CHECK OUT THE BLACK SEEDS GALLERY HERE.

I arrived at the Metro to a line-up made up of all types and sub-cultures – I was about to be given another lesson in New Zealand’s reggae revolution. The Black Seeds have been on the scene in New Zealand and abroad for over a decade, with previous albums going double platinum or debuting at number one in their home country. There was sure to be some keen Kiwis in the audience eager for a fresh batch of tunes.

The Resin Dogs warmed the crowd up as they slowly started to trickle in. The Brisbane sons of hip hop laid down their usual formula of drums, beat machines, keys and sampling. As the crowd got bigger, the guys on stage responded by giving more grunt. Natty Sistren Sound kept the crowd moving and built the hype. One soul sister was spinning tracks while the other one demanded everyone’s attention as a dancing MC. It worked well at keeping the momentum.

There was no waiting around for the main attraction. Enter The Black Seeds, straight on stage and into the first track with a small introduction from the MC. Admittedly, they didn’t start strong. The first number felt like a warm-up, but the crowd weren’t all that bothered, as the cheers and raised arms continued to wave about.

The audience, then packed to the brim, went from simmering to complete boil-over with the first few notes of the second song. The trombone was reminiscent of New Zealand’s forefathers of funk, Supergroove. Come the third song, the band upped the tempo, and got everyone clapping and hooked in. It was as if the guys on stage cast a spell over the crowd, taking them on a journey with consummate showmanship.

The Black Seeds hyped the audience up with a Parliament-esque funky number, before chilling them out with some of their reggae favourites and hypnotic dub. They suddenly commanded the audience to bend those knees and shake those shoulders with some up-tempo funk. Perhaps more prominence on the congas would have broken up the reggae routine, which tended to be too repetitious at times.

Songs worthy of a mention include three from their latest album Solid Ground: Afrophone, Slingshot and Take Your Chances. The eight musicians seem to have their formula down to a tee: soulful vocals, prophetic lyrics, funky bass and skanking guitar with woodwind and brass to round off each tune.

For the majority of the night, the lighting was a tinge of orange that lay over the stage and crowd. I felt the guys on stage deserved better. Given the tunes and the atmosphere, a few tones of blue and green would have only enhanced the friendly, fun- loving mood. As the crowd became mesmerised by guitar skank and electronic reverb, the addition of a revolving mirror ball gave a spacey, dark atmosphere that worked a treat.

This was indeed a memorable night at the Metro Theatre.