Alex Cameron at the Kings Arms, 15 Feb 2018

It has been a great twelve months for Australian singer/songwriter Alex Cameron. The Sydney-born troubadour released the critically acclaimed Forced Witness and followed it up with a world tour that has seen him play with the likes of Angel Olsen and the Killers. Last night’s stop – The Kings Arms, where he and his band delivered a set jam-packed with banger after banger to an enthusiastic audience.

The evening began with Cameron’s guitarist Jack Ladder playing as the support act. Although his performance was solid enough, sounding like a cross between Nick Cave and Bruce Springsteen with just him and a guitar, after a few songs it became a bit predictable for my liking, however, the crowd did seem to enjoy his laid-back electric guitar-drenched love songs. It was the night after Valentine’s Day after all.

After a quick break, it was time for the main event and Alex Cameron took to the stage with his five-piece band who on appearance looked like they had arrived at the Kings Arms straight out of the 70s. Their yacht rock aesthetic visually I guess was a perfect fit for the music Cameron plays, music that is a cross between LA’s singer/songwriter scene, Springsteen, and some of the great Australian groups of the past such as the Go-Betweens.

Although it was a shaky start thanks to a faulty mic, things quickly picked up and Cameron soon had the audience eating out of his hand with an energetic and engaging performance which he managed to maintain for the entire set. There was banter with the audience, jokes, and his saxophonist and self-proclaimed business partner Roy Malloy even managed to fit in a stool review. Malloy, who looked like a character out of Lord of the Rings was perched on the tiniest of stools all night and apparently, every show conducts a review of his furniture. This particular stool earned a four out of five leading to chants of stool, stool from the audience.

The set was jam-packed with banger after banger, and what became clear from the get-go is that Cameron has a rare ability in being able to write rousing songs that can get a crowd dancing before the first verse. Leaning heavily on material from Forced Witness, tracks such as Candy May, Runnin’ Outta Luck, and Politics of Love were very well received by the enthusiastic crowd, who although mainly quiet were clearly having a good time. It was also fascinating seeing how the tracks from Forced Witness went down live given how well recorded they were, and, thankfully, Cameron and his band did a fantastic job in ensuring the soul of the originals were recaptured in a live setting, with Malloy, in particular, pouring everything into his sax solos that were such a centrepiece of the record.

The Kings Arms closes in a matter of weeks and this was, in fact, the final gig I will attend at the old tavern. Given this situation, Alex Cameron and his band managed to deliver a stunningly good performance that would have to go down as one of the best I have ever seen at this venue. The band was tight, Cameron was in fine voice, while the vibe of the crowd gave off a party atmosphere that only the best rock and roll at one of the best venues in Auckland can provide. The Kings Arms might be at its end but hopefully, this is just the start for Cameron, who based on this show will be a must-attend event next time he comes to Auckland.

Sam Smith

Click any image to see photos from the show