Shayne Carter solo with “some songs I like”
Show: Shayne P Carter – North Island Tour
Venue: Nivara Lounge
Date: Thursday 26th March
Reviewed by: Cate Prestidge
The last time I saw Shayne Carter live was at a Straitjacket Fits gig at Sammy’s Nightclub. It was the hottest ticket in town and a grainy photo on Audioculture captures the vibe. My main memory is Carter’s manic energy and charisma, snarling and playing with a frenetic speed.
His latest North Island tour takes a quieter approach, with intimate acoustic performances that are just as compelling.
He sets a relaxed tone on the opening night “Hi, I’m Shayne and I’m gonna play you some songs I like”. It’s an approach that worked beautifully. He’s not here to reminisce with a nostalgic back catalogue but to simply take us along as he shares a mix of new music and explores the old. He repeatedly says he doesn’t have any hits, but he sneaks a few in just the same.
The 12 song set opened with Burn it Up, followed by The Garden. Dimmer’s Pendulum came soon after and was gorgeous, and I loved his take on Evolution, bringing the Elvis inspired video to mind.
The whole Nivara Lounge vibe feels like hanging out with mate and as Shayne chats between songs he tells us he likes the small-scale approach, and loved his 2025 tour around the South Island. He’s sincere when he says, “In every little place there’s cool people, and then those cool people come and see me – it’s beautiful”
He’s witty and self-deprecating too. After trying out a new song he quipped “you might have noticed the epic battle over the lead break in that one… I might have to work on that”
There wasn’t much to work on, he is a skilled and focused performer, and the audience were right there with him. He’s been experimenting with more pedals since the covid lockdowns adding them to his solo show, and with just his acoustic guitar and set up, the audience heard every word and chord.
Unfortunately, we also heard every word from a small table of loud, wittering punters who talked through half the set, but Shayne sorted it. “You know, we put a bit of effort into these shows, and I think more of us (musicians) should speak up about it, cos it’s actually really distracting and hard”.
He laughed and offered a deal, “come and pay me $20 and I’ll let you talk through a verse and if you pay me another 20, you can talk through the chorus”. They shut up and the rest of us applauded.
A couple of highlights were a stripped back version of ‘If I were You’ and the stunning ‘Randolph’s Going Home’ – an emotional and rare treat. He came out to the merch stand after the show and we expressed our thanks for Randolph. He admitted he hadn’t been sure if he’d do it – it’s tough even after all these years.
My husband presents a poster he’s nicked off the toilet wall, and a couple of vinyls he’s just bought. Carter laughs at the dedication request “To my beloved Warren’, signs and thanks us for being there and for enjoying his music.
He kept saying he doesn’t have any hits, but he absolutely has. I’m so pleased I got to hear some of them along with his newer works. A wonderful start to the tour.
Tour info here and more on his website https://www.shaynepcarter.com/
