Dance Exponents

Press, 7 February 1985, Page 8

Dance Exponents

Coconut Rough, Netherworld Dancing Toys, and Dance Exponents at the Christchurch Town Hall auditorium last evening. Reviewed by Nevin Topp. Only a small crowd turned up to watch these three New Zealand rock bands, one of which must be regarded as being the top group, musically, in this country. Coconut Rough began the show. Of the three times I have seen them it was their tightest and best, set yet. The group, who will split up when the tour is finished, is now down to a four-piece and it has made a great deal of difference to their presentation. Coconut Rough once seemed to lack a sense of direction with no particular member, or style, dominating, but this time songs such as “Everything Or Nothing,” and a new composition, “Action Replay,” were driven home.

Netherworld Dancing Toys were once again outstanding and must rate as* tiptop band in New Zea-’

land at the moment. If there was one complaint about the concert it was that the Dunedin band were never given a chance to give an encore — 45-minute set, and that’s it, boys — while Dance Exponents played on for about 70 minutes.

The Toys are vital, refreshing, and infectious. They enjoy their music, and even if not all their arrangements come off completely — as a “Jailhouse Rock” version of Willie Dixon’s “Hootchie Kootchie Man” showed — at least it makes interesting listening. The pick of the tracks was the energetic “Don’t Blame Me” and also “Standing in the Rain.” “Light Of Day,” a new song, did not seem to have quite the impact of some of the other compositions, but it was still only a notch down on the group’s high standards. The sooner this group puts out an album the better.

The sky is apparently the limit for Dance Exponents, judging by their new songs. The Christchurch pop band

that went to Australia and came back a rock band, introduced a whole batch of new songs at the show, including “Skies of Sunset,” and “Losing the Moon, the Sun, and You,” all of which were very much hard-nosed in the “Ocker” rock tradition.

It is difficult to judge whether Dance Exponents have gained or lost something by giving away their simply crafted pop songs, with their infectious edge, for a sound that is a lot heavier and harsher. Certainly, it was difficult to hear Jordan Luck’s vocals over the sound, which was made worse late in the set when the microphone system went on the blink.

Full credit, though, to Luck for overcoming the sound problem even if the air was blue, but a black mark for not curbing his impish nature in playing the pop star to the hilt when going to the very edge of the stage to wallow with the fans. It went out with the