Yawning Man bring chilled desert rock oasis to the Mothership

Review and Photography by Mark Derricutt / Chalice of Blood

Whilst the city was gearing up to brace itself against Cyclone Vaianu – a decent-sized crowd hunkered downstairs at Auckland’s Mothership venue to witness snake charming desert rock…

First up tonight was Hamilton/Waikato based groove/doom/rockers Wolf Wizard – being a long-time favourite NZ act, it was a pleasure to both catch up with the band before their set, and catch some killer riffs and leads.

It’s been a while since I last visited The Mothership, with yet another layout change, the venue feels even larger than it previously did – it’s a small thing, but I like noticing how versatile the space is, and how easily it can adapt to a given artists/event’s requirements.

Second up tonight is “The Rubber Snake Charmers” – holy heck, I’ve been transported to a sermon by an old-timey travelling preacher – I’m not even sure what he was preaching, but snake oil sure seems to be on the menu.

Wrapping up the evening, headliners Yawning Man filled the room with some laid back, chilled desert rock, this is the kind of music I’d probably drift off the road to – a soothing landscape of guitars punctuated with a guiding, driving drum and bass track.

Sharing members with the Rubber Snake Charmers, seeing each act with differing approaches to music/style was a joy, the ease with which a single band often makes their craft look, I find it even more impressive seeing the compartmentalism between projects, with each equally skilled and performed to perfection.