Allure City
About Allure City from Auckland
Members:
Lewis Clegg
Ryan Ballinger
Michael Stevens
Review by Freddy Woodhouse Sept 2010. Auckland.
If you walk down Ponsonby or K Road on any given night there will always be a few bars that have a live band playing. I am always amused by this phenomena; no matter how brightly decorated the blackboard advertising the band is, no one will walk by and be enticed back by the thought of failed musicians playing soft Jazz to a half empty room.
So, if I am in a bar and a band starts playing, I usually feel a little awkward about being there. Often the band outnumbers the audience, and I had the great privilege of walking past a bar the other night that had an eight piece jazz band and not a single customer. The singer stood in a spotlight with her arms folded looking like a fat child who had been deprived of cake. I walked past as fast as I could, trying not to look her in the eyes. I accidentally walked into a parked car I was so distracted. Bar music is just not good news.
Typically, the musicians who perform in bars will try to play music which has the broadest appeal. This means that it is usually so bland that no one really likes it at all, and the conclusion of each song will inevitably give way to limp applause, or the far more likely apathetic background chatter. The whole process is unpleasant. Like a degree in sociology, the music may as well not exist.
Naturally, when I was at the Crib the other night I did not expect very much from the band I saw warming up. Despite having a fashion sense slightly more in the realm of indie than usual (the bassist’s shirt looked like a dress) I expected another spineless performance from another no name band that would prevent me talking to my moderately more interesting friends.
Except, amazingly, Allure City were not what you normally get at a bar on Ponsonby road. For a start, they were good. Secondly, they did not play covers. For a good half hour, the kind of stuff you would expect to hear at the Wine Cellar or at the King’s Arms blared out an ubiquitous blues-influenced psychedelic set that did see usual limp reaction from bar goers, but caught my attention and held it till the end.
I wasn’t able to find out much about them, other than that they formed in 2008 and recently arrived in Auckland from Wellington. They are a tight outfit and play a searing, hypnotic style of music that is reminiscent of the Black Keys, and which evokes a little bit of post-war blues and a little bit of Pink Floyd. At times, as is so frequently the case with this style of music, the repetitiveness became a little dull. However, any tediousness that did surface was shattered by a searing riff or a tremulous half scream that would take by the books blues rock and turn it, at times, into a crotch grabbing experience that finished with a hell of a bang.
Although a little of the usual “watching a live band in a bar” awkwardness returned when one of my friends began to exuberantly beat another equally less attentive patron with an umbrella, the band’s presence was undeniable. This was demonstrated when one guy began to violently arm wrestle his wife before breaking into a chaotic, joyful dance directly in front of the only exit. This superb example of red neck etiquette was hopefully taken as a complement by the group who seemed to be holding a little back due to the venue. Nonetheless, the tempo was invigorating and the hooks as hooky as any hook could be. So, for once, seeing a band in a bar was actually a pleasant, memorable experience. I should probably have asked when they would be playing again, but I’m sure they will tell you if you ask them (they are three guys. One guy has long hair and the other two have short hair). In any event, it is worth seeing them if you can. Allure City have unpretentious riffs and technical ability, and it seems they are used to playing very loud. Why not get as drunk as you can and listen to music you can arm-wrestle your wife to
- Freddy Woodhouse
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