Chelsea Parsons, who has the job title “head of success” at her day job at digital marketing company Hype & Dexter, ably rapped the lyrics to Missy Elliott’s ‘Get Your Freak On’ before seguing into De La Soul’s part of Gorillaz’ ‘Feel Good Inc’.

From the local branch of Dentsu, Jille & the Meat Lovers began a ferocious version of Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ then pivoted by mixing in the lyrics to Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’. Others mixed it up, taking wild swings that could easily have come unstuck. Given 15 minutes to play whatever motley medley they pleased, some chose sets full of songs sure to appeal to the night’s judges, supplied by Radio Hauraki, with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Killers strong favourites. The nine acts playing back-to-back performances were often hilariously exhilarating. From the vodka shots and free drinks vouchers being handed out at the door to the homemade signs and rowdy moshpits that formed in the front rows of Galatos throughout the night, everyone got what they came for. For the first time in three years, those there holding their $50 tickets, or bands who’d paid the $500 entry free, arrived at 6pm ready to party. Photo: SuppliedĪt the annual Battle of the Ad Bands, a kind of adults-only Smokefree Rockquest headlined by bands consisting solely of those who work in media or advertising industries, the motto for the night’s ridiculously compelling four-hour show was “anything goes”. The Pixels work their way through a saxed-up set of covers at Battle of the Ad Bands. Their mustachioed front man grinned like he’d just gotten away with a crime.

“You’re a sax offender,” declared one of three impressed judges after their set. Onto a good thing, possibly inspired by Kenny G, they then repeated the trick for a similarly jazzed-up cover of MGMT’s ‘Kids’. As The Pixels, they’d promised to provide as much variety as an op-shop record bin and they delivered, turning the uber-grungy UK guitar anthem into a yacht rock opus. It’s highly likely no one has ever listened to that song and thought to themselves, “This could be improved with a lot more saxophone”.īut that’s exactly what a group of dapper lads from media agency OMD decided to include in the opening song of their brief set on a drizzly Thursday night in Auckland. The Arctic Monkeys saw no need to include a lengthy saxophone solo in ‘Do I Wanna Know?’, their slow-burn 2013 rocker with a killer chorus. ‘This is the best gig we’ve ever played! It’s also the first gig we’ve ever played!’

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