By Mark Derricutt

Artist: Baroness

Date / Venue: Monday December 5th, 2016 - Kings Arms, Auckland

There's a certain symmetry I'm feeling having just returned from seeing Baroness perform at Auckland's Kings Arms Tavern, starting with my interview with frontman John Dyer Baizley a few weeks ago and ending with shooting and writing these parting thoughts.

The evening started with catching John outside the venue - introductions were in order along with a brief amount of small talk, humble, down to earth, and totally self-deprecating are terms that come immediately to mind - soon John made his way backstage and I left to find a spot from which to shoot.

Drawing mostly from the 2015 release 'Purple', for the next hour and a half we were treated to a high energy... rock show... I'm still very unsure of what genre exactly to put Baroness in - from head banging rifftastic grooves to twin harmonic sweeps and solos to expansive soundscapes somehow separating drums from guitars and keys and letting the listener fall in between and just, exist as one with the music. At least that's what I was thinking to myself during 'If I Have To Wake Up'. Everything was sounding crystal clear - a testament to both the venue and to the sound engineers working their magic behind the scenes.

Unfortunately that hour and a half seemed to just disappear before my eyes - leaving us with the encore finale of 'Isak' and 'Take Away My Bones' - and what an encore it was - with the news that The Kings Arms had been sold earlier that day, having a full house packed door to door, sweaty, all singing along and having a good time - it was a great way to spend a Monday evening.

Setlist:

- Kerosene ( Purple )
- March To The Sea ( Yellow & Green )
- Morningstar ( Purple )
- Shock Me ( Purple )
- Green Theme ( Yellow & Green )
- If I Have To Wake up / Fugue ( Purple )
- Little Things ( Yellow & Green )
- Chorine & Wine ( Purple )
- Try To Disappear ( Purple )
- Desperation Burns ( Purple )
- The Gnashing ( Blue Record )

- Isak ( The Red Album )
- Take My Bones Away ( Yellow & Green )

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