12/8/90

by Dominic Roskrow

All of a sudden Auckland seems to be enjoying a concert boom.

We begin a busy international programme in less than two weeks, there are lots of New Zealand shows taking place and, most importantly of all, people are prepared to spend cash and support them.

So why should the live scene be so healthy when the record companies are moaning about poor sales figures? Is it because records are over-priced? Or that people are bord with the mainstream sterility of most of the music that record companies promote? Or for the simple reason that they and the record stations are out of touch and the public want variety and the chance to hear more interesting and offbeat music by the likes of Faith No More or, on our own doorstep, Jan Hellriegel?

Hellriegel in a former member of Cassandra's Ears, a band that suffered for its image as a serious feminist Flying Nun band. They were not even on the label, but like so many of that label's acts, Cassandra's Ears were dismissed by many despite their pretty pop sensibility.

Hellriegel is from West Auckland, works as a panelbeater, likes wearing leather jackets and has catholic music tastes. All of which means that there are all sorts of interesting influences shaping her sound away from any one limited field.

Given the simple guitar, bass and drums line-up of her band, it's easy to make comparisons between Hellriegel and Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders, but it is as much in attitude as anything else. Like Hynde, Hellriegel is not totally comfortable out at the front, but she is tough and gritty, and her twisted guitar songs benefit from her passionate inner strength.

In fact Hellriegel was very, very good, unveiling a set of original and unknown songs on amixed audience that ecen she has trouble gauging.

She succeeded for three reasons: she has strong and captivating material, she used vocal harmonies well, with one of her three backing vocalists excelling, and she has a fine band. Craig Mason's performance on drums during the encore of a cover of the Who's 'I Can See For Miles' (the West Auckland link again) was particularly outstanding. Guitarist Mark Petersen's sixties psychedelic song provided a nice contrast to Hellriegel's harder edged material.

A good night, and proof that if you put on the quality people will turn out, no matter the weather.