Hollie Smith – Crystal Palace October 6, 2017

Hollie Smith wrapped up her Long Player 10th Anniversary Tour at Auckland’s Crystal Palace. The vintage venue always seems to host gigs that stand out as something special, and this was no exception.

When I arrived up-and-coming soul singer TEEKS (23-year-old Te Karehana Gardiner-Toi) was holding court on stage, accompanied only by a keyboard player. But when you have a voice like TEEKS, that’s all you need. The crowd was loving it, shouting out encouragement and making him feel truly welcomed.

Hollie and her band arrived soon after, with the headliner looking glamourous as ever. Her band consisted of keyboard player Daniel Hayles, Tyson Smith on guitar, long-time drummer Darren Mathiassen, the phenomenal Marika Hodgson on bass and backing vocalists Lisa Tomlin and Mark Vanilau

This being the 10 anniversary of Hollie’s  debut album, Long Player (a deluxe edition has just been reissued), we were treated to the album being played in its entirety from start to finish.

It was Tyson Smith who proved to be an early highlight. He played some funky wah-wah during the laguid opener, Can’t Let You Down, then soloed beautifully during I Will Do.

Hollie herself was in top form, her singing styling owing as much to jazz and r&b. She sang, scatted, and improvised with the band following suit. Most tunes started slowly, then built in intensity until they were scorching by the end.

The singer seemed to be taking a trip down memory lane as she told stories behind the writing and recording of the songs…some of which she hadn’t performed in years.

The set finished with the prayer-like Be Whole In Thee, with just Daniel Hayles’ keyboard playing behind Hollie’s impassioned vocal.

The entire band was back for a celebratory four-song encore. Despite a bried problem with Tyson’s guitar, spirits were high as Hollie and her crew closed things out with God Bless The Child and Bathe In The River. In keeping with the sentimental mood of the evening, Hollie brought her high school music teacher up on stage…he’s retiring at the end of this year…to pay tribute to his inspirational work. TEEKs also returned to help with Bathe…no doubt equally inspired by Hollie’s formidable talent.

Marty Duda

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