By Rafe Llewellyn, Second Year History
Drax Project lived up to their exceptionally high standards on Friday at The Louisiana in the final leg of their debut UK and Europe tour. Explosive energy and musical dynamism, Drax Project are comfortably one of the best bands that can be seen live. Rolling sax riffs and scintillating hooks ensure that any of their concerts are uniquely vibrant every time.
Plaudits must also be given however to Juno, the band tasked with warming up The Louisiana before the Kiwi headliners were due to take centre stage.
Led by talismanic Kahlia Ferguson, Juno is made up of 4 members, each amazing musicians in their own right. Ashley Hutton on saxophone provided the perfect teaser for what would be to come, the instrument being a compulsory component to both of the playing bands.
With the Louisiana slow to fill up, Ferguson and her team did an exceptional job of getting the party started, building the room to a fizzing buzz by the curtains of their performance.
If it ain't broke don't fix it. Drax Project began with 'Oh My' as is characteristic of many of their live performances. The sax riff is an iconic piece in their performance puzzle from what I can tell, and it is a banker for getting people grooving, ensuring that those in attendance go swinging into the set alongside the band.
This was followed by 'Woke Up Late', another classic in a Drax Project set-list. Lead singer Shaan awed the audience with his vocal versatility as he moved to the 'I Moeroa' version of the song a track which was re-recorded as part of a promotion for Māori Language Week (te Wiki o te Reo Māori).
After speaking with the group a couple of months ago prior to the beginning of their tour, I was told to expect a couple covers of some of their favourite songs to play thrown in to the mix.
Drax Project love to incorporate these to get the crowd moving with their unique interpretations of hip-hop and pop classics to stay close to their roots of busking the streets of Wellington.
'Pony' by Ginuwine was the first instalment of these, with Shaan on Sax and vocals bringing supreme energy. This was followed by a boasting of musical aptitude later in the set as we saw a medley of 'Still Dre' and 'Jenny from the Block' much to the delight of the adoring crowd.
'Catching Feelings' closed off an incredible set but without a way off the stage other than directly through the crowd, the band were left to sheepishly admit that 'this is usually when we would go off the stage and come back for an encore'.
In good spirit the crowd endeavoured in the usual ritual of chanting 'one more song' before Shaan could finally exclaim that they would play 'until we're kicked off'.
'All this time' and Justin Timberlake's 'Cry Me a River' were riveting endings to an eruptive evening at the Louisiana that certainly brought the Kiwi boogie straight to Bristol.
Featured Image: Rafe LlewellynWhat's your favourite cover you've heard live?
