The plan was to pull off the whole flat gig outside. We had tried every set up imaginable, figuring out where to place our band members, drum kit, and amplifiers across a freshly damp front deck, sprawled between wires, lights, and camera gear that needed to be placed into Tetris stacks before punters started showing up at 7PM.
I figured it would be fine, despite the weather being overcast. There hadn’t been a raindrop since dawn, and occasional glimpses of the sun made me optimistic that we’d be able to host a proper shindig in the parking lot, hidden behind tallish hedges and neighbours that frequently bumbled along through siren jams and other bass-boosted house parties. We’d pulled out a rug for the drums to stay still, we encouraged people to bring gumboots to stand on the grass, and every detail felt like it was destined to go right.
Neither Do I managed to get through two and a half songs before frontman Danny Ebdale started to hesitate. The rain began as a shower, like something that could pass within a minute or two for us to get on with the night. It could be tolerated by putting on a hoodie and drying off an amp, until it very quickly couldn’t.
“I feel like a Goo Goo Doll or something, I can’t do this.”
“Why not?”
By this point in the night (at minute 7:52 in the video), you can see me running toward the band with an undersized sheet of tarpaulin and politely asking everyone else to move inside. I barely had a moment to process what had happened as I vigorously scrubbed at cymbals, drying off the water before people crowded into our bedroom. Seemingly, the plan had spawned from the ether - people were dragging around furiture in our lounge, plugging things back in, and getting ready to play again.
We’ve strung these out of order, but now you’ll be able to sequentially take a look at The Void’s devolution into chaos from NDI, to Park Flyers, to CCTV and get yourself ready for the finale with 花溪 Flowerstream. They just opened for Chet Faker at the Auckland Town Hall, but their home is in DIY spaces like these, where new music is bred and born while the rest of the world continues to play catch up.
Otherwise, if you’re into sad music from Aotearoa , head along to any of Neither Do I’s upcoming tour stops across the motu as a quartet. They’re incredible live, and have a host of new music to share with audiences outside of the big smoke.
Friday 2nd October - Vogelmorn Upstairs, Wellington w/ Park Flyers, Welcomer, Western Haikus
Saturday 3rd October - Wunderbar, Christchurch w/ Model Home, Hoihoi, Abandoned Carparks
Sunday 4th October - The Crown Hotel, Dunedin, support to be announced
Thursday 8th October - 605 Morningside, Auckland w/ Fishing, Blisster
P.S: Keep an eye on these names, as we have a bunch of other cool stuff planned for the rest of the year with several of the bands playing with NDI this October.