Bic Runga, Flight of the Conchords and Anika Moa at Tahaki Reserve, Mt Eden

Bic Runga was like a French chanteuse with chic bob

By 6.30pm, the light was waning in Tahaki Reserve, a hidden gem of an amphitheatre at the foot of Mt Eden.

Hundreds had already set up on the ground with their picnic blankets and chilly bins, and the police were left with little to do but stand back and enjoy the concert.

Anika Moa had already finished her opening set by then, so next was folk-parody duo Flight of the Conchords, home with their acoustic guitars and witty banter after wowing audiences in Britain and the United States.

Like a less vulgar Derek and Clive, they come on like a couple of mates who converse, no matter how banal the subject, in song.

Their set was a hit-and-miss affair of songs that were either vaguely amusing or laugh-out-loud funny. The highlights included a chat-up song about a part-time model who will have to keep her normal job, an account of mid-week nookie and a discussion about imagining, rather than adopting, children.

The warm-up was presumably to lighten the load before Runga's melancholy set, which opened with a stirring, though long, haka powhiri.

Then the seven-piece band, featuring Neil Finn, Anika Moa and Shayne Carter, shuffled on, joined by Runga, looking like a French chanteuse with her chic new bob.

This was their last set on the tour to promote Runga's new album Birds.

But any chance this would be a bit of a romp were dashed when she opened with her moodier new work, including the breathtaking but sombre Ruby Nights.

That, and a lonesome performance of the bluesy No Crying No More showed just how far Runga has come since the peppy Something Good, which came later in the set.

Runga has never excelled at between-song banter but she did step out from behind the guitar for a number of the songs, allowing her tortured, evocative voice the chance to really soar.

That fragility was both a blessing and a hindrance.

While it's easy to get a sense of intimacy listening to the album, some of the songs got lost in the outdoor setting, and for much of the set Runga looked a little uncomfortable. It appeared to rub off on her bandmates.

Moa got carried away with her silly dancing in the corner, and even Finn couldn't resist chipping in.

"That was good, that last song," he said.

Runga: "Oh, ta."

It wasn't until late in the piece she allowed herself to relax into the music, and what a difference. The dynamics soared on Winning Arrow and the truly haunting Captured.

But you couldn't help but feel you'd get closer to the music by simply putting the album on at home.