Live at Spark Arena
26 July 2025
Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall
Mānuka Phuel FULL METAL ORCHESTRA Brings Heart, and Heavyweights to Spark Arena
Auckland’s Spark Arena pulsed with anticipation on Saturday night as more than 10,000 black-clad rock disciples poured in for a genre-bending, star-studded celebration of Kiwi spirit and full-throttle metal — courtesy of Mānuka Phuel FULL METAL ORCHESTRA.
Part tribute, part experiment, and all-out rock spectacle, the night’s lineup read like a who’s who of Southern Hemisphere rock royalty. AC/DC legend Phil Rudd held court behind the kit, while Shihad’s Jon Toogood commanded the stage with trademark fire. Devilskin’s Jennie Skulander brought pure vocal ferocity, and EJ Barnes — daughter of Aussie icon Jimmy Barnes — added both soul and swagger. Joining this powerhouse roster were Milan Borich, frontman of Pluto, delivering one of the night’s most intense performances, and Wellington-based blues-rock firebrand Seamus Johnson, injecting grit and raw energy into the mix. Together, they set the stage for a night that was as ambitious as it was explosive.
Before the orchestra let loose, the show opened with an unexpectedly intimate — and brilliant — solo set from Jon Toogood, acoustic guitar in hand. Dressed down in a Beastwars T-shirt — a subtle nod to a fellow Wellingtonian band — yet totally dialled in. Toogood transformed the cavernous arena into something smaller, warmer. Like we were gathered around his lounge room fireplace rather than beneath the floodlights of a 12,000-capacity venue.
His setlist paid homage to the Kiwi greats, rattling through hits like Bliss (Th’ Dudes), Victoria (Dance Exponents), and Rain (Dragon) with raw charisma. There were laughs too — a cheeky moment when Toogood plucked the opening notes of I Got You (Split Enz), then paused, smirking: “That’s Eminem, man... do you think that’s where he got the idea from?”
It was a reverent nod to Aotearoa’s rock DNA, delivered by one of its most beloved sons — and the crowd soaked up every second.
After Toogood exits the stage, we’re treated to a playful guitar battle — two axe-slingers trading iconic metal riffs, teasing what’s to come. But instead of building to a payoff, the duel fizzles out. The pair retreat backstage without launching into a full song, leaving the crowd hanging in an anticlimax that begged for a finale riff to erupt into a complete track.
Then — detonation. Fire cannons rip through the air as the FULL METAL ORCHESTRA roars to life. If Toogood’s set was a campfire singalong, this was the bonfire: fierce, bombastic, and gloriously unhinged.
Though often buried beneath the sheer weight of the metal mix, the orchestra brought cinematic heft to the performance. Sometimes more presence than prominence, but their contribution gave the set a sense of scale that elevated the experience.
Highlights? Plenty.
- Jennie Skulander’s spine-shattering vocals on Sober shook the rafters — a showcase of fearless range and power that left jaws on the floor.
- Phil Rudd, stoic and thunderous, took the stage for just four blistering tracks — but that was all it took. At 71, the AC/DC legend proved he’s still a rock ’n’ roll powerhouse, a human metronome with the swing of a sledgehammer, reminding us exactly why his name is etched in rock royalty.
- Milan Borich, delivered a standout performance of Change (Deftness), channeling the song with such intensity it felt like it was coursing through his veins. Possessed by the music, he unleashed a thunderous, soul-deep rendition that marked one of the night’s undeniable high points
- Jon Toogood, returned to dedicate a song to the Prince of Darkness himself with War Pigs (Black Sabbath) — “This one’s for Ozzy” — proving once again he’s the connective tissue holding it all together.
The grand finale? None other than AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ’n’ Roll)” — a thunderous, full-throttle salute to the man behind the kit. With the FULL METAL ORCHESTRA (Auckland Philharmonia) in full swing and a dozen bagpipers storming the stage, it was less a song and more a coronation. Every performer from the night — guitar gods, vocal titans, orchestral wizards — gathered in one glorious, fist-pumping curtain call. It was loud, it was chaotic, it was undeniably epic. A send-off worthy of rock royalty.
What could have felt like a novelty — classical orchestra meets metal — instead emerged as a heartfelt and often thrilling celebration. Thanks in no small part to David Higgins and the vision behind Synthony, the Mānuka Phuel FULL METAL ORCHESTRA achieved something rare: uniting heritage with experimentation, and doing it loud.
If you were there, you already know. If you weren’t — well, shame.
Reviewer: Paul Marshall
Photography by Paul Marshall
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