Nux Vomica (1985-88)

More obscure Chch! Nux Vomica were an early project of Lawrence Kennett and Lisa Preston, later of The Portage.  Kennett's first band, The Droogs, released one single around 1981 on cassette, 'Fuck Your Brain', which was re-pressed on vinyl in 2005 (under the name The Pitts).  Kennett stepped back from music for a bit but has recently begun playing again with other Garden City refugees now resident in Dunedin: Bob Cardy and Mick Elborado. Preston continues to perform, with bands such as Snort and Loliners. Bassist Phillip Hubbard disappeared from the scene in the early 90s, and drummer Chris Small died last year.

Nux Vomica - My Life To Live/T.V. Producer (1985)

This 7-inch is quite crackly but so what -- it's p*nk as f*ck. 'My Life To Live' sounds like one take, live in the studio, with some telephone-mic vocal overdubs -- slurred'n'shouty, organ'n'bass, grotty staccato garage. 'TV Producer' might be brutally tape-spliced from several takes, with different EQs and mic placements, giving the whole thing a nicotine-stained short-of-breath live-reptile-show caveman-minimalism drive.

Recorded and co-produced by The Axemen's Steve McCabe.


I Know What'll Sell


Nux Vomica - Live '85 - '87 (1988)

Recorded at the Gladstone, in Motueka and Takaka, and in rehearsal.

Heaps more guitar on this (if there was any on the single, it was totally inaudible) -- smoky, speed-thrilling, raw cuts from the Gladstone:  'Adoption', 'My Life To Live', and the Very Metal 'Gnome'.

Two songs from this -- 'Sin' and 'Swamp Dream' -- were re-recorded with The Portage on the Thirteen; Thirteen twelve-inch. 'Sin' and seven-inch A-side 'TV Producer' get roisterous in Takaka with Alan Wright on sax skronkings. The 'Swamp Dream' live rehearsal is murky-as motorik, like Sister Ray gets stripped-down and sweaty. Acoustic duet 'Good Things' could be a Kiwi Animal outtake. A couple tracks are just simple snippets of the best parts: 'Keeps on Coming' --which feels snotty and primitive like The Stones [NZ] -- starts suddenly, cuts abruptly.

Their originals are the best bits, but the tape finishes with a couple of covers of Lou Reed and The [Rolling] Stones.

[Note: There is a noisy tape glitch toward the end of the heavy, heavy, psych-groove 'Iron Pineapple'. I've done my best to splice the sound together. Not sure if the original tape was recorded that way (à la The Puddle's live records) or due to deterioration from earthquake liquefaction residue.]

Rough as guts, fucked up and sweet, familiar and a bit of strange. Highly recommended.


If I Kill You In My Passion

The Osterbergs - Freak Power (1990)

More licks from the unplumbed pockets of Mysterex maven Andrew Schmidt: the scritchy, shouty sounds of Detroit devotees The Osterbergs!

"The Osterbergs out of east Auckland were regulars at the Queen City's inner-city music dives in the late 1980s, and early 1990s, on the diverse bills of the time.

"Their wah-driven Stoogoid punk sound -- the guitar courtesy Mark Jones, anchored by drummer Shirley Charles and bass player/vocalist Paul E. Snake -- had an endearing, nagging charm, well captured on their only release for Auckland's Onslaught Records.

"The original trio of Shirley Charles (drums), Paul Edwards (bass/vocals) and Mark Jones (guitar) had been joined by Lance Strickland on second guitar, who broadened the songs and gave it an unscripted edge.

"Changing their name to Freak Power, the quartet would go on to support many like-minded touring groups, and release a ten-inch EP on Wildside Records."

The Osterbergs – Freak Power (Onslaught Records)

Side 1
Your Time
Saccharine
It Burns

Side 2
Everything
Strung Out

Rec’d by Matthew Heine at BFM in Auckland, 1990

Paul Edwards – bass/vocals
Lance Strickland – guitar
Mark Jones – guitar
Shirley James – drums


Borrowed Amps

Mole Männe - Mole Männe (1983)

Can't really find out much about this album, so I'll just have to tell you what I reckon. Recorded in 1983 for Jayrem, Mole Männe's self-titled EP is caught somewhere between punk and post-punk: linear monotone vocals, minimalist superfuzz licking, big rumbling stereo-separated Gang of Four/PIL drumming, and "production values"; paired with teen-angst poetics.

It's dreary and adolescent, and feels like small-town-rock-band to me, and that's a recommendation.

And We Won't Live Long

We Still Hate The Spelling Mistakes

 

Ever expanding in the breadth of Switched Out's postings, (I reckon soon I'll even post some non-Zealandish stuff) here's a big fat dose of c1977-80 Auckland punk. 

This posting comes courtesy of the considerable closet of new contributor and old mate, Andrew Schmidt. Andy's been documenting NZ music since the early 1980s, producing exhaustive histories of NZ punk/pop/rock in 'zines Social End Product and Mysterex. As Andy is far more informed a writer than myself, I'll just cheat and quote him here: 

'We Still Hate The Spelling Mistakes [was] the first reunion show giveaway CD of live and studio tracks from the group's hey day.

All I Know How To Be alone justified a revisiting, but really this was a band with no shortage of quality songs. Ergophobia, X-Teenager, the misanthropic Anti-Social, their lost 1977 style snarler, Latest Photograph, What's Wrong With Me? and Nothing To Say all deserved the studio treatment.

They got it in November 1998 at Frisbee Studios in Auckland. Bob Frisbee recording. They scrubbed up well those old Spelling Mistakes gems. There's brash pop smarts and punk rock power all over this great lost album. X-Teenager is a Kiwi 1970s punk anthem in absentia. The relentlessly upbeat All I Know How To Be combines power pop Buzzcocks with the grander structures of early Magazine and a peerless Nick vocal. Latest Photograph is pure pop. Helium Head, written by Julian after The Spelling Mistakes demise, is spacey Beatles psych with Nigel Russel keyboards, druggy harmonies, and a stray Chuck Berry riff. An intriguing hint of where The Spelling Mistakes might have gone.

Ergophobia, Anti-Social, Nothing To Say, and What's Wrong With Me? crackle with punk's original electricity and hard humour. Warwick getting that Detroit amphetamine - Chuck Berry guitar sound down. Age has not wearied them nor the past condemned.'

Link to the full article is here.

Look for more posting from Andy's vast stash soon, and visit his blog, Mysterex, regularly. And whenever possible, buy his magazines. And books. Or buy him a beer. My man loves a beer.

Track Listing:

The Spelling Mistakes – We Still Hate The Spelling Mistakes (reunion show giveaway CD) - 1998

Stingy
Hate Me, Hate Me
No Contact (all recorded in December 1979 at Mascot Studios in Auckland with Steve Crane)

I Want You
Feels So Good
I Hate The Spelling Mistakes
Hate Me Hate Me (all recorded with Fane Flaws at Mandrill Studios in Auckland – April 1980)

The Ballad of Reena’s Piss Flaps (recorded by Bryan Staff at Mandrill Studios in Auckland – May 1980)

Live at Radio B at Mainstreet in Auckland – May 1980
No Contact
Germany
X Teenager
Moscow
I Want You

Live at XS Café in Auckland by Terry King – October 1980
Ergophobia
X Teenager
Nothing To Say
Stingy
All I Know How To Be
Shell Shock Victim

Hate Me Hate Me