Sh!t to drink coffee to #3 -The Schizophonics live under the Tauranga Harbour Bridge

Drink good coffee - do cool things

Welcome to Sh!t To Drink Coffee to, where I sit down and write about things I sat down to consume while I sat down to consume coffee. Or in today’s case, stood up to consume while I danced and drunk cold coffee.

In this episode, I check out the Schizophonics on the end of their New Zealand tour, at an all-ages, koha entry gig under a literal state highway.

Schizophonics end New Zealand tour with splash

One of the first things Pat Beers, energetic and enigmatic front man for iconic San Diego rock band Schizophonics, is “I am the troll, under the bridge. I am the leprechaun.”

Welcome to the Tauranga Harbour Bridge - one of city’s most iconic venues (If you can call it that - it’s a void underneath a state highway.)

This space is less a music venue and more a musical experience generator.

Suns out, water is warm and Pat Beers is doing yet another split.

At first glance, under the Tauranga Harbour Bridge doesn’t scream ideal venue - it’s normally used as a thoroughfare for pedestrians to get from the City over to The Mount, for people fishing for some kai or as makeshift accommodation for Tauranga’s less fortunate.

And today among the crowd who were there to rock out on a sunny Sunday afternoon, were plenty of confused cyclists on e-bikes, covered in fluoro, trying to make it through to the otherside, only to get stuck in the middle of the mosh-pit. As they picked up their bikes worth thousands, designed to conquer paths old and new but unable to conquer rock’n’roll, their faces were full of rage as they resigned themselves to coming up with another way around the city. One older gentleman with a bike worth more than my car asked “what is this? The who? Never heard of them.”

Luckily for the Schizophonics, plenty have. Over a hundred revelers, made up of young punks, old rockers, mums, dads and a few kids no older than 4 or 5, have come to witness something special. Maybe they were fans of the Schizophonics. Maybe they knew the secrets this venue has to offer. Whatever the reason, they were treated to something special.

It was relentless from the first smash of the cymbals. The only time front man Pat Beers stopped was to tie his shoe. Other than that brief reprieve, his energy was unmatched. You wouldn’t dare look away for a second, as you were never quite sure where he would be when you turned back round. He could be doing the splits, finishing a powerslide across the graffitied concrete floor, in the middle of the crowd or even on the shoulders of Kiwi rock legend John Baker.

Pat Beers rides the giant of the industry, John Baker.

It was a sight to behold. Guitars, limbs and mic-stands were flying everywhere.

Not all bands have the musicality to pull off the theatrics that Pat Beers brings. It can often be a distraction from the music, or a cover for being a little bit shit. That’s not the case for the Schizophonics, who have the musical goods to back up the show up front.

The frantic pace was set by drummer Lety Beers, and bassist Sarah Linton. Considering the concrete jungle they had to deal with, and only a few amps and a two speaker PA at their disposal, the sound was really solid.

Directly in front of the band, in the middle of the sweaty crowd, was the place to be, with everything coming through loud and clear. If you managed to climb up the concrete base of the bridge (which this author did with an embarrassing amount of difficulty) to watch from a high vantage point behind the band, the sacrifice in sound clarity was repaid with a bass sound that reverberated off the bottom of the bridge and right through your soul - the absolute definition of ‘room sound’.

The crowd weren’t there just to stand and clap, (or do manus off the Harbour Bridge) they were part of the show - it just couldn’t be avoided, with the front of the crowd only a metre away from Pat Beers’ mic stand. You had to be on your game, with the mic stand flying around in all directions, but always under Pat’s magical spell. The mic was often thrusted into the face of someone in the crowd who was always ready with a scream, a howl or a ‘nah, nanana nah.’

Pat Beers, with drummer (and wife) Lety Beers keep the show moving

About three quarters of the way through the show, the music stopped briefly to organise a dance contest for the kids under the age of 20. The prize - 20 bucks. A dozen kids went up the front and pogoed, moshed and windmilled their bloody hearts out, for fame, fun and (moderate) fortune. For two of the fastest songs that the Schizophonics could muster, these kids went hard. However their stamina was no match for Pat Beers, and a sea of young red and sweaty faces started to scream ‘we’re not built for this!” It was an incredible touch to get the kids up there with their musical heroes - a memory that will be cherished for years to come.

As an aside - it was a pleasure to see that most of the people there, including the social media addicted kids, weren’t’ experiencing this spectacle through their screens. They were present, in the moment and being rewarded for it.

Just as Pat Beers’ sweat soak shirt couldn’t take anymore, with a final eclectic solo, spin and the splits (the only thing working harder than Pat Beers was his inner seam), he put down his guitar and dove into the Tauranga moana - a final flourish of showmanship to end one heck of a show.

Pat Beers cools off after a heck of a show.

These gigs under the harbour bridge are a bit of a Tauranga institution. It’s never going to win awards for sound quality, but the intimate experience you get is unmatched. It’s a space that is constantly evolving, as new street artists come in and leave their temporary mark on this space that is otherwise empty and desolate. With the beautiful Tauranga harbour in the background, you’d be hard pressed to find a venue that is as fun as this. And while I wouldn’t recommend doing manus off the top of the harbour bridge, it did add a little bit of additional theater to an already insanely fun show.

It was an all-ages gig, and a few people had a brew or two in hand. Given the amount of kids there, everyone was pretty respectful of the scene and was really chilled. I enjoyed a Flight Coffee Caramel Frappe can, that you can read more about in my cold can review.

Sh!t to drink coffee to

Check out the other eps in the STDCT series:

• Long Head - by Millie Holten

• The best music of 2024