AK '85: Counting the Sheep

Rip It Up, Issue 104, 1 March 1986, Page 4

AK 'BS: Counting the Sheep

A Bit of B-Ephemera

THE EXPENDABLES The Expendables’ ‘Liberal Cad’ was recorded in March 1984 at Progressive, by the band’s third lineup (they originally began in Christchurch in 1982 as They Were Expendable). Central member Jay Clarkson is soon to emerge with another version of the band but they're looking for a replacement for guitarist Anthony Nevison, who has gone to the USA. Headless Chicken Chris Matthews will continue to drum and the band intends to play lots. Jay has also been working on her own solo album (with invited guests) for some time and there's only one more song to mix before that's completed. Previous group efforts have been the EPs Big Strain and In Between Gears and the lovely single ‘The Flower/'Man With No Desire. BIRD NEST ROYS 'Who Is the Silliest Rossi?’ comes from Bird Nest Roys’ second stint of recording at Progressive and it’s indicative of the change in tack, being rather warmer and noisier than their EP. As has been previously detailed, the band hails from wild West Auckland and had been playing together for about two years before gaining prominence early last year. The band is continuing to record songs with a view to putting together an album later on in the year. Tops in an early listen to LP

tracks is a wild Joringel. KIM BLACKBURN : Kim Blackburn is a poet and a singer, and does both in her live performances. ‘Oceania’ was a one-off done at Progressive, but she has been recording more material deep downrin the echo chambers underneath the university’s School Of Architecture, with a view to completing an album by the end of the year. As well as a cassette with Sandra Bell on Industrial Tapes, she has produced several small books of poetry for herself. She’s working on another book, In Frenzy, and will perform at the Flying Kiwi Festival in Wellington.

HEADLESS CHICKENS ’ Chickens Chris Matthews and Johnny Pierce were in Children’s Hour together, and then reunited late in the piece in This Kind Of Punishment. With Michael Lawry, the Headless Chickens came together as TKP was winding up (debuting at the Nitpickers' Picnic) and have been writing, practising and recording since then. ‘Trigger' is a very early piece, from March last year. The band uses tapes as well as conventional instruments on stage. Their earth-shaking Saturday night set at the Rising Sun will be the last live gig for a while, but they've finished an EP and perhaps a follow-up 12",

THE PTERODACTYLS Another member of last year's community of Windsor bands, the Pterodactyls have their roots in the South Island, with guitarist Ken Stewart and bassist Jeff Batts (ex Stones) up from Dunedin and guitarist Richard James formerly the leader of Christchurch’s Mainly Spaniards and only drummer Dave a real Aucklander. ‘Everytime It Rains’ was one of Richard’s songs, recorded at Progressive with Chris Knox helping out on the mix. It's a good illustration of the frontline’s strong vocal harmonies. Richard has since left the band and taken his songs with him, but the other two singers both write and have carried on without him. CHRIS KNOX 'lndigestion’ is a curiousity recorded at the same house as the Tall Dwarfs’ Canned Music EP in 1983; after the only Knox solo record Songs For Cleaning Guppies. Chris is playing and recording solo at present as fellow Dwarf Alec Bathgate is still in the UK. Live gigs under the names Salivation Army or Eppy and the Lepsies have included new songs as well as reworked, re-directed renditions of songs as old as ‘Pull Down the Shades. Chris has also been working on film clips, both for others (such as Shayne Carter and Peter Jefferies) and himself (a whole bunch, coming soon, for the TDs' Short & Long Of It). There’s also an upcoming comic, Jesus On A Stick, and a solo record in CONTINUED ON PAGE 26