Concert Review: Miss June, Tuning Fork 20 June 2020

For those who needed to rock…Miss June provided the soundtrack last night at The Tuning Fork. Marty Duda files his review with photos from Todd Buchanan.

Regular 13^th Floor readers will no doubt be aware for my affection for Miss June. Having first heard them at shows at the dearly departed Kings Arms, I invited the band to perform at our humble studio for a video session in 2018. Since then it’s been nothing but success for the hard rocking quartet, touring the world and releasing a critically acclaimed debut album,  last year titled Bad Luck Party.

Now, with isolation a thing of the recent past, Miss June seems ready to pick up where they left off. And their fans (myself included) were happy to reunite at Auckland’s Tuning Fork for a joyous night of rocking out.

Sadly, the terrible news of the death of Kiwi musician Aaron Tokona (Weta, Caro Knife Fight, The Adults, Fly My Pretties) was revealed to many in the room, but it didn’t take away from the spirit of the evening.

That spirit was summed up in “Together Again” the name of tonight’s show that also featured Laszlo Reynolds and Chewy Gum.

I missed Chewy Gum and spent most of my time flapping my gums during Laszlo Reynolds…hopefully I’ll see them soon.

Now, back to that spirit. This show and most of the others I have seen, post-covid all have one thing in common. The bond between artist and audience seems to be stronger than ever. That became obvious on this night as the crowd seemed almost levitated by Miss June’s music and stage presence. There were times when they seemed almost as one, especially when guitarist Jun Park jumped into the “pit” and rode the wave.

Vocalist Annabel Liddell was in top form, well rested and toting a new guitar (her beloved Jensen “got destroyed”. And the rhythm section of Chris Marshall (bass) and Tom Leggett (drums) played as if their lives depended on it.

Most of the set was based around songs from Bad Luck Party (naturally) wilh old favourites such as Clyde and Drool getting an airing out, along with anew song that may be titled That’s Why You Run which had a sorta Shangri-la’s vibe to it.

A fine night was had by all…and T-shirts were on $20 with all proceeds going to charity (I got mine!)

Marty Duda

Click any photo to view a gallery from each artist. All Photos by Todd Buchanan.

Miss June

Chewy Gum

Laszlo Reynolds

Miss June set list:

1. Enemies
2. Please Waste My Time
3. Twitch
4. Scorpio
5. That’s Why You Run
6. Best Girl
7. Matriarchy
8. I Don’t Wanna Be Your Dog
9. 2 Hits
10. Clyde
11. Orchid
12. Aquarium
13. Polio
14. Drool