Concert Review: Neil MacLeod – Lot 23 July 6, 2019

Wellington’ Neil MacLeod closed out his To Unfold Release Tour with a mesmerizing performance at Auckland’s Lot 23.

With most international acts staying away at this time of year to bask in the Northern Hemisphere sunshine, it’s a good time to check out some of our home grown talent as they venue out into the cold.

In the past week I’ve caught excellent shows by Kane Strang and Michael James Keane, and so now I braved the crisp July night air to find out what Neil MacLeod has to offer.

I was not disappointed.

MacLeod has just released his second EP, To Unfold, feature five track that he and collaborator Devin Abrams (Shapeshifter, Pacific Heights), crafted together in a Wellington studio earlier this year.

The songs are unnervingly intimate and the music deftly combines electronica and acoustic sounds to create lush soundscapes for Neil’s soaring vocals.

Before the show, MacLeod told me that they chose Lot 23 as the Auckland venue because of its excellent sound system.

Indeed, the music fairly shimmered out of the speakers as the three musicians played.

First up, though, was BEING, aka Jasmine Balmer, who must be vying for the title of Hardest Working Woman in Show Business. I saw her earlier this week opening for Kane Strang, and on this night she was pulling double duty, opening for Neil MacLeod and then rushing across town to do the same for Soaked Oats at Galatos.

Unlike the audience at Galatos (see Oxford Lamoureux’s review), the crowd here was attentive and respectful and they were repaid by another fine set of songs, and one poem, by Being.

Then it was Neil’s turn.

In addition to accompanying himself on electric guitar and a few electronic gadgets, he was joined on stage by Reuben Topzand on electric piano and Hakopa Kuka-Larsen, who played various percussive instruments and electronic gizmos.

Behind the trio was a screen which displayed various emotive scenes as the music played, most showing panoramic views of various New Zealand vistas. It was a nice touch, although the screen was a bit too high, and could have been larger.

It didn’t really matter, as Neil MacLeod’s music is itself quite panoramic.

He and his fellow musicians began with an, as yet, unreleased song, titled Under, which featured a series of surprising electronic eruptions amongst the delicate vocals.

From there, they moved on to Come Down, the opening track on To Unfold, which began with Neil’s rippling guitar and bubbling synths. MacLeod’s voice is truly a thing of wonder…sounding like a cross between Thom Yorke and Jeff Buckley….and hitting notes during this song that would have made the guys in A-ha jealous.

We were treated to one more new song, titled Riddle, before the group moved on to perform all four tracks from the 2017 EP, Sonder. These were some of the most emotionally affecting moments of the night, particularly Settle, which was achingly intimate.

Neil then spoke to the crowd, thanking his band and crew for their work on the tour before launching into what he called, “the darkest point of our set”.

This was the remaining four songs from To Unfold, beginning with the title track.

It was, indeed, a dark, but ultimately inspiring musical journey as the 11-song set came to a close.

Marty Duda

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Chris Zwaagdyk:

Neil MacLeod

Being.

Neil MacLeod set list:

1. Under
2. Come Down
3. Riddle
4. Friends
5. Bad Thing
6. Settle
7. Turns ll
8. To Unfold
9. Comfort
10. Trems
11. We