The Warners- Hit and Run LP (Onslaught Records 1988)

This LP was the debut album from Auckland band The Warners. The band was originally formed in 1984 with Jon Baker(the guitarist) and Allen Stephenson (the leather jacketed frontman) still remaining from the original line up. Both had played extensively before in early Eighties bands such as Cot Death, First Offence and Dead Image. The Warners released a 4 track EP "Elsie's Got a Gun" in 1986 by Meltdown Records before this LP came out.

The band attracted a reputation as a hard band with a hard audience as they attracted skinheads. The Warners style borrows from The Stooges and MC5. The mindless thugs' behaviour was often blamed on the band but also gave the band a notorious reputation. The Warners were banned from playing a number of Auckland venues due to the crowd they often attracted.

The Warners were often labelled a punk or heavy metal band but insisted that they were neither although claimed to be influence by both and other styles as well. They described their sound as high energy rock and roll with an emphasis on having a good time.

The Warners left Meltdown records and released a split 7" EP(which was shared with Bygone Era)

The Warners records were supposed to be pressed at Aussie band'sPainters and Dockers pressing plant. Painters and Dockers agreed to press the album but decided to sell the plant. However they wouldn't hand over the money to the new label. Onslaught records got some more money together to release the album after a four month delay.

Due to lack of venues in Auckland the band often played out of their hometown and around the North Island. The band were generally well-received except in Wellington (where like Sticky Filth they were labelled sexists and Nazis). This came about when in mid-song Allen attacked a mannequin in what was seen as a sexual manner. Allen said he was taking the piss out of headbangers and the heavy metallers on TV who sang about how big their knobs were.
Because the band were labelled a punk band, in some quarters, they were expected to be anarchists and vegetarians.

The album starts with a cover the Stooges' Loose which sets the style for the rest of the album which is high energy rock and roll. Standout tracks are: Dance Disco Dance, Peggy Suicide, Fight and Speed Trap. The LP does a good job of capturing the band's live sound. I caught the band a few times in the nineties. Once with Salad Daze and another time as a support band for Canada's Nomeansno.

After this album The Warners released the blue vinyl 1989 Satellite Surfing EP (on the Flying Nun label which is well worth seeking out for the songs Brain Like A Baseball Bat, Satellite Surfing and Bastard Sons of Rock and Roll. In 1994 Wildside records(who released heavier bands than those Flying Nun are largely renowned for) released a best of The Warners CD which features the band's material from 1984-1994. In 1995 The Warners released both a CD EP entitled Crazy Horses and an album entitled Bogans' Heroes.

Bali Bombers, Neckstretchers, Magnum Opus and Wall Of Silents Valve December 8

After seeing and enjoying the Bali Bombers and the Neckstretchers at Bar Mode in my hometown of Palmerston North there was no way I was missing this Wellington show. It wasn't that well attended but there's been so many things on in Wellington in the past two weeks. Polish metallers Behemoth and US pop punkers, The Bouncing Souls had played in town the night before and the local soccer team, Wellington played and won against Perth Glory at home(I attended this event and disregarded the others. The score was 3-0).
On the same night round the corner from Valve US band The Gossip (who I've never heard, not that means anything these days, were charging $50 a ticket to their show)were playing the San Franciso Bath House and Australian hardcore band Vae Victis were also playing in town at the Underground Arts Centre not to far from this show.
This show was $7 or $10 with a CD and DVD to get into and I'd heard and like two of the bands. Bali Bombers were the first band up and their punk rock assault is awesome. Here's a youtube clip of their song We Don't Care



Next up were metal band Magnum Opus from the Kapiti Coast. They were on the melodic side with a few death type grunts. The singer who can actually sing is something that seems to be missing from a lot of metal bands I've seen lately. They were pretty damn heavy and from what I could tell seem to be excellent musicians. They got a good crowd upfront.



Above pic: Magnum Opus

Up next were The Neck-Stretchers who are a garage-type punk rock band. This time frontman Rob Thorne was more restrained with this gymnastics compared to the Bar Mode show although he still did them. This band have to be seen live but here's a youtube clip of The Neck-stretchers from this show.



Last up were Wall of Silents who like Magnum Opus were a band I'd never seen before. They're a band with a death/grindcore type singer and a metal/rock/punk sound. Confused? Watch this clip.



They played a song called 'Fuck Off' as an encore and then thanked people for sticking around. An enjoyable night.

Kiddy Filth

I was searching for more info on Sticky Filth for the previous post and came across this article.



When Craig Radford was at school his teachers were forever telling him to put down his guitar and pick up the maths book.

"Now it's `pick up that guitar and play'," says the 20-year veteran of Taranaki heavy metal band Sticky Filth.

This week he was back at the school where he first learnt to play the bass guitar.

But this time he was the teacher.

Mr Radford has been at Coastal Taranaki school in Okato for the past three days passing on his musical knowledge, under the New Zealand Industry Commission's music mentors programme.

Mr Radford was asked to come to Okato by the school's music teacher, Anita Anker.

"I knew Craig already, so I got him into the school. The programme is about real musos coming into schools and sharing their music experience," Ms Anker said.

Mr Radford went to the school when it was Okato College and says he likes the changed attitude towards playing music.

"Kids are more inspired to play instruments and that's pretty awesome."

Music and writing songs should be encouraged, which is why he says he is doing the workshop.

"Some of these kids have already formed their own bands, but they are playing other people's songs. I want to show them they can write their own and do their own thing."

The 41-year-old says he loves working with the students and is impressed so many of them play instruments.

"It's great teaching the kids, it's just amazing. I want them to form their own bands. I have been in one for years and it's the coolest thing."

Sticky Filth formed in 1986 and has since made six albums.

This youtube clip of Craig Radford singing with the kids was on one of their bebo pages.

Sticky Filth - Stainless CD (Alley cat records 2005)

Before I even start this review, I'd better state that I'm a Sticky Filth fan from way back. This New Plymouth band were the first original band I ever saw in at a bar show back in the late eighties. Last time I saw them play was sometime in the nineties though. I have the German Gift of Life Weep Woman Weep on vinyl which sells for high prices now days.(bought new in Palmerston North for $30) and I have Nektar Der Gotter on vinyl (So I'm much better than you unless of course you have the Ima-Hitt copy of Weep Woman Weep.
After claims of elitism I'll admit to selling my copy of Def through Misadventure 7" cause I didn't like it much at the time.

There was meant to be a new Sticky Filth album some before this album was released The master recordings were sent to an Australian vinyl pressing plant which closed down and the masters were lost. This explains the lengthy gaps between albums.

This came out in 2005 but due to living in Taiwan and Smokecds giving up shipping to Taiwan I wasn't able to get this album when it first came out. What do Sticky Filth sound like? Imagine Napalm Death, G.B.H.Dinosaur Junior, Suicidal Tendencies, Motorhead, eighties speed metal and The Birthday Party all meeting together and that's a rough idea of this band's overall sound.

Anyway to the Stainless album. It's great and retains the old Sticky Filth sound. Craig Radford's vocal have to be some of the coolest melodic punk vocals in NZ. There's thankfully no whooooah whoooooah type stuff. At times Radford does sound close to Mike Muir of Suicidal Tendencies but that's hardly a complaint. A few of the songs are more metal than previous Sticky Filth First song Nadia recalls Sticky Filth of old sing about witches and has the one of the rhyming couplets I love hearing this band do (In 1993/she cast a spell on me). ("Alice was there in her wonderland/dancing naked, she stole my hand" was my fave from Nektar and can't be topped). Hate Remains has the coolest Motorhead type bass which Radford does so well. Sucidal Tendencies influence can be heard on this song.
Flesh recalls the slower songs from the Nektar Der Gotter LP(i.e cooler than pre-shark jumping fonzie). Same thing could be said for the next song, Cold. (although there is a riff that sounds a lot like Motorhead. Astronaut is a thrasher with an unrelentess drum beat. The intro of Jahbullheboosay has me wishing Shihad still played the style they did on Churn cause that's what is sounds like. Anyone yearning for Shihad of old could get their fix from this song.

Mary-Mary is Sticky Filth ska.It sounds like The Stranglers. Two Thumbs from me.

Mother is an awesome punk/metal crossover song.
Vanguard Hellride 6 is another song that sounds like it could have been on Nektar Der Gotter as does Already Alright.
Girl with the Luger is one the same thing could be said. This song is so catchy and cool.
30 Days harks back to the slower stuff on Weep Woman Weep and the Birthday Party influences can be heard in Craig's vocals on this song. Then it's back to thrashy punk with Scrap Metal Man.
Too Deep which features guitarist Chris Snowden on vocals brings Slayer's South of Heaven album too mind though Snowden's vocals are more melodic than Tom Araya's.
A great album by New Zealand's longest running punk band which ends with a couple of Techno remixes by Concord Dawn of Nadia and Mother which personally I have to be in the right mood to listen to.

A clip of Astronaut from the forthcoming Sticky Filth DVD



Order this CD from smokecds

Offbeats, Vicious Rumour, Skaface Claw, Lead Pipe Larry at Valve November 30

This show was advertised as being Wellington Ska band, The Offbeats Christmas party. I'm not a huge fan of modern ska and don't really like The Offbeats. I attended this because I wanted to see Vicious Rumour and Skaface Claw again. I purposely arrived sometime after 10:30 thinking I'd at least miss the first band since there were really only two bands of any interest to me. When I arrived the first band, Lead Pipe Larry and The Dangermen were playing No Doubt's spiderwebs. They were nothing special really.





Skaface Claw have now changed their name to Otis Claw but the ska/punk/surf crossover three piece is still the same great band. They seem to have got even better than last time saw them. The ska audience seemed more appreciative than the confused pop punk audience did the previous time I saw them despite the first songs seeming more rock/cow punk. They played a few new songs plus called one called Dennis From Accounts that vocalist, Varnya, apologised for due to it being the first time they'd played it. He really didn't need to apologize as it sounded great. Otis Claw still sound mostly like Man or Astro-Man crossed with Operation Ivy and maybe Motorhead.
Definitely a band worth checking out both live and recorded.





Above pics: Otis Claw


The Offbeats played next. They weren't really my thing but lots of people seemed to enjoy them more than I did. I found the length of their set hard to take and went across to the fish and chip shop across the road to buy a bacon and egg toasted sandwich after they'd already played for what seemed like an hour. When I got back they were still playing. This show had been promoted as The Offbeats Christmas party so I'd assumed they'd play last and I'd just go home after seeing the two bands I wanted to see. I think they many played covers. The only one I could place was Rancid's 'Timebomb' which was also sung by a member of Vicious Rumour. Highlight of their set was my bacon and egg toastie.



Above pic: The Offbeats

Napier band punk band Vicious Rumour played next. They played what I thought was a lengthy set. Even playing the same cover twice. They seemed to be having fun. It has to be said that now the frontman's huge mohawk has disappeared. At least two guys in this band look like they've watched Trainspotting too many times. They seemed to play a lot of covers but I dunno really as I didn't recognize too many of their songs. They covered Lars and The Bastards playing Billy Bragg and passed it off as a Billy Bragg song. Weird. Left straight after the bands finished because I was incredibly tired.

Audience band T-shirts read like a list of who's toured New Zealand lately. A lot of Bad Religion and Motorhead shirts.



Above pic: Vicious Rumour

TAB - The Argumentative Bastards EP

This 1989 Ima-Hitt 7 track LP from Wellington band TAB is a New Zealand underground punk rock classic. I've seen it listed for sale recently at US $35 on some punk vinyl website. The band were sometimes compared to Bad Brains due to their reggae song Sniffin' and vocalist Aaron Watson's dreadlocks. Sniffin' was about teenage frustration, drugs and unemployment. The singer, Aaron Watson, now the editor of the Capital Times, grew up in Porirua and wrote about the bored kids in the streets of Porirua at the time. Set to a slow two-chord reggae beat with a searing guitar solo at the end, it received some lukewarm reviews at the time but was ultimately classified as not radio friendly. However student radio loved it..

I remember Fred, a fast melodic punk song with a mid-song reggae beat about a cop killer receiving a life prison sentence, getting heavy student radio airplay from Radio Massey in Palmerston North at the time this record came out. The cover of John Denver's Country Roads is a classic New Zealand punk cover version.

I contacted Brian Wafer from Ima-Hitt records about a year ago seeing if I could get a replacement copy for my vinyl but unfortunately he didn't have one and his comment was that TAB record was bloody excellent.

The band line-up on this EP was Rob Stewart(bass guitar), J.P. de Raad(drums), Simon Gotlieb(guitars), Aaron Watson vocals. There were only ever 500 copies pressed. I recently contacted Simon and asked a few questions.

Smalltakeover: Why were there only 500 copies pressed and is there any chance of it ever appearing on CD?

Simon: We had NO money. Brian Wafer from ImaHitt records in New Plymouth fronted up with the bucks for the pressings and yes we only made 500. I have both this EP as mp3s. I have the final 1 inch master of Ganja and Chocolate Fish but have not as yet had it digitised as it's really hard and expensive to find a cheap-ish recording studio with this sort of analogue equipment nowadays. But there's always the idea there. Ganja and Chocolate Fish is a MUCH better recording. Looking back Argumentative Bastards is a very naiive record, but hey, we were only 19, 20, 20 and 21 then.

Smalltakeover: I read that Hamish Laing (who played bass on the first Shihad
EP Devolve also played for TAB, is that true?

Simon: Yeah Mishy and me go way back. He was playing in both bands for a while. Played rhythm guitar (not bass) for TAB and bass for Shihad before he quit both bands to go semi-professional motorcycle racing. Karl Kippenburg took over from Mishy and he's a bloody good bass player. AFAIK Hamish is still with Avery Ford.

Smalltakeover: Why did TAB split?

Simon: TAB pretty much split up because it had run its course. Both Aaron and Jean-Pierre were pre-uni students when we started the band and I guess Uni and work commitments took over too much. It was very difficult to make money out of music back then.

Smalltakeover: What do the guys in the band do nowadays?

Simon: Not sure what Rob is doing. I manage a digitisation company after spending many years working in the advertising industry. Aaron is the editor of Capital Times(the free Wellington weekly), and JP is the Deputy Director of the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research and has been a policy advisor in economics to the Government for ages.

Smalltakeover: What other bands have you been in?

Simon: Be cool to find a band to muck around with. I haven't played with others in a while. There's been a number of other bands (played Mountain Rock with Open Oyster and got good reviews) but none quite as much fun as TAB.

Cheers to Simon for answering my questions

Evance: Fucker! Fucker! Fucker! 7"

I can't find much English information about this Japanese hardcore band, Evance. A Youtube search turned up a Japanese Rolex TV advertisement featuring Brad Pitt and google turns up info about Evanescence.

This 2 track 1998 7" on the Fast Nail record label comes with not only Japanese lyrics but a separate insert sheet with English lyrics. Musically I'd say it falls somewhere between Japanese hardcore bands, GISM and Gauze The song Fucker towards the end features spoken female vocals. The English names of the other two songs are I wanna see the outside and Feel Pain?

The info below was provided by Kev Japan.

Evance were a great band. They split up quite a few years ago now. Kouki (guitarist) now plays in Warhead (another fantastic Japanese band) and lives in Osaka. Would also recommend the Evance/Jabara split 12" or the "False Peace" 7". Other members of Evance went on to play in the punkier-sounding Slowmotions.

Evance were a part of the "Burning Spirits" scene which is still going strong. Legendary Tokyo hardcore band Tetsu Arei first started the "Burning Spirits" tours 18 or 19 years ago and they would get a bunch of bands together and tour all over Japan. Some of the greats to feature on this tour are Death Side, Nightmare, Poison Arts, Bastard, Warhead, Judgement, Rocky and the Sweden, Order, Liberate, Paintbox, Extinct Government, Forward and even Melt Banana at one point. Due to serious and often very violent inter-band/fan feuds that created a rift between the Japakoa scene and the crusties, the hardcore scene in Japan remained quite segregated. About four years ago this division began to disappear thanks to the efforts of Framtid/Nightmare / Punk and Destroy Record's Shin Takayama who strived to encourage more diversity at shows in Osaka and gradually throughout the rest of Japan. A lot of the older trouble makers either settled down and had families, went to jail or died and with a younger, more open minded scene it continues to thrive today without violence or feuds. It is interesting to note that G.I.S.M and Gauze (two very well-known Tokyo bands the time) were seperate from both the Japakoa and crusty scenes and had their own thing going on. Burning Spirits have also brought over international bands to tour with such as Chaos UK, FUK, Disorder, Poison Idea and Tragedy and two years ago Forward and Warhead took the tour to the US where it was very well received.