When it comes to a band that can fuse dub, drum & bass and reggae, there are few names that spring to mind as quickly as Salmonella Dub. It was good to see Brisbane’sArena rightfully full for this roots band from the beautiful Aotearoa town of Kaikoura. The vast majority of the crowd were Kiwis out to support one of their greatest musical exports, and so despite the venue being packed and the bar being understaffed, the mood was appropriately laid back. The band were in town to promote their new albumHeal Me, their first release since former frontman Tiki Taane left in January to pursue a solo career, and their eighth album overall.
The support came in the form of Budspells, the duo of MC Kye and Ant who originally hail from New Zealand but met and now operate out of Sydney. They opened a little later than billed, but they chilled everyone out with some of their combined early work from the 90s, keeping the mood very mellow. The crowd couldn’t have been more in the mood for their smooth dub beats, enjoying their latest offering Ruckus. It was refreshing to see a varied demographic of ages filling out The Arena, showing that dub appeals to anyone with a love of urbane and positive music.
It was a shame Budspells only played for about 50 minutes as the crowd were clearly ready to enjoy a lot more from the duo, but the anticipation was already growing forSalmonella Dub to take to the stage. Unfortunately they didn’t do so for well over half an hour, and although the crowd never seemed to tire of the tunes being played in the interim, it was still a little disappointing to hear Salmonella’s own tracks being played before they came on!
When they did take to the stage at 11.30pm, they opened with Push On Thru, the seminal track from 2002’s release Inside The Dub Plates. Everyone was instantly enthralled, the breathy vocals and beautiful harmony washing over the crowd in a wave of chilled out grooves that had the crowd swaying and moving in unison. The night progressed and the band focused their attention a little more on their newest material.
Love, Sunshine and Happiness is an instant reggae classic, and along with the almost effortless warm feeling it evoked, it was the visual element of the gig that played a vital role. Blending perfectly with the tunes were visuals courtesy of Tim Budgen, the band’s VJ. Images of scenery from all over New Zealand have been a big part of their live show, and they do it especially for the expatriated Kiwis who appreciate their country’s beauty. Looking around the Arena it was clear to see a lot of people appreciating just that, and for a moment at least a little bit of Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley became 100% New Zealand.
The tempo shifted slightly when trumpeter Peter Wood took the mic, telling us that he wanted a go at singing for a change, and went straight into a personal favourite on the new album, Lightning. The fleeting elements of folk in the song entwined with the insouciant sounds of the dub undertone and Wood’s earthy vocals, all making for a wonderful little melody.
Although Heal Me isn’t a departure or a new direction for the band, their live experience may change in the future with the departure of Tiki Taane. His absence from tonight’s gig was certainly noticeable. It didn’t detract from the performance, however, and instead allowed the band to take themselves away on digressional instrumentals worthy of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. It was clear that David Deakins, drummer and new vocalist for the band, had been having fun all night, and no more so than when the band treated the crowd to a flawless rendition of The Stranglers’ 1977 summer hitPeaches towards the close of the night.
Salmonella Dub’s only real foray into drum & bass for the evening came with their encore, jolting everyone who may have gotten just a little too relaxed, sending everyone out into the Brisbane night with a healthy disposition and the sound of the long white cloud echoing in their minds.
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