Rip It Up Wellington Supplement

Rip It Up, Issue 26, 1 September 1979, Page 9

Rip It Up Wellington Supplement

Terence Hogan

"I can only speak from the recording point of view, but Wellington is really thriving from that angle at the moment I really hope it keeps going like this,” says Sharon O'Neill, currently New Zealand's top singer/songwriter. Her feelings are echoed by two of Wellington's most influential music people, 2ZM's albums DJ John Hood, and the same station's promotions manager Lynne Attwood. 'Hoodie' remarks that "Wellington has the best recording scene. Marmalade studios is the most up-and-coming in New Zealand", while Attwood says that "Wellington has always been the home of recording bands. A lot of bands are coming to Wellington to record". But though there is a tentative optimism in the air, they are sceptical in other areas, notably the chronic lack of venues. , "There's the raw material here," says Hood, citing bands like the Steroids, "but the local scene is stagnating for the lack of venues. No venues, no bands." M "There is a big rock audience in Wellington," says Attwood, noting the abysmally small crowds local bands often attract at local venues (while elsewhere they may be popular). "How can Rough Justice break-up and four new bands not emerge?" However, Attwood prefers to think that the Wellington scene is "fermenting" rather than "stagnating". "The rock business is never static Wellington is just having a reshuffle".

Wellington is certainly at the crossroads (once again), but the general consensus of opinion suggests an optimism of sorts, despite surface gloom. If only rock fans would support their local bands by going to the gigs the grassroots support essential to the growth of any movement/industry. We might find ourselves in the midst of a rock explosion.

The Wide Mouthed Frogs Mainstreet It was one evening not too long ago in the Capital, having a few spare moments after being ejected from a government think tank on earth movements and their effect on worm migration, I chanced across a boisterous throng of urban reptiles making their way to the Rok Theta .. The Frogs were on ... the pads were hot ... and yep, the place was jumpin’. A few weeks later the Wide Mouthed Frogs were playing Auckland for the first time and it was clear on the Friday night that the low-rent lounge lizards at Mainstreet weren’t quite ready, but things got better and the second night felt fine. Lead singer Jenny Morris was alive in living leopard skin and (Murray there’s no names on this bio) the whole band sang like crazy and moved and laughed and played good rock’n'roll, generally exuding much of the spirit that this whole howdy-doody is supposed to be about.

After forming the band about 8-9 months ago the ladies have been playing their mixture of sixties re-borne and latter-day taste treats (Costello, Zappa etc) around an assortment of venues in Wellington, helped by friends like Rough Justice who consistently offered gear and morale-boosting support. An all-woman (no-bloke) band, they intended to "try and counteract the heavily male-dominated rock

scene.” They should have no fears. Their stuff will only improve.

What matters is that they have the knack of making you feel good when they play and that’s not easily learnt. They’re planning a tour of some description during late November and early December and “will consider playing

anywhere if the conditions are sufficiently enticing”. I can recommend The Wide Mouth

Frogs as a cure for several common ailments including the contemporary malaise and the decline of fun. See you at the hop.