There’s something special about seeing a band two decades into their career still playing with the same urgency that first won them fans. On Wednesday night at Meow Nui, Wellington stalwarts Fur Patrol proved exactly that: they’re still rocking, and the crowd is still very much here for it.
Opening the night was local act Dateline, setting the tone with upbeat energy and confident stage presence. Their vocals were strong and charismatic, immediately warming up a bustling crowd. One highlight was the punchy “Please Knock Me Out,” while later songs like “What Is It Worth” leaned into catchy hooks and driving rhythms. The band kept things light between songs too—joking about why we should buy their merch and if we don’t, to just “slip them some cash if you want.” They ended the night with a burst of satisfying screamo, the room was fully engaged.
Then it was time for the headliners.
From the moment Fur Patrol hit the stage, the audience—still surprisingly contemporary in age despite the band’s long history—had come ready to rock. After not releasing new music since 2008 the fear is that both the band and the catalogue had grown stale, however this was proven wrong as frontwoman Julia Deans was just as electrifying as she was when their standout record Pet first hit shelves in 2000.
Early songs like “Not Your Girl” and “Andrew” quickly got the crowd moving, while “Holy” showcased the band’s knack for big, emotional hooks. “Spinning a Line” stood out thanks to drummer Simon Braxton’s excellent backing vocals and counter-melody work, adding extra punch to an already strong arrangement.
Producer David Long, who produced Fur Patrol’s debut album Pet and is now an Emmy winner, joined the band on stage to fill in for guitarist Steve Wells, currently in Paris. “Hopefully he can hear us from Paris,” the band joked.
The band also paid homage to fellow Kiwi legends with a driving cover of The Mutton Birds’ (Of which Long is a founding member) “Queen’s English,” powered by thick, propulsive bass lines. Deep cuts like “Local Kid” and “Autumn Song” delighted longtime fans, while “Great Leap Forward” and “Get Along” kept the momentum high.
The emotional and musical peak of the night came with “Lydia,” which had the room locked in. It was one of those moments where the years seemed to collapse, as those old enough to remember when “Lydia” first kicked Destiny’s Child off the top spot on the New Zealand Singles Chart were joined in unison with the younger crowd whom Dean referred to as “Beautiful young faces, not like us crusties”.
Notably the humour between songs that Fur Patrol is known for was not lost to time. Dean yelled that it was a “pretty good turn out for a school night” which prompted the quick reply: “None of us are in school!”.
They finished the night off by shouting out our very own RadioActive, Their first track to be played on the airwaves “Man In A Box,” they recalled, was first played on “a nuclear station” that “was a bit radioactive.”
Fur Patrol happily avoided the stereotypes of a band living off Nostalgia, nearly 15 years since their last release, on a weeknight in Wellington, they showed they’ve still very much got it.
Ryan Cleland
Photos By Kloey Shaw