TUNELESS WHINERS IN DOC MARTENS SPECIAL: THE PLOYING NOIN TUNTH ANNUVUSSARY SPUSHUL

Rip It Up, Issue 171, 1 October 1991, Page 24

TUNELESS WHINERS IN DOC MARTENS SPECIAL: THE PLOYING NOIN TUNTH ANNUVUSSARY SPUSHUL

ELVIS SLAG PARTY CHILD OF THE 90S

And here in CULTURED BASTARDS CORNER we have two MEN OF CULTURE. NOT FOR THEM are BIG BLACK JERSEYS with HOLES in them, or the SILLY FACES of DRUNKEN FLYING EXECUTIVES. Their names: Mr GILES and Mr MATTHEW TETLEY-JONES-TETLEY-MATTHEW.

FLYING NUN PARTY Powerstation, Friday Sept 20 I missed the Able Tasmans because nothing starts on time but this tenth anniversary monster gig did. Pity, because I was looking forward to hearing the Tasmans do their version of Johnny Cash's 'Folsom Prison Blues', which, alongside their version of the Clean's 'Getting Older' on Roger Sings The Hits proves just how exciting this archetypal Grey Lynn band can sound when they get electric. So, the first act I saw was Chris Knox doing his Chris Knox routine. Chris is the patron saint of Flying Nun and the kids loved him — I say kids advisedly because the most startling thing about this audience, apart from its size, was its extreme youth, pointing up the disparity between the ages of the most illustrious Flying Nun acts and that of their audience —what's happened to the generation in between, have they all gone to England or what? Not that it matters, of course. Chris came on strong but if you've seen him more than five times the invective stops impacting,

What a COOL CORNER. Let us INVESTIGATE FURTHER. Why here on the LEFT we have SHAYNE "SWING YOUR STRATOCASTER AND HIT A SONGWRITER" CARTER, lead singer of the JAITSTRICKET TIFFS. In the middle we have BALDING MAN. On the RIGHT we have ACID HOUSE FAN and ex-RIBIDUP POET RUSSELL "JACK THE KEROUAC" BROWN, who is WAITING for the RIGHT MOMENT to ASK for Shayne's AUTOGRAPH.

The BEST THING about the FLYING EIDERDOWN anniversary is the LACK OF SELF-CONSCIOUS POSING amongst those present. NOT FOR THEM is the WANTON COOLNESS of the NOITCLUB SET. Yes, here in TOTALLY RELAXED AND NOT POSING AT ALL styles are Mr DJ ERIC, his friend MISS

the emotion feels a little bit rehearsed. Still, he's one of the more interesting people in town and it would be intriguing to find out what he really thinks. After Chris, David Kilgour, backed by the rhythm section from the Strangeloves, excellent bass player, U2 style drummer. Kilgour started to make an indelible noise when he swapped his acoustic for an electric guitar and his performance was the closest- got all night to witnessing a private guitar maelstrom. JPSE came on next, the effect is somewhat strained and anaemic, they play in front of an amoeba backdrop. Their soundscapes are as dry and elaborate as a chemical equation without the explosion. Pallid, intellectual, it's hard to say what a band like this is trying to express and how they expect to touch us. I retired to the bar and missed Goblin Mix but all the other reports you've read by now of all the other Flying Nun party gigs would

CLUB DOG manager and CONNISSEUR of WARM BEERMnSTUART BROUGHTON waits in the QUEUE for KISSES from CHRIS KNOX (50 cents each, he pays you). But LOOK OUT! Up front is SEXY JONATHAN KING from STUMP MUGUZINE contemplating LIFE and the UNIVERSE.

MAC (if she's in black, right, does that make her MISS BLACK MAC?) and FLANGEMASTER A. What a shame we cannot see their friends, Mr SINKPLUNGER X, and Mr MC DISHWASHER PBS. But NEVER MIND.

have told you how great it was to see them reunited and the word is they were pretty great tonight as well. • < (David Mitchell is in this band). The last act tonight was the Bats, who sprinkled their set with their hit singles. Even the generic bits were pleasing because Bats mainman Robert Scott has such a nice presence, the Bats were warm and comforting as a hot cup of tea. Of course they're the : quintessential un-sexy Flying Nun band (in the dynamic sense of that word) but they succeed because they are true to themselves and they have a heart. Tonight was a bit long for anyone over 21 but like I said before, that wouldn't be a problem for 99 percent of the audience. The atmosphere was alternative rugby club, not a pensive face in sight, the kids were raging. Which goes to show just how professional and unalienating Flying Nun has become over the years. DONNA YUZWALK

And DOWN in the HEATED CROWD we are able to WITNESS a MOMENTOUS REUNION between the HOSTS OF C. V. Oh what MEMORIES and LAUGHTER they must have shared. JUST LIKE THE OLD DAYS, HUH GUYS? MARK looking BROAD, ROBERT RAKETE looking... oh, hang 0n...

And it WOULD NOT BE A PARTY without a FUCKING PUSH PUSH PHOTO. No you CANNOT AVOID THE BASTARDS. So let's get ft OVER WITH. On the left we have (SCREEEEEEAAAAM!) ANDY. Andy is SUCKING HIS FINGER. Makes a CHANGE from his THUMB. In the centre we have a LIGHTING MAN who frequents the SAME BARBERSHOP as the NARCS. On the right we have (SCREAM! EEK! OOH! HE'S SO SPU-UH-UNKY!) Mr SHAYNE "EYEBROW" SILVER. Right, now FUCK OFF.

ROGER Roger Sings the Hits (Flying Nun) Ltd Edition Cassette An eleventh-hour idea conceived and completed a day before the Flying Nun 1 Oth Anniversary Party in Auckland, this is BFM's fictional Roger Shepherd compilation made real by six Flying Nun acts performing six of the label's greatest hits. Everyone involved was temporarily renamed Roger for an evening. The Roger Shepherd Experience's typically limpid and gorgeous version of Fetus Productions' What's Going On' takes the biscuit, but Roger Fits' amiable mauling of JPSE's own 'Flex' isn'tfar behind. Roger Tasman's version of the Clean's 'Getting Older 7 replaces the euphonium with a clarinet and some groovy backing vocals but couldn't aspire to the brattish menace of the original. That most Batty of Look Blue Go Purple songs, 'I Don't Want You

STYLE CORNER part 2: THE EXECUTIVE BOARDROOM MEETING. On the left the lovely FLYING FIONA. Centre: FLYING ROGER SHEPHERD. On the left: FLYING PAUL ROSE. They are the BIG WIGS. They are REGARDED with RESPECT. They are PULLING SILLY FACES. But WHY?

FRIENDS OF GEORGE HUBBARD. This party's friend is called PETER. But BEWARE: PETER is suffering from SOFA SNIFFING. Children: DO NOT SNIFF SOFAS, CHAIRS or ANY TYPE OF HOUSEHOLD FURNITURE, it can be HAZARDOUS to your HEALTH.

Anyway' gets charged through by the RoßatGers and Roger Knox strips the Chills hymnal Whole Weird World' right down to its knotty basics. Roger Kilgour closes with a C&W version of Tall Dwarfs' 'The Brain That Wouldn't Die'. Probably only at its best if you know and love the originals. But good fun anyway. It's just a shame that they didn't have more time — not to get slick (that would be a bit silly) but to record a few more versions. Headless Chickens doing 'North By North'? Bailter Space doing 'Jaffa Boy'? The Renderers doing 'Future Shock'? RUSSELL BROWN