Concert Review - High Dependency Unit - Napier - 27th November 2025

Presented by Banished Music

High Dependency Unit - photo credit Neil Phillips

Review By: Rob Harbers

Artist/Band: High Dependency Unit

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

Date of Event: Thursday 27th November 2025

Veterans of Aotearoa’s sonic landscape, High Dependency Unit tonight returned to their roots, playing in the province where they grew up, Te Matau-a-Māui. On a hot and steamy night indeed, they entertained the faithful at Ahuriri Napier’s coolest little venue, Paisley Stage.

Native or not, however, every artist needs a support act, and tonight they had two. First up were the increasingly confident Dos-Ovni, a duo who are going from strength to strength as their unique sound makes its way into more ears. Together Dee Beckett and Liv Strawbridge make a beautiful noise, based around Dee’s pure but vulnerable vocals, overlaid on her looped guitar and Liv’s drums. Their atmospheric sound conjures shoegaze vibes, and seeing them is always a pleasure.

Second in line to help build the night was Bachelor of Architecture (aka Jules Desmond), whose layered electric guitar erected, over time, an imposing edifice, one both sleek and satisfying. Some technical difficulties failed to hamper his mission, as he created a solid structure, a wall of sound even, one positively adamantine in its sonic beauty. Definitely one to watch out for!

And on to the main act, Noisyland royalty (to the cognoscenti) HDU. Coming on with the relatively slower pace of Babaya, there was a slow build interrupted by a sudden explosion of intensity, foreshadowing the dynamics at play throughout the set, a demonstration of the art of loud/quiet/loud. Whether it be within a single song, or from song to song, the performance was one of peaks and troughs (in VU terms, that is!) – a dichotomy perfectly evidenced by the second song, Visionson, the delivery of which was short, sweet, loud and fast! Driven by the bass riff laid down by Neil Phillips, this was a let-it-rip, foot-to-the-floor barnstormer, a complete change of pace, and a chance to shake off the ghosts. The enjoyment of the players was palpable, showing the bond built up over 35 years, off and on, and why it’s something they keep coming back to, much to the pleasure of their loyal fan base.

The intensity of Parfum took no prisoners, the guitar riffs threatening to melt in the heat, while the impassioned wail of Tristan Dingemans’ vocals brought a Headless Chickens vibe. Continuing in the loud/quiet vein, Masd was introduced by a brooding bass riff that called to mind New Order’s Lonesome Tonight, leading into a comparatively mellow delivery of layered guitar, but shot through with injections of molten power, with a haunting fade-out.

The fans welcomed Amino, from 2000’s Memento Mori, featuring a pounding delivery and an abrupt end – having said its piece, it bounced! Keeping things rocketing along from the back, and probably exhausting himself in the process, drummer Dino Karlis gave the skins a workout, setting up the return, just prior to Christmas, of HDU’s musical progeny Jakob – the band featured on Tristan’s T-shirt – all of whose members were in the house tonight. It’s a factor that can go unnoticed under the relentless attack of slabs of guitar, but it’s often the drummers in these outfits that are kept working the hardest. Spare a thought for the sticksmen!

The band having played their hearts out – and clearly enjoyed the experience as much as the audience – they departed the stage after around an hour and 20 minutes, eschewing the ritual of encores and returns. In spite of Tristan’s statement that ‘All sorts of things are going wrong up here’, none of that impacted the performance, but instead left an audience of fans deeply satisfied and hoping that the experience will be repeated. More than one of the people I spoke to who have seen them multiple times commented that this was among the best they have ever been, and you can’t argue with that from the true fans!

Setlist

Babaya
Visionson
Grace
Parfum
Masd
Crow
Tunguska
Amino
Sum Rise
Lull
Abstinence

High Dependency Unit New Zealand Tour 2025