Netherworld journey resumes in earnest

Press, 6 October 1989, Page 27

Netherworld journey resumes in earnest

Rock

By

NEVIN TOPP

The Netherworld Dancing Toys are set to become a motel band again. Since the aftermath of their popular 1985 album, “Painted Years,” and the hit single, “For Today,” the Netherworlds have been far from the limelight, playing only occasionally. According to Nick Sampson, one of two guitarists, with the four members scattered throughout the country, the Netherworlds became a letter and toll call band. But it was what the band wanted. They had been working hard since the band was formed at Otago University in 1982. They had signed up first with Flying Nun and in 1984 joined the big label, Virgin Records N.Z. However, as Sampson explained, the band felt after 1986, with the release of the title track of the album “Painted Years,” that there were limited options. “We could have gone to Australia, but that would have meant starting at the bottom of the heap and spending a lot of time working our way up again,” he said. At the same time the band felt that they could only do so much in New Zealand.

Instead, the band took a back seat for a while as individual members mapped out careers. For example Malcolm Black, the band’s other guitarist, became an entertainment lawyer for the Auckland law firm, Russell McVeigh. Both Sampson and Graham Cockroft (bass), moved to Wellington, and Brent Alexander (drums) stayed in Dunedin. This individualistic stance of the Netherworlds is still in evidence today. The band has just released a new album, “Everything Will Be Alright.” Most other groups would now be working hard by touring to promote the record, but not the Netherworlds. Individual members have made themselves available for interviews, and the promo video, “American Dream,” has been screened, but there have been no live dates. Malcolm Black has headed overseas to knock on a few doors to make the music industry aware of the Netherworlds magic, even though the band is now on another big label, CBS New Zealand, which has big international connections of its own. “We believe that the personal touch might just make the difference,” Sampson said. However, those who enjoy the Netherworlds and their new album need not despair, because the band are planning a summer resorts tour which will be followed by a big centres tour next year — in each case using a horn section that has been the trademark of this former Dunedin band.

Sampson isn’t sure whether

the Netherworlds will get to Christchurch on their resorts tour, and he was unable to say what venue the group would use on a big centres tour. A suggestion that they could be on the bill with Crowded House at the Christchurch Town Hall auditorium had Sampson smiling and nodding in agreement. “I think Neil Finn is the best songwriter to come out of New Zealand,” he said. Another reason for the long delay between “Painted Years” and the re-emergence of the Netherworlds has been finances. The band decided that they would like to finance their own album, but it took a year longer than they had planned. An indication of the effect of this gap is that when the Netherworlds went back into the recording studio they found that they had to get used to technology, such as samplers, that they had never faced before.

Sampson said he was scared at first, but then found it tempting to go overboard and use as much of the new technology as he could. The temptation was resisted though, and this shows up in the sparse arrangements on many of the tracks on the new album.

“Everything Will Be Alright” represents an 11-month recording effort, using a large number of prominent New Zealand musicians, including the Netherworlds’ stalwart, Annie Crummer, and the new vocal find, Jackie Clarke. On the arrangements, the Netherworlds were helped by Barbara Griffin, keyboardist for The Holidaymakers. Bruce Hanley, a Dunedin brass bandsman, helped on one brass arrangement. Although the band’s big centres tour may come close to the university orientation festivals, Sampson does not believe that the group will be featured at them. “We’ve had an invitation to play at the Australian universities orientation festivals.”