Former underage gig-goers turned average-age music lovers Gabi Lardies and Lyric Waiwiri-Smith review Double Whammy’s first all-ages gig, featuring Dartz, Dune Rats and Groopchat.
Lyric Waiwiri-Smith: Gabi, do you remember your first all-ages gig? I was 15 and watched Miss June tear up the grimy little stage at the Old Folks Association. I think something about that night permanently altered my brain chemistry.
Gabi Lardies: Wow, so you’re going to sprinkle dust in my eyes straight away? I would have been about the same age, going to see The Rabble, a punk band, play at the Grey Lynn Library Hall. I remember my mum dropping me off and being horrified to see old school punks there with like mohawks and shit. I was in my tan-coloured shorts and studded belt, straight from an all girls Catholic school and east Auckland suburbia. Thank God for all ages gigs.
LWS: I think my mum was just like, “get home safe I guess”. That was the gateway drug for the next nearly 10 years of gig going. Earlier this year I was feeling really worried that maybe this little underground culture of baby punks and rockers was dying out, so heading to Double Whammy last night and seeing the teenagers in their patches and band tees moshing for Dartz and Dune Rats made my 20-something heart melt.
GL: Me too. Gigs and local music really defined my teen years (and probably beyond). I seem to remember just waiting through each school week so I could go to a gig, maybe at the library hall, maybe at the scout hall, maybe at Ellen Melville or Cross Street Studios, maybe even at Basement on the weekend. I’d go with a little clan of friends and we discovered the world beyond school and home life where I don’t think any of us really fit in. Kids gotta have places to go and things to do beyond the First XV and the library.
I can’t help but notice how punk seems to be the perfect and enduring genre for all ages gigs. It’s loud, fun, playful, angry and the crowd always goes wild. The frontpeople also seem to be particularly inviting to crowd participation, which is perfect for people who haven’t been to many gigs before (maybe it’s even their very first :’) ). And in return, a young crowd is so receptive. What do you think it is about punk and all ages?
LWS: Ugh, sooooooo true. My high school boyfriend was a drummer, and I remember every other weekend being spent at The Vault (RIP), UFO (RIP), Lowtide (RIP), Old Folks (RIP) or the Grey Lynn Library Hall (RIP).
I reckon punk gets all that teen angst out. I really loved the opening band Groopchat – I saw them earlier this year at 95bFM’s Fancy New Band and they were awesome then as well – with their unrestrained energy and confidence. Obsessed with the screaming in their song ‘Safety Pin’. Also obsessed with the shout out they gave their drummer for her birthday, “the big one-seven”. Turning the big 17? Take me back!
GL: I loved Groopchat too. They had an excellent song about pigeons, or “sky rats”. They were so cool and confident on stage that it took me a while to compute the big one-seven, hah. That is probably not helped by another enduring mark of going to all ages gigs, my hearing is so shit and I have tinnitus. I watched a father figure dole out ear plugs to a line of three teen boys, and explain how you have to squish them up then jam them in your ear. As soon as the dad turned away all the boys just put the ear plugs in their pockets. It would be extremely hypocritical of me to say anything but it would be nice to hear what people are saying to me from two metres away sometimes ya know.
LWS: God I love the feeling of teenage invincibility. But some people still take a while to come out of their shell when going to a gig for the first time. It’s a bit of standing around with your arms folded swaying side to side and trying to build up the gusto to dance in front of the stage. I really loved Dune Rats encouraging the teens to mosh – just a bit of harmless fun (unless you get an elbow to the eye, but that’s character building).
GL: The order of the line up was so perfect, because each act amped up the crowd more and more. Groopchat had already said a few encouraging things to the crowd like “you can do as you please” but their music is a little less abrasive and angry so it did fit the chill sway, whereas if you tried to chill sway to Dune Rats or the Darts it would be erm… interesting. We did manage with our head banging though.
If we’re talking about harmless fun, I think we should talk about all the preparation that was put into keeping harm away. As a formal venue, Double Whammy needs to be careful and strict about underage patrons, and the new All Ages Association Auckland (AAAA) who put on the show have a really big emphasis on safety. Right as we walked in the door we were met with a huge poster stating the expected etiquette. No drugs, no alcohol, no smoking and no vaping. Zero tolerance for any sort of discrimination, and respect for the venue, each other and yourself.
Inside, a handful of people wearing pink cowboy hats were there to help out and keep an eye on things. It felt really safe and inviting. Do you agree? What do you know about the AAAA?
LWS: I thought the safety measures really made the gig. As a teenager, the concept of “good behaviour” feels like a bit of a drag because, I KNOW WHAT I’M DOING, MUM. But you really don’t, and it’s important to have someone who can help you out if you’re a bit overwhelmed or feeling unsafe. I think that’s often the downfall of these underage gig spaces – there’s a lack of expertise and people power to make sure everyone at their gig is feeling okay.
I guess that’s also why the AAAA popped up a few months ago – one of their members, Sam Ashton, told me that he, the crew at Double Whammy and a few others in the scene came together to try and fix the cultural hole that’s been left by the disappearance of a lot of underage-friendly gig spaces. They were also sick of seeing teens passed out in Myers Park at night after going to some of the dodgier venues. So they thought, alright, we have the means, let’s host these shows ourselves and make sure we’re doing it right.
GL: The timing was important too. Doors opened at about 5pm, and when we left, it was still light out. The teens could have easily caught a bus home and been there in time for dinner. It didn’t take away from the vibe though, as soon as we descended the stairs into the venue, it felt like night time and I was quite struck by how similar it felt to being there for an R18 show. There was a faint smell of beer, though none was being served and the lighting and sound were the same quality. This was the first all ages show there, but I can imagine all the young bands coming to play and how cool it will be for them to be able to use the high-spec set up. For the audience it also seems like it will be a good introduction for coming to R18 gigs later. They’ll know where the bathrooms are and hopefully the familiarity will mean they’re not overwhelmed.
LWS: The smell of beer was greatly overpowered for me by the smell of the sausage sizzle in the smoko area. Great vegan snags raising funds for the AAAA.
GL: The saussie was the perfect way to end the perfect gig.
LWS: My snag was only slightly cold because we ordered right before Dartz went on stage. I’d never seen them before, but goddamn, their stage presence was infectious. Their lead singer Daniel Vernon (also of Yeehaw The Boys fame) started their set in the middle of the crowd (after the bassist encouraged a hearty “fuck David Seymour!”). He was theatrical and wonderful and endlessly energetic. He brought a teen with a sign up referencing their Toyota Corolla track on stage with him. He did a few lines from the Backstreet Boys’ ‘I Want it That Way’. He told the crowd he wanted to see all of them in a band someday with triple the crowd he’s got. He brought the teens up on stage when it was all over. And I think he also may have birthed a whole room of anti-landlord socialists and future beer smashers.
Call me soft, but I walked away from last night feeling really hopeful about the future of the all ages gig scene. It’s got a lot to recover from, but the thing that always persists is the passion of the people. You might not always have the hosting space, but you’ll always have the fans. Punk is for the children.
GL: 🎸👩🎤🔥