Concert Review - The Bats - Auckland - 7th March 2026
Presented by Banished Music and Strange News
Review By: Faith Hamblyn
Artist/Band: The Bats with support by HalfSisteR
Venue/City: The Hollywood Avondale, Auckland
Date of Event: Saturday 7th March 2026Christchurch’s The Bats became part of the Dunedin jangle-rock scene of the 1980s, more humble than the Chills, but with a wide-eyed sense of adventure. They were established with their excellent debut, Daddy’s Highway, and were an integral indie stalwart until 1995, when they split after producing indie darling Couchmaster. Now, a few beloved records later, they’re celebrating the release of Corner Coming Up at The Hollywood Avondale in Auckland, and they’ve brought some hip friends along with them, and their name is HalfSisteR.
HalfSisteR comprise the genetics of Dimmer, JPSE and long-missed Superette. They took the sunset-pallette-lit-stage to the dying strains of Unchained Melody, confessed the movie Ghost had ruined it for them, and flange-guitared into their set. With Gary on drums and Hermione and Greta on vocals, they reminded me of Mink from ‘90s Dunedin, with the atmospheric vocals on Soft Spot. A very Southern-sounding setup for The Bats.
Opening with new song Lucky Day, The Bats sound like a tremulous David Byrne musing on the peccadilloes of life, and the only thing staying the same being change. Trade In Silence, from 2020’s Foothills, similarly wrangles the vagaries of love – we’re happy enough to be pulled along, but we can’t really say where we’re going. Both have a timeless sort of REM quality – hapless, a little hopeless, but we may as well find what we can of an ironic, pop happiness.
After Kaye threatening to become a jazz band if she didn't get more light on her guitar, they played Smoking Her Wings from The Law of Things, in a folk-horror mood; spooky, with Halloween-soundtrack synth from Christchurch squire-for-hire Ryan Fishman. Corner Coming Up, the title track from the new album, was a celebration of the inevitability of chaos, charging into the future full speed ahead. 2005’s Mir followed, with not-jazz Kaye on lead vocals.
Tragedy, from their debut album, sounds like the 3Ds, but fatter live and with new technology. It's wry, foreshadowing a lot of what made sardonic Brit-pop so endearing. Of course the crowd loved it.
Melodic When The Day Comes from Free All Angels is like the Mutton Birds minus braggadocio, and the crowd loved this too. They also loved Block Of Wood, the single from Daddy’s Highway, which was followed by new songs Rooftops and A Line To The Stars.
Loline, another track from Corner Coming Up, lends a hopeful cast to the clouds that gather over us collectively. We’re all travelling together, and there’s mostly the unknown ahead. It’s cathartic to hear that others know how we feel, and even if there are dangers ahead, there is bound to be light to see the signs by.
Field Of Vision, from Foothills, earned applause, cheering and whistling before closing track Made Up In Blue. Recorded, it sounded like the discovery of city life, independence, the paranoia of youth and how small your world can start out. Live, it's joyful – when you’re so far from starting adult life, there's nothing left to do but dance.
The crowd demanded North By North for an encore, and were rewarded with a phat version with Ryan doubling up on drums. Even up the back of the cinema, by the projectionist booth, people were having a boog and cheering.
The Bats still embody university rock, albeit long since graduated. Weathered, if not wearier, Robert Scott sounds more like Bob Mould over time, and this is to be championed. I missed Afternoon In Bed from Couchmaster, but they can’t play them all – something Robert kept having to tell guys yelling from the audience. Still some of the coolest scarfies I know of.
Setlist
Lucky Day
Trade in Silence
Smoking Her Wings
Corner Coming Up
Mir
Nine Days
It's Happening To You
The Gown
Tragedy
When the Day Comes
Block of Wood
Rooftops
A Line to the Stars
Two Lines
Loline
Simpletons
Field of Vision
Made Up In Blue
Encore
North By North
Miss These Things