If you are in Dunedin tonight (Saturday 17th August 2013) two Christchurch bands are playing at Queen’s – The Salad Boys and The Transistors with local Dunedin band Kilmog.
Here’s The Transistors latest single and video from their brand new (2nd) album, out on Arch Hill Records.
The Transistors are from Rangiora. It’s a town north of Christchurch. They are a punk band. A kind of NYC’77 scene referencing band. Great songs, energetic performances. I’ve seen them three times now. The first time was in Christchurch in the winter of 2009 at a small and packed bar called Goodye Blue Monday.
Goodbye Blue Monday was the centre of a supportive music scene in the City for a while, run by young musicians, much like Dark Room Bar is today. Entry was free and they paid bands a guarantee. It was a classy compact bar with a high stage and decent sound system in a redeveloped former warehouse precinct in the central city. Sadly it was damaged beyond repair in the February 2011 earthquake and demolished.
Anyway, back to 2009. The band I was playing in – The Puddle – were touring the South Island and made a late arrangement with them to play at Goodbye Blue Monday before their midnight set. We lent lent them our brand new bass amp.
The Transistors played like mad things, a thrillingly fast and furious set of 3-chord punk, ending their set with some NYC’77 punk covers including Dead Boys ‘Sonic Reducer’ as their final number. During the song the drummer and guitarist trashed their gear – drums, cymbal stands in all directions, guitar, amp on the stage, crowd going mental… Meanwhile, earning my eternal respect and gratitude, lanky bassist Colin Roxburgh was the only one still playing the three notes of that song, legs apart, straddling the bass amp and leaning back protecting it from harm from flying objects. Bless him.
The times I have seen then since then they haven’t done that to their gear. I don’t think they do that stuff any more. Better not, as they are using my drum kit tonight.
PostScript (Sunday): No destruction of gear last night. Jim: “Oh, yes, I remember, we used to do that didn’t we? A show was never over until I’d swung my guitar over my head onto the stage. I couldn’t do that now. I have a Hagstrom guitar now & I’d break it if I did that.” Punk grows up.
Pop Lib 