Supervillains RMC, Gotenks, Summer Thieves and Gasp | Starters Bar | Saturday 7th September 2013

I haven’t had the cash to check out any gigs lately so I entered an online draw to win tickets to see The Supervillains, Summer Thieves and Gotenks at Starters on Saturday - which I won. I went along with my camera in tow and grabbed a few snaps.

I turned up as locals Summer Thieves got into their set, and they warmed the crowd up with their take on the reggae genre. I’m not sure how they would feel being compared to incumbents Six60 – but there are similarities – the biggest being the huge potential they have to go very far in the industry. I can’t wait to hear their anticipated first album and for the world to hear it too.

I had never listened to Supervillains before but knew they had been in town recently to play a gig as part of their EP release tour. Wearing Hamburglar masks, creating an onstage persona for each member, they came on with a bundle of energy. It was like watching a heavy metal band do hip hop or something – I can’t compare it to any other hip hop gig I’ve ever been to before. They’re the most energetic rap crew I’ve ever seen. And the crowd went nuts, like an organism being fed by the Villians’ energy, they moved like zombies toward the stage and threatened to take over. I think if there wasn’t a barrier around the stage the crew would have invited us all on stage to vibe together.  

It was obvious they performed together regularly, their act was tight, and moves choreographed to happen at the right moments. The only bad word I have to say, and it’s not aimed at the Villains directly, is that the vocals could have been louder – or the beat quieter – as I’ve found lately when I’m at a rap gig I can’t hear what is being said. Sure, if I had checked them out online first I would have known, but I love to check out bands/crews live before listening to their perfectly mixed and mastered radio-ready tracks.

Gotenks (Eno & Totems) added more fuel to the evening’s fire with some killer beats. I put my camera away and moved to the music. I have been a fan of Eno for a couple of years when I first heard him - thanks to Twitter, and have only recently heard of Totems after his work with Randa. These guys smashed it. I wish I could have afforded to drink – that extra buzz would have made this insane!

I don’t think I’ll forget that gig in a while, my ears were still ringing hours later – a sign I’ve had a good night.

 

Look up ‘Idiot! Savant’ on Facebook for similar gigs in Dunedin, next up Auckland’s (via Rwanda) RaizaBiza will be playing at Re:Fuel on the 19th of this month.