Venue:
The Power Station, Auckland
Date: 11/09/2026
It was the best of gigs and it was the worst of gigs.
I like the venue – all standing and the upstairs area offers a good view and lots of leaning opportunities and places to sit when there’s nothing on stage.
The vibe was relaxed and friendly. Somehow there wasn’t the same frisson of excitement in that 20 minutes or so before the band comes on. Not because they aren’t a good band – but there is very little stagecraft here. After the lights go down we hear Ryder saying (I think) “yer fuckintwistinmemelon, man” as well as some other things I couldn’t quite make out.
His adlibs throughout the show were very much like this. Made me think of a school fete, where the caretaker has the mic and makes a series of important-sounding announcements in a monotone voice. The mouth is too close to the mic and it’s impossible to make out what he’s saying.
We open with Kinky Afro and the impressive Firouzeh Berry takes the stage and does some vocal warmups and struts about. Ryder is rooted to the spot under a large baseball cap. He barely moves but he’s contracted out the audience interaction to Bez. Bez.
Bez bounds on, maracas to the fore, arms and legs everywhere – crucifix poses, salutes, bow and arrow, garden sprinkler, teapot – all while running on the spot. Can he keep this going for the whole 80 minutes? No, of course not. I don’t blame him for sitting out a slower song halfway through.
The younger Bez had a slightly worrying stage presence due to his glassy-eyed trance-like state. You wondered if he was all right. These days it’s all smiles and good-natured crowd work. Four proper musicians quietly got on with the job around the main three.
Step On produced the biggest reaction of the night but – my God – the voice! It was like Peter Kay shouting the lyrics but with added fuckins and mumbled asides – at least an octave higher than the record’s vocal. It was atrocious but still entertaining.
Surprisingly, I thought Hallelujah was the best song in the set. Ryder’s voice sounded right and the band created a really noise and a better song than I remembered. They ended with Wrote For Luck -which was a great way to end.
The audience:
Were there fuckwits? If course there were – but it actually didn’t matter. We’re not talking about the fragile intricacies of Mozart here.
It made me think..
I had a very enjoyable night, even though parts of the show where a bit shit and audience fuckwittery abounded. Maybe I should lighten up. I felt a bit sorry for a couple who left after about 40 minutes. They were in front of me and had beaming smiles at the beginning but if became clear that the show was for him, rather than her. He picked up on her getting bored and they decided to leave early. I’ve been there and it breaks my heart a little.
I’ve never seen them, but this is exactly how I imagined it might’ve been.
I’ve seen Shaun Ryder 3 times in various guises over the years, and every one has been shambolic in one way or another.
Nice review BC I’m amazed that Ryder is alive let alone touring.
They are here in Singapore next week (playing at a pretty obscure clan association hall – akin to a village hall I guess). I’ve never been a massive fan and so wasn’t planning on going.
I was at that gig at the Brixton Academy when they’d been to Barbados and Bez had broken his arm in a car crash. Which was apt, as the gig was a car crash. Shaun was strung out on smack, Bez was… well, Bez, and the rest of the band were looking daggers at each other.
Stereo MC’s were the support and worth the price of the ticket alone. I wish I’d left when they’d finished and skipped the headliners.
That was, what, nearly 35 years ago? So bad that I can still remember it.
It doesn’t sound like much has changed since.
{Edith: Setlist.fm says it was October 1992}
Maybe you should go for the Pills, Thrills and Bellyaches, “Pill” edition? 200 quid and they didn’t even put any discs in it (just a download code). Don’t think this “extremely limited edition” had sold out yet whatever Paul says in the video.
https://superdeluxeedition.com/video/happy-mondays-pills-n-thrills-and-bellyaches-unboxing/