Great Review by Sarah Kidd from Ambient Light
...The long cold fingers of winter were tapping the backs of people’s shoulders last night as eager fans arrived early to wait, huddled against eachother in front of the doors of the Powerstation. Once inside however and the atmosphere was one of warmth, subtle changes such as small tables and chairs and a soft black cloth cloaking the usual cold steel of the stage barrier lifting the venue into more of a cocktail bar persona for this rather special night. Ms P.P. Arnold, making her first ever visit to New Zealand was somewhere in the building and while she could not be seen her presence could be felt emanating through the very walls themselves.
Forget about the Royal Wedding – Auckland had a queen of their very own in the house tonight.
Supported by Tim Rogers, Rusty Hopkinson and Andy Kent of the Australian band You Am I and featuring the keyboard talents of Mr James Black there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that tonight’s performance by P.P. Arnold would be a life changing experience. Dressed in a very dapper paisley suit Tim Rogers stepped up to the microphone and announced the arrival of the regal Ms P.P. Arnold with the banter of a Las Vegas showman, the fans roaring in delight. As the 71 year old Ms Arnold stepped out from behind the curtain the roar intensified, a few sharp intakes of breath heard from those in the front rows as they gazed upon her magnificence, Arnold sparkling in her electric blue sequinned dress. With a smile that could stop traffic, Ms Arnold stepped forward and thanked the Auckland crowd announcing that she would be kicking the show off with the first song that she ever sang as part of The Ikettes ‘What You Gonna Do’ taking the audience and the very venue itself by the shoulders and shaking them down.
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Read full article here: www.ambientlightblog.com/p-p-arnold-auckland-nz-2018
And one more review by 13th Floor contributor, Caitlin Smith
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I’m in love with PP Arnold! It’s literally impossible not to be.
She’s an irrefutable embodiment of the restorative and redemptive power of singing. No, she’s not a household name. But that’s because so many of the unsung heroes of music are those (often invisible) gigging and session musicians who hold it all together behind the scenes or out of the spotlight, so that manufactured and marketed ‘stars’ sound as great as they do.
Particularly when it comes to backing vocalists (aka BVs, the most noble of professions IMHO) you’re often hard-pressed even finding them properly cited on liner notes. There’s very often no credit where credit is well overdue!
How wonderful then, that we can enjoy a whole show of PP Arnold’s voice – front row centre, where it belongs.
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For this whirlwind two-week Tour-ette, she’s accompanied by You Am I’s Tim Rogers (on vocals, gat and stupendously dapper attire), Russell ‘Rusty’ Hopkinson (drums) and Andy Kent (bass). James Black, leader of Melbourne’s RocKwiz Orkestra, from SBS’s popular Live TV musical quiz show, was musically directing on keys. Another of PP’s co-stars for the night was Melbourne-based Talei Wolfgramm (from the Wolfgramm Sisters) on backing vocals. What a treat!
It was an interesting fusion of the rock of You am I and the soul of PP… but strange to say, after only three rehearsals, it worked.
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See full article here: https://www.13thfloor.co.nz/p-p-arnold-powerstation-may-20-2018/