RUMOURS

Rip It Up, Issue 230, 1 October 1996, Page 33

RUMOURS

Dead Flowers returned from Australia on September 28, after spending a fortnight recording their third album at Darling Harbour Studios in Sydney with Oz producer Robbie Rowlands (who recorded Head Like A Hole’s new album Double Your Strength, Improve Your Health, And Lengthen Your Life in Melbourne). A new Flowers’ single, ‘The Wine Song’, will be out last week of October... the Headless Chickens have completed recording sessions at Airforce Studios with producer/engineer Nic Roughan, and former Chickens vocalist Fiona McDonald has guested on two tracks. Other than that, details are sketchy; “We’ll see what happens, but it’s shaping up to be an album by the looks of it,” said a spokesperson for Flying Nun. Roughan is now recording David Kilgour’s third solo album at Airforce ... over in London, Nathan Haines has finished recording his second album Soundkilla Sessions Volume 1, scheduled NZ release is late October. Haines will return home to tour in December ... Queen Street venue Pod was closed on September 13 by an irate landlord who was owed a substantial amount of overdue rent. Lesson one in venue management: don’t make daily trips to Harrah’s Casino with the previous night’s takings ... the news ain’t all bad though. Rayna Sound, the man behind the Hatching Battle of the Bands, is reopening the (semi-)old Kurtz Lounge venue on Symonds Street. A competition is underway to find a new name for the club, the winner will receive a SIOO-bar tab and a VIP free entry pass valid for one year. Send your entry to PO Box 105255, Auckland, and for booking details contact Rayna on (025)736-736, or DJ on (025)584-382

... check out the latest issue of Palmerston North’s Valve magazine to discover the hot gossip on why the King Loser “gang” didn’t enjoy touring Australia with Garageland: “On a 10hour journey they would read the Face, Q, ID, all those glossy blah magazines,” sobs guitarist Chris Heazlewood. Still, it

could have been worse, at least Garageland weren’t the band reading geriatric porno mags ... Dam Native will release a third single before the end of the year, prior to dropping their debut album, Pure Poetry, in February 1997 ... the brothers loasa, collectively known as Grace, have changed their moniker to Kaizen, which is, “very simply, Japanese for making something bad, good”, according to band manager Michelle Murphy. The trio will be playing several gigs around the Auckland area this month ... Shayne Carter has resurfaced in Auckland, and will knock out a second Dimmer single early November ... Tangata Records have signed pop/reggae outfit D-Faction, and will release the band’s first single for the label, entitled ‘Pride’, late October ... Superette cancelled their Auckland and Wellington support slots for the Garbage/Ash double bill, though rumours of the band’s demise are premature, says manager Yvonne Dudman: “They’re taking a break from each other as they’re finding it hard to work together, but they’re still a band at the moment. There’s no official announcement that the band has split up.” JOHN RUSSELL The 1996 Contact 89FM Battle of the Bands came to an end early last month. The winners of the final were Grok, second place went to Trucker, and Department of Correction came third ... the second annual Spatula Death Battle of the Bands was also held in September and featured Grok, Captain Stubing, Huckery and Groll, a band made up of Spatula Death and Rumpus Room members. The winner was, surprisingly enough, Spatula Death ... 1995 Contact 89FM Battle of the Bands winners Nihil are about to release their debut CD, Nil. The 10-song CD was recorded at both Contact 89FM Fridge Studios and the Zoo recording studio ... Inchworm are currently recording demos ... the second Contact 89FM Subcard Series for this year will get

under way this month. Acts confirmed are Shihad, DLT, Headless Chickens, Grok, Trucker, Pugnaut, The Obvious Bolgers, Johnny Fist and Fallen. CLARE O’CONNELL Hanging Tree Records have been busy recording Anti Ring Finger, Big Blue Blanket and Inflatable Sex Doll Trio. Big Blue Blanket and Anti Ring Finger have six-song EPs of their recordings out this month. Hanging Tree Records are also looking at releasing a CD compilation featuring live recordings over the year ... local bands Hanging Tree, Soap, Mello Thumb and Soft Cock Giraffes have tracks included on the German Noiselab CD compilation Noiseyland ... to catch local and alternative music turn the dial to 1431 AM Mondays and check posters for times ... Dancing Azians are releasing an EP, Pop Into the Old Head, soon ... local arts/music zine SAY celebrates its first birthday this month ... The Music Machine are organising a Battle of the Bands competition at Freemans in the coming months, and the Coalition are organising a similar event at The Club in November... yet another release on the way is Scotty’s from Kaweka Flyers who is preparing for the release of ‘Sugar Loaf in the near future. MATT EMERY Lizard Mull Records have taken over Himitangi Record Cutting and will soon have a stereo lathe in operation ... out now is the new Motorsheep seven-inch single, ‘lncomplete Loser’ which has been pressed on blood-red vinyl ... on October 11 at the Wild Horse Saloon is a triple release party featuring Filthy Business, Wholesale Drainage and Slugfarm ... Foisemaster are teaming up with Brick Shit House to release a split CD on Lizard Mull Records ... the Bastard Children gigs celebrating 20 years of punk rock attracted good crowds over each of the four nights ... production for the next issue of Undercurrent is underway, send contributions to PO Box 4511, Palmerston North ... as of November 28, Vargas Grell, Wholesale Drainage and Reign will be on a North Island tour... applications for Orientation 97 are available from Marg Smith at MUSA, C/0 Massey University, Private Bag, Palmerston North ... new all-ages venue in Palmy is the Pacifica Cafe, which is having three bands for three bucks gigs every Friday

... Excommunicated is the name of a CD being released by the Celebate Fighting Monks of the Wholesale Abbey. The CD features Wholesale Drainage, Slugfarm, Master Cheese Maker, Vargas Grell, Rain, Motorsheep, Jaded, Filthy Business, Smiley’s Stink band and more ... Valve 8 is out now, and what a splendid piece of uncensored free speech it is too. The CD features CUNT, Cytoplasm, Ekul and Nad, Flaming Werepigs, Whiteyhiss, Mechanic, D Baser, Ross Harkness, GAM, Drugs vs Grandchildren, Earl Grey and the Diskettes, Squirm, Winston, Crusty Jim, Witcyst, Praecox, Falian.Fallen, Sowpuss, Chapel of Gristle, Age of Dog, Alien and Shecamel of God. Valve is now distributed by Kato ... any info for this column phone (06)3577-641. . . • JARROD LOVE Big Day In at The Mill is on October 27, and is looking fine with appearances from Shihad, Loves Ugly Children, Sticky Filth, Hideously Disfigured, Kitsch and more to be confirmed ... Bachman Turner Overdrive have postponed their one-off New Zealand show at the TSB Stadium until May 31 (Queen’s Birthday Weekend) next year ... Sticky Filth contact address is now C/O Pat Fife at PO Box 5514, Wellesley St, Auckland, Phone (09)358-3884. Meanwhile, Sticky Filth have just completed mixing an EP due for. release before the year’s end ... Mushroom Ball dates are May 16-17 1997, contact numbers are (025)971-265, phone and fax (06)753-6186 ... the Furlong Motor Inn in Hawera is holding a band competition from November until-February, with heats each Thursday ... New Plymouth has six venues at the moment interested in having bands, which is good to see ... there appears to be a new breed of melodic pop bands emerging, with bands like Benzino, Cynasue and Harlequin all staying away from the hard and fast thing ... Most FM (Polytechnic Radio) is expected to be on air in November ... Aaband rehearsal studio called King Street Studios is up and running. It is centrally located, the phone number is (06)7584985. - BRIAN WAFER Firstly a plug for the wondrous fourpiece Sugarbug: these eerie, melody makers I saw before the Chills are made

up from members of Lushburger, Truckstop, Clay, Plankton, Paspalum, Sowpuss and other seriously cool bands that I just can’t remember right now! ... so, the Sex Pistols are playing in Auckland on October-5;. well, Wellington sees Snort play at Hole in the Wall with Sowpuss. Snort's leading lady, Reta Lequesne, is now residing in Wellington and has enticed the grrrls to come and play. Reta’s jamming with Jawload/Sowpuss frontman Andrew Tolley, which means a kinda swampy/dirgy rock band is surfacing soon — ooww! ... speaking of which, are Ape Management really moving here, to Rock City Wellington? ... Nick Bollinger has produced and is releasing Bill Lake’s album entitled Home Truths ... the Original Music Workshop are putting together a series of gigs includ- . ing Amanda Marmite, the Avacado Babies, Fur Patrol and Weta. The gigs will be recorded and compiled to be released as a CD compilation ... Head Like A Hole are doing the rounds again, touring the country with their new album entitled Double Your Strength, Improve your Health, and Lengthen your Life. They also sport a new manager, Jayne McCall of Hole in the Wall fame ... catch Jawload while you can, drum-man Paul Lester is leaving for Australia. Who knows what could happen now? ... Cattle are releasing another seven-inch featuring the tracks ‘Stitches and Beer’ and ‘Cold’, are heading out on a mini-tour, and return to play Bar Bodega with HDD October 17 ... we’ve seen them live a few times, now Pussywillow are recording ... Sowpuss song ‘2 Can Keep a Secret’ is featured on the Valve 8 CD compilation available now ... limited edition Dome eight-inches are now available ... Weta have scored the support for the Everclear gig at the James Cabaret on October 13 ... so, it’s said the Bilge Festival are no more — well, I don’t believe it. . ANGELA MEANS MIIIHHirTTW Swallow and Gluefist recently completed a Christchurch City High School Tour. The response went off, with girls screaming at Avonside girls, and a bit of signature-signing going down at Rangiora High School. Speaking of Swallow, their debut video ‘Blood’ is screening on Cry and an EP is currently in the recording process ... Cinematic will spend October cruising around the North Island playing gigs, making a video for ‘Why Are You So Tired?’, and

demoing at The Church in Wellington ... Carla Rotter (ex-Snort) is managing new young metallers Jawhead, who are gathering quite a following ... Squirm have come to an amicable decision, drummer Daryl Kirk is leaving the band. Pete Mitchell (Dial Tones) is filling in for up and coming gigs ... Warners has opened it’s doors again to touring acts as well as high profile local acts. A decent venue is something Christchurch is seriously lacking ... recommended live act of the month is Locust.-A fine drum bass pop thing happening here, lots of potential... spring is here, wahoo! SARAH NICOL The Chills played a couple of times before hooding off for the Sunburnt world tour. If they play the set they played at the Empire on September 12, enchanting the fans and wooing more, they’ll hopefully sell more copies of the album ... the Temple of Everything at 96 High Street are hosting much more frequent events, including performances by Misty Ra, Pumice and many more ... CDs are expected real soon from Mink (the For my Mink album which is believed to be CD-ROM compatible featuring interactive video and. other footage mostly shot by Al Starret), and Yellow Eye are also doing heaps with releases planned for Cynthia Should, another Funhouse CD to follow Roy, as well as T&D Bigger Band, Tardis, Synergy and more ... Radio One’s Update CD compilation will be. coming soon to a student radio station near you ... Crude have attracted some interest in Japan, and the triple eightinch set is out now through Crawlspace Records ... All Electric are releasing a follow up seven-inch to the runaway success of ‘Romance of the Iron Road’. It’ll be coming out on American record label Carburetta ... the Aesthetics have rocked off for a tour including playing at the 20 years of Punk Rock celebrations in Palmerston North ... the proposed tour by D Baser, Soma, Slate and Johnathan Talbot is looking at being, put back a month or so, possibly to November or December... the D Baser single is selling well in town as is the new Eve seven-inch ... Fold’s CD Plant Life has gained .possibly the biggest sales by a Dunedin release in Dunedin — wow ... Sandra Bell has left for Germany to live and will be missed ... any news, gossip or potential defamation, call me on (03)477-4534

DARRYL BASER