Smash look afield

Press, 15 November 1984, Page 10

Smash look afield

By

NEVIN TOPP

DD Smash — Dave Dobbyn and Peter Warren — have formed a new group and are considering going to the United States next year. Dave Dobbyn said that the band’s co-manager, John Telfer, was in the United States fixing up an album and a single release, plus a tour itinerary. Telfer saw DD Smash in Australia while on tour with Joe Jackson, the artist that he manages, and was impressed by what the New Zealand band were doing. “Telfer had us quietly checked out and then approached us and we were impressed,” Dobbyn said. "It was great. We checked him out too.” The result has been that arrangements are being made for DD Smash to possibly work. outside Australia and New Zealand.

Dobbyn and Warren, the remnants of the original DD Smash, have put together a new band of Australian musicians — Clive Harrison (bases), Michael Bartolomi (keyboards), Kevin Bubber (trumpet), and Mark Denison (saxophone, flute, and clarinet) The new band have only played three shows together, but they will be working again when Dobbyn returns to Australia, with the new album, “The Optimist,” only just released there. DD Smash are set to tour New Zealand in February, but in the meantime Dobbyn said he had enough songs to complete another album now, although the band might not go into the studio until May. Dobbyn personally be-

lieves that it is not surprising that “The Optimist” is different to “Cool Bananas,” which is three years old. He is excited about his new album. “I think it’s great. Everyone should go out and buy it.” ■ The quality of musicianship on “The Optimist,” is high, and all but three tracks, had a number of leading musicians in Sydney on them including the former New Zealand pop idol, Mark Williams. “ ‘The Optimist’ is different in direction to ‘Cool Bananas,* a lot of water has

gone under the bridge since then.” The new album had a lotmore substance to it, cover-’ ing a wider area of musical • styles, and like most albums' now, taking in more than" one idea, he said. ‘ The cover of the new album arose because Dob- 1 byn and Warren found a‘ postcard of the famous silent comedy film scene of, Harold Lloyd hanging from' the face of a clock umteen’ feet above the street. An artist from an opposition record company did the* drawing for DD Smash, Dobbyn said..