Concert Review - Leftfield - Auckland - 1st March 2026

Presented by Frontier Touring

Review By: Sarah Kidd

Artist/Band: Leftfield

Venue/City: Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand

Date of Event: Sunday 1st March 2026

It has been eight long years since Leftfield graced our shores, but last night they proved that the wait was more than worth it.
Performing the first of two sold out shows at Tāmaki Makarau’s beloved Powerstation – the very same venue they performed at when last in Aotearoa, a testament to the calibre of Powerstation – fans were primed and ready as the band emerged from the darkness and threw down Song of Life as their opener.
Celebrating an incredible 36 years, Leftfield are one of the most influential acts of the EDM genre. They are the creators of albums such as 1995’s Leftism as well as 1999’s Rhythm and Stealth, seminal pieces of work that became the soundtrack of not only the decade but of a generation. It was music that moved one’s soul and transcended boundaries, the original duo of Paul Daley and Neil Barnes fusing together elements of Techno, Afro-Beat, Dub, and ambience while simultaneously featuring iconic vocalists such as Toni Halliday, Djum Djum and Earl Sixteen.
Set against a backdrop of stunning visuals that complemented each track throughout the evening, Neil Barnes, accompanied by Adam Wren (Daley having departed the fold well over two decades ago) and the formidable Sebastian ‘Bid’ Beresford on drums, laid down a set that had something for everyone. The aforementioned Song of Life was the perfect choice to begin with, as the minimalistic intro featuring samples of the haunting vocals of renowned Bulgarian folk singer Yanka Rupkina build into overlapping layers of sound that set you on your journey, before it intensifies and hits your square in the chest with 130 bpm.
Of course, Leftfield love to infuse their sets with live vocals. Their last appearance here in New Zealand saw them joined by not only Neil Cole (aka MC Djum Djum) but the one and only jungle MC Cheshire Cat. So what a delight it was to see that once again MC Cheshire had once again made the journey to Australasia. Moving into Inspection (Check One), MC Cheshire demonstrated just why he is still one of the best jungle MC’s out there, the speed of his vocals eliciting whoops from the crowd.
Dropping a number from Rhythm and Stealth, Barnes demonstrated that he can do a few vocals himself as they performed Afrika Shox, a song that was originally a collaboration between Leftfield and Afrika Bambaataa, who was a pioneer of American Hip Hop. That collaboration created a spectacular fusion of breakbeat and electro between two artists from two different continents that sounds just as fresh today as it did then, Beresford’s live percussion elevating the experience as every single patron within the walls of Powerstation gave themselves over to the music and danced like no one was watching.
The classics are always revered, and something that fans desire to hear when attending a show; but Leftfield aren’t a heritage act – as they proved with one of their most recent releases, Full Way Round, featuring the remarkable vocals of Grian Chatten of Fontaines D.C. fame; his style of vocals reminiscent of the 90’s scene (think Born Slippy) while the 4/4 rhythm ensures that it could also be quite at home in today’s EDM scene.
Suddenly the floor was rumbling underneath everyone’s feet, the feeling of the bass welling up from the depths reminding your senses that they were alive, that you as a person are very much alive. Not Forgotten rose like the sun on a brand new day, the high energy of the song seeing people throw caution to the wind as heads were thrown back and limbs moved with the beat. Release the Pressure followed closely behind, the duality between the vocals of Earl Sixteen – MC Cheshire Cat stepping in for live duties – and the steady rhythm of the song itself producing almost eight minutes of mesmerising sound.
By now many of those in attendance looked as if they had walked through a light rain shower on the way to the show, the overall quality of the music (shout out to the sound engineers) so fantastic that dancing was a legal requirement. Right on cue, as if Leftfield knew that now was exactly the right moment to bring out the big guns, they dropped Open Up. Once again from their debut album Leftism, the track features none other than John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten of Sex Pistols infamy, the lyrics, ‘Burn Hollywood burn, taking down Tinseltown’ taking on even more relevance in 2026 when looking at what is currently going on amongst those of the Hollywood elite.
The night was drawing to a close, but Leftfield still had a couple of treats left for their adoring fans which came in the form of Space Shanty and the mighty Phat Planet – but not before Beresford emerged from his seat behind the kit to walk the length of the stage while gesturing to the crowd that they had to give them everything they had – and they certainly did with gusto.
With the set concluded Neil Barnes, stepped forth and introduced his fellow musicians, Beresford hugging Barnes before the three left the stage with hands still raised in the air in gratitude.
Leftfield are not only iconic, the innovators of a sound that has spanned over three decades, they are completely timeless.

Setlist

Song of Life
Universal Everything
Inspection (Check One)
Afrika Shox
Accumulator
Full Way Round
Not Forgotten
Release the Pressure
Open Up
Space Shanty
Phat Planet