The local femme rock supergroup, reviewed in two cities.

Alex Casey in Christchurch

I peeped the posters for last year’s Atomic concert and was thrilled by the novelty concept: some of the most talented women in New Zealand music, rocking out to the likes of Blondie, Hole, Alanis Morissette and Patti Smith for a whole night? Love a tribute band, love seeing a women-heavy lineup, love the chance to see gaggles of Christchurch ladies dressed up in their finest leather and leopard. 

When I made it along to the very first night of Atomic 2.0 at the Isaac Theatre Royal last week, the crowd did not disappoint. Among the typical uniform of Christchurch puffer jackets, there were people wafting about in long Stevie Nicks robes and beads, plenty of tight black jeans and thick eyeliner, and that’s before we even get onto the outfits on stage. Vera Ellen’s red leather pants! Boh Runga’s velour jumpsuit! Dianne Swann’s shaggy blonde mop!

The ensemble group comprising Atomic 2.0 was made up of musical director Julia Deans (Fur Patrol) Boh Runga (stellar*), Dianne Swann (When the Cat’s Away), Vera Ellen, and Jazmine Mary, backed by Karen Hu (drums), Rebel Reid (guitar), Louisa Nicklin (bass), and Ladyhawke’s Ilayda Tunali (keys). Swann immediately demanded everyone get up and out their seats, and by the second song (‘Call Me’ by Blondie) the aisles were full of people boogying. 

The hits came thick and fast, with songs from The Pretenders, The Cranberries, Patti Smith and even a tribute to Shona Laing. Helmed by Julia Deans in Courtney Love cosplay, there was an air of joyous chaos to the whole thing. “Undies? No undies?” Deans asked the whooping crowd while hiking her skirt up (later, when she sat down on the stage, a cackling crowd member stood in front to cover her crotch, just in case). With a few false starts and flubs, it had the energy of a shambolic talent show – just one where the contestants happen to be the most talented people in the country. 

A huge highlight of the night was when guitarist Rebel Reid took the microphone to sing ‘Cherry Bomb’ by The Runaways. “This is the biggest crowd I’ve ever sung in front of,” Reid muttered shyly, before basically ripping the roof straight off the Royal with a belting cover. It was difficult not to well up when Boh Runga stood back in wonder with her glittering water bottle to let the crowd sing most of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’. Vera Ellen strutting around the stage like Mick Jagger to ‘I’m Just a Girl’ by No Doubt was also an appropriate serve of fierce and silly for the current moment. 

Atomic 2.0 was a hugely fun night out, but it did leave me pondering a (potentially tedious) thought, especially during New Zealand Music Month. Is it a bleak sign of the times that these musicians can only fill a room this big with their powers combined and an arsenal of nostalgia covers? How many of the people in the audience would go and see them performing their own songs? Maybe the Venn diagram is two separate circles. Maybe it doesn’t matter at all. Maybe nothing compares 2 seeing a bunch of women making bank and rocking tf out.

Claire Mabey in Wellington

I want whoever is in charge of these things to send me back as any one of the women in Atomic. I haven’t seen anything so cool in ages and don’t expect to top Julia Deans and Vera Ellen guitar battling in this lifetime. Or Boh Runga’s black leather pants, or Dianne Swann’s VOICE. My god! What a revelation. I am ashamed I didn’t know more about Swann before this night of rock goddessing.

The Wellington crowd was a woman-strong mob featuring a lot of grey hair and tight pants. My friend and I arrived in the nick of time and I felt immediately young which was a pleasant sensation given I’d eaten too many fried potatoes at Damascus just minutes before, and am not young.

The show got immediately underway and I remembered why I have long harboured a crush on Julia Deans. Why is she not Dame Julia Deans yet? Even from way in the back of the stalls she exudes such energy and obvious love for her art and craft, and for the women on stage and for the songs that have inspired them. Deans is the musical director of this genius concept: cover bangers and get a whole opera house full of mostly women singing, dancing and screaming out “You deserve equal pay!”

The supergroup opened with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ ‘I Hate Myself for Loving You’ which reminded me just how magnificent Boh Runga is. The pipes, the style, the presence! A massive highlight was Runga singing ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ by the late Sinead O’Connor, who Runga said was one of her favourite artists of all time. It was a stunning rendition – deeply felt. 

There was a lot of love for Wellington’s own Vera Ellen in the room. It was Ellen who roused the Wellington crowd by saying “You know you’re allowed to sing along and dance, eh? Christchurch did.” Then she launched into Blondie’s ‘Heart of Glass’ and the gun shy horde stood up and surged forward, joining Julia Deans who’d jumped off the stage to boogie on the floor with the fans. Shout out to the group of women who wore cowboy hats with neon lights – beautiful work.

For me, Dianne Swann and Jazmine Mary were revelations. Swann sounds exactly like Marianne Faithfull and pierced my very heart with Faithfull’s ‘The Ballad of Lucy Jordan’; and her version of Patti Smith’s ‘Gloria’ was wild. Jazmine Mary absolutely nailed ‘Zombie’ by the Cranberries. I was hoarse by the end of it and had only just enough voice left to belt out ‘You Outta Know’ by Alanis Morrisette (sung by Deans who also did so good to Courtney Love with ‘Celebrity Skin’ by Hole). 

Vera Ellen shone in the second half of the show (“welcome to the 90s segment,” quipped Deans) with ‘I’m Just a Girl’ by No Doubt (Gwen Stefani really was something back in the day) and with Sheryl Crow’s evergreen ‘If It Makes You Happy’.

It was a night of excellence – the musicians were incredible: Karen Hu was sublime on drums, Rebel Reid epitomised rock goddess on guitar, Louisa Nicklin’s bass entered directly to the bloodstream, and Ilayda Tunali was phenomenal on keys. Eilish Wilson on saxophone was tremendous – what an instrument, what a shirt, what a player.

Going by Alex’s review it sounds like this show was tighter than the Christchurch version: Atomic 2.0 Wellington was slick, it was joyful and the musicianship really shone out.

After an encore of Florence & The Machine’s ‘Dog Days Are Over’ sung by Runga, a thousand elated bodies poured out of the Opera House into the rain, impervious to the damp and refreshed by rock. Can’t wait for Atomic 3.0.