Live Photos: Thee Golden Geese, Good Old Golden Boys NZ - The Wine Cellar, Auckland

Tāmaki Makaurau gig-goers flocked to St Kevins Arcade on Friday night for the grand re-opening of The Wine Cellar, getting right back amongst it with a special two-part set by garage rock 'n' soul icons Thee Golden Geese, plus the debut performance from blues-rock combo Good Old Golden Boys NZ. From friendly door staff checking vaccine passes to full seating (which is compulsory in venues under the Red traffic light setting) and even a complimentary events programme, the whole evening was an uplifting and much-needed treat for punters who haven't had a chance to experience live music in a whopping four months. Openers Good Old Golden Boys NZ warmed everyone up, encouraging the audience to "sit down for your rights" and busting out anthems 'Isolation Blues' and 'How Hard Have You Been Rocking'. The irrepressible four piece also played an innovative 'Improv Blues' number where frontman Matty Disgraceful made up a song on the spot, after asking crowd members to name an occupation, a fruit and an emotion (in this case: artist, pear and sad).

Following a brief intermission, Thee Golden Geese made their triumphant arrival, playing an "unplugged" set hewing to the style of those famous MTV sessions of yore (which somehow included a Simpsons costume performance of 'Do The Bartman', plus a tender rendition of Extreme's 'More Than Words'), followed by a fully untamed, electrifying set of crowd faves. I didn't notice at the time, but close inspection of Dave Simpson's ace snaps of the event reveals at least two band members actually shaved in between sets — view a gallery of photos from the history-making show by clicking on the thumbnail images below...