Mockers

Live At The Powerstation

(Independent)

The recent reunion tour of the Mockers was a triumph – here’s the (lasting) proof, the band’s Powerstation gig from its national tour captured on double-CD and DVD.

In the time since the band broke up its guitarist Brett Adams went away and became one of the best and most in-demand guitarists in the country. Frontman Andrew Fagan remains a committed and enigmatic force and as a ringer you simply cannot get better than drummer Chris O’Connor.

So with that as the musical foundation the band hums along through so many hummable classics. And if the big, big hits (Forever Tuesday Morning, Swear It’s True) remain anthemic and vital then the big surprise here is the strength of the other singles and album tracks. Woke Up Today, Cleopatra, One Black Friday, Murder in Manners St, these are songs that have not only lost nothing with the years they seem, if anything, stronger. More vital.

This version of the Mockers is a no-frills unit, so in that sense the DVD is nothing ‘special’ to look at, a fine memory for those in attendance of course – but the full setlist spread across the two CDs is the thing you’ll return to most often. A greatest hits set from one of New Zealand’s great bands. Yes, it’s a nostalgia act, absolutely. No shame there. But this shows that nostalgia need not be merely misty-eyed. This is a version of the band that sounds as good as it ever did. Better than many remembered no doubt.
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