BASTARD SONS

Rip It Up, Issue 242, 1 October 1997, Page 10

BASTARD SONS

Some say only sheer stupidity would prompt two Dunedin musicians to relocate to Auckland, then title the resulting album, City of Bastards. Others would say Alpha Plan are spot on.

A/-, called it that for a number of reasons,” V V explains guitarist John Howell. “It appealed to our sense of humour, and also, so many people said, ‘don’t call it that’, they thought it would be a really bad idea.” On the cover of City of Bastards, the Sky Tower looms large over a shot of the Auckland CBD, complete with motorway traffic jam. Howell is right when he describes the whole scene as grotesque. “When I moved up here, I got a bit of a dark obsession with the tower, seeing this monstrosity being erected in front of me. And I was wondering why it was happening because it was so disgusting, but nobody except me seemed offended by it. It’s such an ugly piece of architecture that we wanted to put it on the record cover.” In the early 90s, Howell and bassist Victor Billot, were playing in different bands in Dunedin. There was a healthy scene happening, says Howell, “a second wave of Dunedin music”. Two years later, it had all but petered out. “We decided to skip town, Dunedin was dying as a place to make music.” Gradually, the duo made it up to Auckland, and then formed Alpha Plan. Late last year they made a connection with Earwig Studios, and went in and recorded City of Bastards in three days. A Londonbased friend, Mark Orbell, who was visiting Auckland that week, played drums. “It was chaos,” admits Howell. Thematically, City Of Bastards, repeatedly questions the alleged benefits of modern day technological advances, and the values system of

the western world, in general. But, as most of the record was written in the studio, Alpha Plan were far too untogether to produce a concept album, says Howell. Nonetheless, City of Bastards does present that way. “It seems that way now, and the lyrics reflect how Victor and I are and how we see the world, but there was no plan to have a sole angle. Although, lyrically, I think it’s really spot on.” And because Alpha Plan have something to say, and a point to make, Howell views City of Bastards as unusual within the city that spawned it. “In Auckland, there’s that dumb, leather trousers, morphine scene, which is a bit middle class and a bit ironic for its own good, and it’s not saying anything. Then there’s the ‘la la la’ thing, which has always been around, and that doesn’t interest us at all either. So, in that way, I think it’s quite a unique album, in that we have a purpose for being, other than just wiggling our asses on stage.” An over inflated ego at work? No way. Alpha Plan like a laugh. They called their record, City of Bastards, remember? “When you’re performing or doing your music, you should take yourself seriously and believe in what you’re doing, but it’s pretty funny being in a rock ‘n’ roll band, and we have an idea of how ludicrous the whole thing can be. Keeping a sense of humour is pretty important to us, we’re not prepared to set ourselves up to be sad, defeated

pricks in our mid 305.”

JOHN RUSSELL