Review: Black Seeds take on Black Barn Vineyard

The Black Seed on stage at Black Barn. Photo / Reef Reid

The Black Seeds & L.A.B.
Black Barn Vineyards
Friday, January 19
Review Astrid Austin

The Black Seeds have been in our hearts and minds since the '90s. And their gig at Black Blarn Vineyards proved why.

As the sun set amidst the vines, the eight-piece band stole the show, gracing the crowd with their undeniable presence and standout vocals.

As they walked onto the stage, raucous applause filled the air, the entire band beaming as the crowd cheered. The opening notes of Better Days followed.

Their 90-minute set traversed two decades worth of music, with songs from their first album in five years, released in 2017, to the tunes of one's youth.

As the evening wore on, the good vibes continued to flow, The Seeds ramping it up with each and every song, giving the audience their all.

With many years of touring overseas under their belt, they are well-versed in how to provide a world-class performance.

While Barnaby Weir took the lion's share of the vocal duties, no one could ignore the sweet voice and on-stage presence of the enigmatic Daniel Weetman as he crooned into the microphone, often juggling a tambourine and drumstick in either hand as he sang.

It is not often the opening act is as strong, but in this case, they most certainly were. From the moment L.A.B. took to the stage, they held their own.

The Kiwi band is fast earning a reputation as one of the country's must-see live acts.

Founded by the legendary Kora brothers, Brad on drums and Stu on guitar, keys, and enlisting the talents of Joel Shadbolt (vocals, guitar) and Ara Adams-Tamatea (bass) from the mighty Katchafire, L.A.B. combine the trademark grooves of Kora with Adams-Tamatea's reggae/dub experience and Shadbolt's blues roots to create a sound that's entirely their own.

They ran through a myriad of songs from their albums, including Ain't No Use and Midnight Summer.

However, the second song of the evening, Sweet Water, from their debut self-titled album was a firm favourite.

The deep vibrations of the bass moved through the crowd, as Shadbolt's voice cut through. "Sweet water energy, money for the company" repeated, while the beat built.

From there, they jumped to a slightly faster-tempo Fashion Dread from last year's album.

It is fair to say the two Kiwi bands did not miss a beat, bringing hit after hit. The few hours of music almost ended too soon.