich life. Or was it him, and not his twin brother, Philip? Only they know the truth!

Sneaking furtively on to the stage under cover of some raucous percussion, Philip played a couple of Andrew’s songs, slices of beautifully noisy and jangly riffola, before explaining that Andrew was having some mental health issues and so was happy for Philip to perform the impersonation. With this cleared up, the (supposed?) doppelganger also read a number of Andrew’s poems – short, sharp, vignettes enhanced by atmospheric soundtracks. To avoid the awkward pauses that can sometimes arise in such settings, the ringing of a small bell announced the end of each poem – most convenient indeed! The set of what were freely described as somewhat bleak poems covered a wide range of subject matter, from the unexpected demise of a former workmate to a paean to a navigational beacon. They also ran a gamut of inspiration from LCD (Lowest Common Denominator) to LSD (do I need to spell it out?).

This was followed by a lengthy but fascinating detailing of Andrew’s solo sailing career, in the well-known craft ‘Swirly World’, a tale that inspired as much as it broke hearts. ‘Swirly World’ holds the record for being the smallest sailcraft to successfully navigate a return journey across the Tasman. To detail anything more of its story would be to spoil it for others, so it’s really best if you attend a show yourself if you want to hear it all. All I’ll say is that after telling the tale, Philip/Andrew needed to call an intermission to recover from the emotional tale.

Returning in another blast of noise, the song Religion caused the singer to almost enter a trance state, before an explanation of the ‘Gombolc’ that is his logo and formed the backdrop to the set. Some speculation on the possibility of having been nasally probed by aliens on an adolescent solo night on Wellington’s Long Beach ensued, leading to it possibly being behind the funky groove of Messiah (“I’m your Messiah, I’ll take the species Higher”). The somewhat plaintive Between The Day (Who Am I?) , with its theme of self-doubt, induced a return to the trance state – perhaps understandable if one thinks of Philip trying to psychically channel Andrew’s spirit into the performance! With some further channeling of ‘70s songwriters Paul Williams and Randy Goodrum, for an unexpected bout of crooning through a song by each of them, Philip/Andrew detailed a dream of being able to write such a song and live off the royalties. But then it was back to more familiar territory, with the raucous Empty, a song which caught the ear of tastemaker John Peel, no less!

Wrapping the channeling up and putting a little bow on it, a final burst of acoustic renditions of Mockers’ hits brought back the spirit of the ‘80s. From the band’s final single, Shield Yourself, back through One Black Friday, Swear It’s True, and the inevitable Forever Tuesday Morning, it was as if 40-some years had fallen away. To put the final flourish on the night, the reflective and philosophical Passage Of Time with the mantra of ‘Yesterday, Yes To Today’ perfectly encapsulated the spirit of the gig, one which featured many unexpected elements but was all the more successful for it. The smile on the face of our host, the dynamic Lucy Rochester, said it all – this was a most enjoyable experience, one well recommended if you can.

Andrew Fagan - Passage of Time Tour: Solo Songs & Stories from a Swirly World - Novembr 2025