True Colours - The Speakeasy at St James

By RUSSELL BAILLIE

On the surface of it, this final night of the True Colours concert series was the most low-key. Acoustic guitars abounded, ivories were tinkled, volume levels barely went into the red.

But in its own strange way, it was the most unpredictable of the shows, and the one which touched some spots the other ones couldn't hope to reach. Yes, one of those was the much-tweaked nostalgia nerve.

Especially for those who were there not just to see the trans-generational bunch of well-known singer-songwriters, but a reunion performance by mid-70s Auckland folk-rock group Waves.

The stage took on the look of a guitar showroom for their bracket which formed the middle of the evening's three parts. And while Graeme Gash confessed to a certain trepidation about playing in public, he and fellow singer-guitarists David Marshall and Kevin Wildman and bassist Michael Mason were soon happily dusting off the gently meandering songs of their era, complete with rich harmonies, deft fretwork and more eco-consciousness than a Green Party weekend retreat.

It was a quiet, revelatory performance sparked by the energy of old mates surprising themselves at how good they could still sound. Enough to make you think surely there is room for Waves on those classic hits formats between Crosby Stills Nash and Young and the Little River Band.

Either side of Waves was the get-together of songwriters which youngest participant Liam Finn quipped might be collectively known as "Anika and Liam's and their four Dads".

This song swap-meet was MC-ed by bFM's Hugh Sundae. And while we weren't expecting a lecture series, it might have been nice if he had occasionally strayed onto the subject of the songs themselves. A lengthy and tedious discussion with Chris Knox about the merits of the controversial film Irreversible (Sundae fainted, we were thrilled to learn) was a self-indulgent default to that radio dayjob.

But that, and the intrusive throb through the walls of the St James' top-floor Grand Circle nightclub marring the sound during the final hour, didn't stop this being a memorable show.

Each of the six performed a couple of their songs with accompaniment by the others, which meant what some of the songs lacked in rehearsed performance they made up for in the all-in backing vocals.

Best comedian was Dave Dobbyn, long a dab hand at this unplugged solo stuff, who felt a re-enactment of Hillary's ascent of Everest on a nearby couch was needed in between leading the all-star choir through the likes of Beside You, Whaling and, inevitably, Loyal.

Best utility player was Don McGlashan. Having performed with Blam Blam Blam on Friday, he contributed guitar, harmonica, ukulele, drums, euphonium, harmonies and jokes about misheard song titles - we'll never hear his Anchor Me quite the same - to proceedings.

He also delivered the night's most magic moment. Having done a nifty folk club take on Dominion Rd, he then sang the fraternal lament of Andy from his Front Lawn years - his audible deep breath after the line "If you were still alive you'd be just short of 33" was throat-lumpening.

Best new song on first hearing was True Romance from Martin Phillipps while it was heartening to see Mr Chill in good voice on a couple of oldies, too.

Both Moa and Finns played to their melodic strengths.

But the performance which clinched the night - if recorded for television you could have called it Grey Lynn Idol - was Knox's.

Not only did his physical cavortings frighten Moa, he mounted a one-man audience invasion with front-row table dancing. And in the finale of Not Given Lightly he stopped the number for a short sharp lecture on rock song structure before interpolating the lyrics of his fellow musicians' anthems into the last chorus.

Not something you see every gig, that. They really must do it again some time.

Who: Dave Dobbyn, Don McGlashan, Martin Phillipps, Anika Moa, Chris Knox, Liam Finn, Waves