Live at The Tuning Fork
23 January 2025
Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall
Before the main event, Wellington’s all-female rock outfit, Sure Boy, took to the stage, receiving polite applause from a crowd largely unfamiliar with them.
That unfamiliarity, however, didn’t last long. From the first note, Sure Boy proved they were no mere opening act. Their sound a fresh, grinding mix of Pop-Rock, immediately turned heads, like the first whiff of a bold new coffee blend.
Front woman Beth Stewart, alongside guitarist Simone McCarthy, bassist Lily Fulton, and drummer Freyja Appleyard, delivered a striking performance that blended the musicality of The Jam with the raw energy of The Go-Go’s, while Stewart’s vocals evoked shades of Debbie Harry and Siouxsie Sioux.
By their third song, the audience was fully on board. No longer strangers, Sure Boy had won over the room.
Thanks for dancing with me, I love it, Beth told the crowd, feeding off their growing enthusiasm.
The set’s pinnacle arrived with Pepsi, a track that had the audience chanting Post Party Pepsi right back at Stewart on command, their voices echoing through the venue.
A moment of intrigue unfolded when, midway through the set, Everclear frontman Art Alexakis quietly slipped in stage-right, taking a seat to watch the band. A lifelong supporter of new music, Alexakis was clearly impressed, just like the rest of us. Sure Boy isn’t just a band to watch, they’re a band to bet on.
Reviewer: Paul Marshall
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