Coterie @ Astor Theatre
w/ Adrian Dzvuke, Ben Swissa
Friday, August 19, 2022
Ahead of their performance, Coterie’s conga-line stretched 60 metres west of Beaufort on Walcott, lengthening in sync with the late-order soundcheck. A clutch of videographers scarpered along the kerb taking it all in. No matter this late winter’s eve chill. The Fisher boys had returned from the east bearing gifts and The Astor would soon pulse to their ecstatic bombora.
Deep inside, Aotearoa-born Perth-based quintet Coterie laid in wait to round out their COVID-interrupted first Australian tour with a bucket-hatted beachy banger, bedding down their cool rootsy goodness on Adrain Dzvuke’s slick RnB pop-ful afrobeats and Ben Swissa’s exuberant guitar and vocal gymnastics.
Watching Ben Swissa ignite the first slot was a wake-up call. He’d been the staple opener on this tour and his last hit-out would explode after cheekily apologising for leaving his band behind. The front-rowers jaws unzipped along the tog-pit rail as he ricocheted from electric to bass and electronics, looping and triggering against his bankable vox. Watch this one rise.
Perth wunderkind Adrian Dzvuke’s national reputation for divining grooves had caught Coterie’s attention, so the second spot was his to mine and mine it he did. Leaving the instrumentation to his band sets him free to swoop like a matador in perfect sync with his tightly choreographed music, crafted over taunting infectious rhythms and yes, his dance club swagger got the mob moving. Sip on Red Wine and Heartbreaker trendsetters.
In the aftermath we watched as Coterie’s projected montage clock wound down for over six minutes ’til a volley of beachballs bounced into the room from stage-left before lift-off was initiated with Brandford’s blazing Maori welcome.
Coterie may well be defined as an exclusive circle of friends, or in this case a band of inseparable brothers – Tyler/lead-vox, Joshua/piano, Brandford/bass and Conrad/guitar – but their music is anything but exclusive, having exceeded 1 million streams with their rousing soulful Where We Began and Cool it Down staking a claim at #1 in NZ (2021). Oh and the voices … those remarkable voices.
Through COVID’s dark months Coterie’s musical style seemed to reflect a spiritual yearning for connection, evident in the soaring soul harmonies of Say Goodbye, but with the relaxation of restrictions their heads have spun beach-ward, resulting in a gnarly surf reggae vibe echoing a return to happier times.
Good Morning and their latest Killing It Off would lift the roof, pressing Island flavours hard against rock-laden RnB.
Having swarmed the senses for around 40 mins, there was a breather and the hive buzzed as the brothers slipped deep into the unplugged bleachers, gesturing quiet ‘til Stepping Stones shimmered softly like a sonic sorbet, as those who knew it helped it swell. This may have been the last time Coterie would go mid-room a cappella. A song for the ages.
After welcoming both supports back on stage for one last fresh kicker and with the end in sight, Salvation and Bless My Soul rose like a soul-soaked phoenix. The richness and range of Tyler’s vocals raged over his brothers’ sweeping harmonies. Against the tide of raucous unbridled enthusiasm, the gentle anthemic power of these works, and the encore that followed, etched an indelible testament to how extraordinarily gifted this band is.
Words and Photos by Alan Holbrook
