Review: The Winery Tour 2015

Karl Steven of Supergroove on stage at Villa Maria Estate (pic: Dani Bolton)

Dave Dobbyn, Don McGlashan, Supergroove and Anika Moa deliver a enjoyable mix of fireworks and song power on this year's Winery Tour

Past Winery Tours - this is the eight annual trek - have often ended at the Villa Maria Estate. This time the Mangere vineyard was second of the 11 dates, taking advantage of Auckland Anniversary Weekend rather than its usual mid-to-late February slot.

Given Sunday's cloudless sky that was a good call. Though there was still plenty of space among the nearly 4000 spread across the lawns.

Of course, people were out commemorating Auckland's continued existence in other ways - driving home, it looked like the Waikaraka Park Speedway had a good crowd too

But this show made for a fine celebration of a couple of Auckland musical institutions.

At the top of the bill, Dave Dobbyn and Don McGlashan combined for a tag-team greatest hits run through their respective songbooks.

This wasn't the hushed reverent ballad-heavy approach of their 2013 church tour together but a happy full-band bash with all the bells and whistles - and sometimes a borrowed Supergroove horn section.

And in the case of Slice of Heaven near the end, all of Supergroove subbing for Herbs' original backing part.

The opening Dominion Road blew the candles out on Auckland birthday's cake nicely before Dobbyn's Language chugged forth ... and so it went, like an extended Kiwi music game of last card.

Have to say, sometimes McGlashan's vocals needed some more breathing space in the mix and fulsome arrangements. The nuances in the likes of White Valiant got lost in the party-heartiness of the delivery.

But Dobbyn's keening voice just cut on through everything he sang, from ye olde pub rockers like Be Mine Tonight through to a bouncy Love You Like I Should buoyed by the Supergroove players who also helped blow the fallen leaves out of Nature straight after.

If the second half of the set was one here's-the-one-you've-been-waiting-for encore number after another, the actual encores themselves were still special with McGlashan's Anchor Me paired with Dobbyn's Welcome Home delivering a nicely poignant arms-aloft finish.

Anika Moa at Villa Maria. Photo / Dani Bolton

Four hours earlier, it was Winery Tour veteran Anika Moa who got the evening off a highly entertaining start with her solo-ish set which mixed old and new numbers - as well as a cover of Fleetwood Mac's Dreams - with her between-song comedy sideline.

As funny as she was - her intro to My Old Man suggested itself as the start of a sequel to Boy - some of her new songs, like Lover sure sound heartbroken.

But with help from producer Jol Mulholland who joined on her stage for much of her set, they aren't just acoustic guitar mopes but songs that sound a bit, well ... "If you think I'm trying to be like Lorde, well I am," she deadpanned.

And on first listen it sounds like it's working out rather well. She was hilarious and heartfelt too.

Supergroove. Photo / Dani Bolton

Then came Supergroove, who turned the stage with its giant inflatable roof into a funk-rock bouncy castle full of excitable blokes channeling the wild adolescents they once were. Which might sound worrying but it was glorious.

Especially with a set peppered with some surprises among the expected hits - some of Che Fu's solo cuts, an unleashing of the band's best unreleased song Dig In, and Che's saxophonist son Loxmyn joining the band on stage for a few numbers.

Supergroove: The Next Generation? Well the old one clearly hasn't lost its live mojo or its sense of humour.

Next anniversary weekend, how about we put them on a barge, push them out into the harbour, and let them be the fireworks?

Click here for upcoming Winery Tour dates and venues