A brief look into how Soaked Oats sold out San Fran to music fans, frothers and all in between.
In July 2019 four very talented musicians returned to the capital for their first proper gig in Welly for a while and they faced a new issue, their strings didn’t break, the equipment didn’t fail and the crowd wasn’t sparse, in fact it was the opposite.
A Thursday sold-out San Fran show gave the oaty boys a crowd full of punters who for the most part, were there simply because it was the thing to do that night.
The front of the crowd hosted the excited gig goer who I’d bet knew the music and were keen on a bit of a mosh, the left and right of the room being people who knew the music and wanted to listen without the combat and then the middle of the room all the way to the back were people there to have a few drinks and have a midweek catch up.
For a lot of bands the dream is to tour and play a sold-out show midweek but for Soaked Oats, who’s latest project boasts unique creative juices and softer melodies had hoped the crowd could calm down and listen quietly to their tracks, not to demand them to play “Cherry Brother” and other Stone Fruit Melodies from their first album.
During their performance Oscar Mein, the lead singer, spoke on the difficulty they face playing in front of a crowd and had a few witty comments like “who’s been to a gig before” which found some appreciation from those paying attention but not by most.
The difficult part of reviewing this night is I feel for both the band who wanted to play their songs in the way they intended and for the punter who has supported them with a ticket and came out of their homes.
On one hand it was a show booked during uni re-oweek, a Thursday night with the crowd of midweek drinkers who paid for a ticket and the other is a group of four musicians who have developed a unique piece of art, put hours and hours into practising, performing, recording and were now touring with new material.
As a good friend Oli Cheyne once said, “all breathers and breathettes should be banned from attending gigs in Wellington” but, I’m no mosh pit saint and I’m sure we’ve all breathed at one point or another.
Cover Image by Frances Scrimgeour
Music as a social night out and Soaked Oats last Wellington Show by Ben Morgan
