bReview: Thundercat

bReview: Thundercat
Monday 4 May 2026 at The Powerstation
Photography by Maanika Narsai
Written by Kaitlyn Ratcliff

Presence, by definition, is 'the fact or condition of being present'. It’s a simple idea really, but not an easy one for us to put into practice. Especially now, when we have push notifications and doom-scrolling to keep us occupied. Tonight however, in a sold-out Powerstation, we were present. There, together, all of us. 

Touring Aotearoa with his latest album Distracted (released April 3), and returning to Tāmaki Makaurau for the first time since 2018 is two time Grammy-Award winning jazz-funk-soul artist Thundercat (Stephen Lee Bruner).

Maybe it was the full moon, or maybe it was the majestic pull of May the Fourth, but it was almost as if all of Auckland was congregated at the Powerstation tonight. At least, that’s how it felt at 8pm when I joined the large line of people waiting to get into the venue that stretched past Joshi’s.

Taking the stage first at the Powerstation is multi-dimensional, galactic funk five-piece Black Comet, comprised of Laughton Kora (vocals, guitar), Marc Raymond Joseph (drums), Dan Antunovich (bass), Poihakena Reid (keyboards, talkbox), and Sammy J (saxophone). It may be worth noting here, that the whole night pieces together to feel like one singular piece of art, with Star Wars and music being the two major points at the centre of it all. More on this soon. 

As always, an important part of performance is the pre-show experience; how does the artist bring the audience into their world before they’re even on-stage? Well, with music. Timewave Zero by The Comet Is Coming felt very fitting to be the song to lead Black Comet on stage, so shoutout to whoever was behind that choice. 

(Black Comet at the Powerstation / Photo: Maanika Narsai)

Black Comet play to an almost full Powerstation. The band deliver an energetic and captivating performance that keeps the crowd on their feet the entire time complete with original songs (including one to-be-released in the near future), and a couple of covers that the crowd ATE up. 

Lead vocalist Laughton Kora greets the crowd by saying “Good to see you, we’re just gonna have a jam!” - a line that perfectly captures the spirit of the set. Here is a band effortlessly weaving their performance together with a level of exceptional skill and connection with each other, that makes it feel like you too have been invited into the jam. 

(Black Comet at the Powerstation / Photo: Maanika Narsai)

Their set of course, does not go by without referencing Star Wars, playing The Imperial March, which sends the Powerstation crowd into a frenzy. By the end of their set, I’ve written down in my journal ‘sorry, that might just be the best thing I’ve ever seen’. Black Comet, I am absolutely in awe of you. 

Not too long after Black Comet have left the stage, Thundercat and his band (Justin Brown on drums and Dennis Hamm on keys) arrive. Playing tracks mostly from the new album, the trio impress the crowd almost immediately with their level of skill during the first two tracks Children of the Baked Potato and Candlelight. 

It’s before the third track, I Love Louis Cole, where Thundercat addresses the audience and establishes himself as a masterful storyteller. He engages the kiwi crowd in conversation over the song’s origin; a drunken night with his friend Louis Cole, which eventually turned into this song, written by him and his friend, Louis Cole. If there’s one thing a kiwi crowd loves, it’s a good story paired with good music, and this song lived up to that entirely. 

Released six years after his last album It Is What It Is (2020), Distracted captures the restless aftermath of modern overload, balancing existential dread with warmth and dark humour. It’s an album I have had on repeat since it came out, and don’t anticipate taking it off repeat anytime soon, especially after tonight’s performance. 

“I want to see a jazz mosh pit tonight” states Thundercat to the sold-out Powerstation crowd, to which they happily oblige. He plays through his catalogue with songs like Black Qualls, How Sway, and Overseas from ‘It Is What It Is’, and Uh Uh from his 2017 album Drunk, keeping the crowd energized and moving for the entire set. A personal highlight of the night for me was Pozole, the twelfth track on ‘Distracted’, which features Beach-Boys-esc harmonies that are even more beautiful live. Bruner, Brown, and Hamm make for an incredible trio. The chemistry between the three is undeniable, and their level of skill is truly unmatched. They made it look so easy playing the most difficult of parts, which is no small feat.

(Thundercat at the Powerstation / Photo: Maanika Narsai)

As per one audience members request, the band played Tokyo, another track from ‘Drunk’ that was not originally on the set list, because hey, when in New Zealand, right? 

The band then gets ready to play Anakin Learns His Fate, which feels pretty poetic given that it’s May the Fourth. But it becomes even more special knowing that Thundercat played The Modifier in The Book of Boba Fett. In fact, this guy has quite a bit of Star Wars lore... just look up what he wore to accept his first Grammy Award.  

Dragonball Durag, Funny Thing, and Them Changes close off the night as the crowd favourites, with even the couple stood in front of me screaming the lyrics to each other (lovingly, of course). There is no encore, and honestly, I really liked that. Letting their set linger, as it was.  

From the moment you step in the door until the moment you leave the room behind, every element of the show is perfectly curated to keep you present and engaged; to put the phone down and simply listen. Thundercat, to put it simply, put on one helluva show. If I could live in the jazz mosh pit for the rest of my life, I'd be a very happy lady. 

SET LIST

Children of the Baked Potato (feat. Remi Wolf)

Candlelight

I Love Louis Cole (feat. Louis Cole)

Black Qualls (feat. Steve Lacy, Steve Arrington, & Childish Gambino)

How Sway / Uh Uh

Overseas (feat. Zack Fox)

I Wish I Didn’t Waste Your Time

Pozole

A.D.D. Through the Roof 

Walking on the Moon

Anakin Learns His Fate

Dragonball Durag

Funny Thing 

Them Changes
***added song: Tokyo***