LIVE

Rip It Up, Issue 61, 1 August 1982, Page 24

LIVE

Hullamen Clyde Quay tavern, July 24. Over recent months Hullamen have well and truly cemented the following they inherited as the; direct descendants of the Rodents to the point where they are no longer just a band so much as an institution. It's not so much a case of "a band in the pub" as an innercity community event. Given the Hullamen's large and constantly fluctuating line-up, at the moment they are a relatively economical nine-piece, and the Hullagirls seem to have disbanded. It's never completely clear where the band stops and their audience starts, everybody is part of the show anyway. Only about 20 minutes after official kick-off Hullapersons straggle onto the stage and lurch into a somewhat ragged first set with several songs introduced, like a Health Dept warning, as "umm this ones a bit unrehearsed (giggle)". No-one seems to mind, least of all

songwriter-in-chief, master of ceremonies, John MacDougal who presides proceedings with the sort of gleeful, dare-devil fatalism which has made Turkish busdrivers infamous the world over. The second and third sets tighten up somewhat but the smooth soul sound Rodents had seemed headed for has been given away for a rather more raucous good time show band approach these days. Also gone are most of the instantly recognizable "standards" in the repertoire with an increasing number of original tunes, some of them extremely good. 'Barking up the Wrong Tree' which kicks off the final set has got (o be one of the great NZ written songs and others 'Bulls to Texas', 'America' and 'Beer and Skittles' are not too far behind. , \ Vocal duties are swapped regularly between MacDougal, guitarist Stephen Jessup (who does a blues spot), a lady singer (name unknown) and bassist /Paul McAllister ( (who provided a highlight with a funky shuffly thing called The World is a Little But Under the Weather').'

Musically Hullamen are a real mixture of the inspired and the downright messy. The horns and the rhythm section are both tight little units in themselves but the cohesion doesn't always extend to the band as a whole. John Nilands' keyboards tend to get buried and the backing vocals are fairly hit and miss. Somehow though, this doesn't seem to disturb the overall effect too much at all. Everyone has a good time, everyone will come back next time, everyone loves the Hullamen. They are the soul of the heart of Wellington. Don Mackay Battle of the Bands Shoreline, Dunedin. A Saturday afternoon sees the first semi-finals and I missed Sneaky Feelings, my crime, they played well (apparently) but integrity was deemed not a criterion. Professionalism was to be the key. Sad. Then Foreign Agent who have PA plus, a sound second to none, musicianship to spare but somehow misapplied. Dunedin's Duran

Duran, they're sincere and dedicated but their music and covers are a series of motions, reflections of suburban demand. 1 looked for feeling. Last that afternoon were the Netherworld Dancing Toys, a ridiculous name for a septet including two saxes and a trumpet and playing a sane balance of covers (Sam & Dave, Dexys, Jo Jo Zep) mixed with guitarist/vocalist Nick Sampson originals. After a shakey start the horns settled down and the band started to shake a few booties with ex After Dark Malcolm Black showing some stature as a soulful frontman. They won the semi, and deserved to. Two nights later and the second semi contested by a much inferior trio of hopefuls. First up, Stallion, heavy metal disciples with axes to grind and masters of their idiom. The last bastion for guitar heroes. Ugly music. Then the Nerve, souped-up, dyed-up, slicked-back and flat-out in their over-zealous application of post '77 anthems. 'Solitary Confinement' and 'She's So Modern' are passe dumbness, remnants of another era and hard enough to take then. They need to re-think and re-model, again. And finally Ambush, who started like heavy metal then slid into 'Orange Blossom Special' featuring some wizard on fiddle. Chronic identity crisis music ensued as they clumsily tried to mix the Band with Cajun and Celtic covers. Back to the communes, boys. Stallion won the semi, by default. The final was the following night and was won by Foreign Agent who made the final as a special judges' choice. The NDT's were second and then Stallion. George Kay Tomorrows Parties Mainstreet, July 29. Tomorrows Parties seduce rather than accost an audience. Monique is the natural focal point with her strong, deep voice. She projects effortlessly, supported by Shakes (rhythm guitar and vocals), Perce (drums), Robby (bass) and Keith (lead guitar). Tomorrows Parties have considerable variety in their material. 'You Will Never Know' is shared by Monique and Shakes creating

a sweet and sour vocal mixture. 'Boys', the 'Motorbike' song and 'City of Pity' stand out, all lyrically simple but diverse in arrangement. Taking a name such as Tomorrows Parties however, may be a little too revealing. The band does about three Velvet Underground covers in a set where one would suffice. The slow 'Morning' provided a dramatic and eery ending. The band disappeared leaving Monique to sing 'there was no one left but me'. Ann Louise Martin Spines, Naked Spots Cosgroves, July 30. One of the frustrations with being a habitual late arriver is that you tend to miss the first band, which in this case was the Primitive Art Group. By the time I arrived the bar was pretty well packed and Naked Spots were in the process of assembling themselves on stage. .

They are now back to a fourpiece line-up with the addition of vocalist Kathy Mcßae who adds both a stronger voice and a more relaxed stage presence than the band has previously had. This combined with an uptempo trend among the newer songs makes the band a lot more immediately accessible than in the past. Towards the end they even had people dancing, a state of affairs which once would have seemed extremely unlikely. Their sound retains its characteristic fragility but its once earnest plod has given way to a sort of thoughtful shuffle. Despite obvious difficulties with the onstage sound everything stayed pretty tight with Kate Walker's bass work standing out, and odd synth touches doing a lot to add colour. By the time they woundup it was SRO. There was then a long pause in proceedings owing to the late arrival of Spines' bassist Rob Mahoney. During this time the band obviously built up a heap of tension, because once they took the stage they played with a full on energy and conviction. 1 had not previously seen from them. Starting with 'All Inane' off their recent EP, Spines stormed through two shortened sets. The addition of Tim Robinson on drums, in place of Caroline Esther, has given them real drive where in the past they seemed a little diffident and polite and Neil Duncan's sax does a lot to add colour and variation to the set which was previously a touch samey. Spines have been the Wellington band performing most regularly over recent months and the benefits in terms of confidence and cohesion are obvious. They are on the verge of coming right in a big way. With a strong Wellington following already established they are now well placed to tackle the rest of the country. Daisy Cheyne