MUSIC REVIEW: Jack Robertson Dim Lights Release Show
12.11.2022 Casette Nine, Auckland
All on stage, the band members look like they’re skater kids from the 90s and the bass player starts low-key jamming over the Tame Impala track playing while the rest of the band gets set-up . I’m intentionally going into this performance blind, having only briefly listened to one or two tracks through my phone speakers as a taster. I don’t know what to expect, but everything is telling me indie soft-rock – a thought immediately shot down when a wild blues riff starts slamming through the speakers.
I realize I should probably stop assuming things.
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Singer-songwriter Jack Robertson has returned from a brief hiatus with his latest single Dim Lights - this performance being the accompanying release show. It’s clear that Jack has a strong love for classic rock tunes, with lyrics and guitar hooks that could play on one of those classic hits radio stations I listened to as a kid.
Many of Robertson’s songs focus on nostalgia, or past relationships – which strongly suits the classic rock pastiche that the band has on stage. If I closed my eyes, maybe I’d be in a bar gig somewhere a few decades ago, surrounded by people who would go on to be parents of my childhood friends. It was a weird feeling and the themes of all the tracks were made stronger simply by filling the shoes of past rock heroes.
It’s obvious that these guys are all proficient with their instruments, and they carry a level of technical confidence through each track. Special mention to any time a riff was doubled by Robertson and either Angus Hampton-Carr (guitar) or Carlos Martin (bass), which sounded excellent, and really floored me. Te Kapua Pene (drums) kept everyone glued together with rock solid timing and tasteful fills where applicable.
From what I could gather through his between-song chatting, Dim Lights marks the first time Jack has collaborated with a band to write a song, and this gig was the first time he had played with a full band to support him. But I wouldn’t have gathered this from watching them play, with the full band in sync with each other at all times, to the point where they could have been joined at the hips. In particular, I found that the bass and drums may as well have been pre-recorded due to how tightly Martin and Pene were locked into each other.
“The live performance captured the studio version excellently, and I believe the band’s chemistry was at its peak when playing all together, like a controlled jam session playing out in front of me”
Dim Lights has such an earworm riff, I’ve found myself humming it while writing this review. The live performance captured the studio version excellently, and I believe the band’s chemistry was at its peak when playing all together, like a controlled jam session playing out in front of me. I love that in the second half of the recorded single (from around 2:30), every instrumentalist used the gap after the main riff as an opportunity to do a little fill & showcase their own personality through a simple phrase. This was heightened when performed live and we could all see them laughing and chumming with one another.
Give Dim Lights a listen where you can – and keep an ear out for how the instruments play into each other to support and clarify Jack’s songwriting. It’s incredible to hear play out, and I’m looking forward to see him keep what he’s doing, and I hope that his band is along for the ride.
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Listen to Jack Robertson on Spotify here and follow his Instagram here
Guitar/Vox: Jack Robertson
Guitar: Angus Hampton-Carr
Bass: Carlos Matin
Drums: Te Kapua Pene
