Concert Review: The Schizophonics - Taupo - 9th January 2025

Presented by: Piecart Rock n’ Roll

The SCHIZOPHICS LIVE AT DOUBLE WHAMMY AKL JAN 2025 - ALL PHOTOS LEONI MORELAND (COUTESY RED RAVEN NEWS)

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL SCHIZOPHONICS GALLERY BY LEONI MORELAND

Review By: Rob Harbers

Artist/Band: The Schizophonics, SUP by The B.U.M’s

Venue/City: Rosemary’s, Taupo, New Zealand

Date of Event: Thursday 9th January 2025

San Diego’s The Schizophonics, with the aid of Poneke’s BUMs, last Thursday night leveled Taupo’s bijou Rosemary’s, making ears bleed, faces smile and feet dance!

A small crowd, some of whom I suspect were just there for a drink and a feed, and then were drawn into the sonic maelstrom, we were first treated to the onslaught of the BUMs, Pottsy’s amped up guitar announcing their arrival and making promises of what was to come. Ripping in to ‘Tequila and Cocaine’ with a level of gusto suggesting recent consumption of such substances, it was obvious we were here for a good time, and a loud one! Following on with “somebody else’s song about drugs” in the form of ‘Feel Good Hit of the Summer’; by now the audience were drawn in and invested.  A rendition of ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ suggested that the train might just about be going fast enough to barrel through those prison walls. Band, and quickly crowd, favourite ‘Motherfucker’ allowed for much catharsis, the thought of screaming it in the face of someone truly deserving being a very pleasing one (Are you listening, Mr Seymour?)

With an audience, including the main act, wondering what could come next, tribute was paid history’s most famous left-handed player of a right-handed guitar (like Pottsy does), in the form of Jimi’s ‘Voodoo Chile’, with a drum solo providing Thomas the chance to show his stuff (and threaten to break the kit!).  But with the kit having weathered the onslaught and survived to be beaten another day, what ensued was a full-on ‘Boogie Song’, injecting one final burst of energy into the atmosphere to set the (palatial) stage for the headliners!

So, on came The Schizophonics, with a rush and a push the stage making the stage theirs, kicking in to ‘Steely Eyed Lady’ with a full-on manic energy that wasn’t to dissipate over the rest of their set, rather only to intensify. This carried through to ‘Creature’ from the most recent album ‘Hoof It’, with guitarist/vocalist Pat Beers channeling a spirit calling to mind a Moroccan Dervish, spinning up a storm!  A new song, ‘Locomotive’, gave a taster for the album awaiting recording, an endeavor at risk of delay with the loss of their beloved Pig Baby Records in the LA fires. Climate change having cultural impact...
Through it all, Pat displays an energy level that I’d be understating if I was to describe as hyperactive, coupled with a remarkable spatial awareness that sees him frequently venturing into the crowd, running the length of the venue, appearing to be possessed by the music and simultaneously managing to avoid colliding with anyone! In its sheer dynamism, both physical and musical, his performance brings to life the spirit of The Stooges, MC5, and similar, with the insertion of James Brown splits.  An opportunity for subsequent generations to see and feel the same power. Pretty generous of him, really!

But not to focus just on the front man, his roaming’s are only made possible by the anchoring provided by tub-thumper (and wife) Lety, and the rock-solid bass of Sarah Linton. A brave player,  given that the band’s history with bass players is approaching that of Spinal Tap drummers (although none have yet exploded, to my knowledge)! Both Sarah and Lety are just as much stars if the show, albeit in a less flashy way.

With this being the band’s fifth visit to these shores in only a slightly longer period of time, there could be a risk of audience over-familiarity with the material-a risk held at bay by the inclusion of 4 new songs amongst the 14 played!  All of the material delivered with equal passion and pace though, and thus received with equal enthusiasm, enjoyment and appreciation! And in any case, surely the fan base must be increasing with every visit, as word slowly filters out.

The only downside of such energy, though, is it can only be sustained for so long, and it seemed, even allowing for the maxim that time flies when you’re having fun, that it was over quite quickly! But fuck me, was it fun! The penultimate item paid tribute to heroes of the fast and furious AC/DC, being a cover of the nearly 50-year old Riff Raff, one that showed there’s an enviable level of spirit in one so advanced in years (the song, that is-Pat’s a law unto himself, outside of time, space and physics! The show concluded with an extended ‘Hoof it’, incorporating riffs on ‘Peppermint Twist’ and ‘Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On’ the physical aspects of which saw Pat and the audience sink, mutually, to their knees, before the final explosion that resulted in leaving the stage, having given their all and then some. And with that it was over, after a masterclass in energetic and passionate performance-one that gave the audience all they could’ve wished for and made a heap of new fans. For those of you familiar with them already, good on you-for those unfortunately not, make sure to catch them next time they come through (unless you’re near Tauranga, where they make their final appearance on this circuit). You’ll be glad you did!

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