Flight Mode Vol. 3 was the third instalment of the monthly ambient event hosted by The Never Project Space. It featured two well-known local musicians/artists: Wairehu Grant and Oliver Stewart.

​First up was Half/Time, the new solo project by Wairehu Grant. Formerly of Cartoon Villain, Blood Lux, Celebrity Death Hoax, Grant is currently mixing with punkademics as he’s in the midst of completing a PhD at the University of Waikato (Te Whare Wananga o Waikato) entitled: Three Chord Rebellion and the White Cloud: Examining Indigenous Punk Identities in Aotearoa.  The relevance to a gig review? His academic work is clearly not separate from his creative and community life. Grant’s current musical output as Half/Time is a vehicle for his current thinking and engagement with the politics of indigenous self-determination and rights (“I’ll Ask the Mountain”). The set featured Grant’s first song penned in Te Reo, “He Tangata,” alongside his version of “Pokarekare Ana.”

​Described as: “Inspired by post-rock and film soundtrack assemblages of synth, guitar and rhythmic loops,” Grant’s set was indeed an eclectic mix of instruments and tools incorporating many aspects of his former projects. What’s new about Grant as Half/Time is the effortless blending of genres, with the set featuring elements of dark ambient, hints of ambient neo-classical, trip hop, protest song, post-punk, and garage rock. Large sections of the set began as ambient or instrumental tracks that then became a platform or container for more conventional song structures. I got the sense that the aim wasn’t to convince an audience they were watching a full band. On several occasions throughout the set Grant was content to play either guitar or keyboards unaccompanied by any other sonic layers. Moments that are rarely possible in a band context. Overall the set moved between melodic, serene ambient soundscapes, biting political commentary and nostalgic celebration.

​After a wee false start (a small technical glitch) the unflappable Glass Shards, dressed for the performance in his Sani Does custom-made Shards tracky suit and clown make-up, got things going again. I think it is probably time for Stewart to review and update the way he describes his music as “the ringing in the back of your skull after a skull fracture” as Glass Shards has evolved into so much more. He has become a truly melodic, tuneful, rhythmic live act. In the earliest days of the band Stewart certainly seemed to purposely test (even punish) his audience with the most gruelling combinations of twisted, distorted, shattered, cracked sounds. While his sonic palette largely remains the same, sounds and effects are blended and used in support of increasingly more complex song structures. Stand out track was set closer “Roar / Whimper.” Like Half/Time the transitions between songs were flawless.
 
For both performers the venue worked to their advantage. So often solo performers are confined to the early part of the evening, first up, warming up the stage for full bands that are inevitably louder (but not necessarily better). With no stage, those present were able to gather around the performers, giving them access to all the actions and manipulations necessary to make the lush ambience and soundscapes of both bands. Performatively the coordination of pedal pushing, knob twiddling, channel selecting, string plucking and cable wrangling was amazing to behold. How Glass Shards recalls and sings lyrics whilst cueing up the next sound, sample, or instrument setting is a joy to watch. Staring at the slogan “shard me up daddy” written on his track pants backside, less so. Although, those words provide a reminder that Glass Shards will always find a way to unnerve regardless of how professional and efficient the music making gets.

​It has been a good few weeks for the DIY local solo artist. The new single by Bitter Defeat “Light that Shines”, once a solo bedroom recording project (now a full band), has received radio play across the country. Nick Johnson (Sora Shima, The Changing Same and Dynamo Go) has just released the excellent Ultraviolet EP as solo project Empasse. Nick was in the audience for this show. Let’s hope that as he was enjoying Half/Time and Glass Shards he was also contemplating how he might translate his solo recordings into a future Flight Mode live show.

I N T E R V I E W
“I can’t believe it’s gotten this far”: Bitter Defeat defeat lockdown and hit the studio
by Max Johns

​Covid-19 may have ruined Bitter Defeat’s plans for recording sessions in March, but they’ve flown out of lockdown into The Porch and already released their first single, Light That Shines. With an EP in the works the five-piece band have gotten serious. They’ve set up Spotify, cleared Bandcamp of Rob’s gritty old solo recordings, joined Twitter and YouTube, and even had their first real photoshoot in front of the psychedelic-as-hell exhibition of giant inflatable mushrooms that BOON is running in Garden Place. (It’s called Shrooms and you should go see it.)

HUP is run by Rob (Bitter Defeat’s songwriter, singer and guitarist), and Ian (keyboards) is probably its most prolific writer, so this interview was soaked in conflicts of interest before it even began. All five members were invited to a socially-distanced group chat but, ominously, three of them didn’t make it. Guess which two turned up... 

Rob: Hi, it’s just me and Ian!

HUP: The Big Two, amirite? So, which one's Bitter and which one's Defeat?

Rob: I’m both, Ian is Sweet and Victorious.

Ian: I just do what I'm told.

HUP: Were you told, for example, how to dress for the Shrooms photoshoot?

Ian: No, we got no direction on dressing for the photoshoot. I made an effort though. Shaved and everything. I don't even shave for work! The effort I go to for this band. Rob specifically went for an indie look.

Rob: I mean, I wore my Sonic Youth hat, but apart from that it was standard 'having your pic taken with shrooms' attire.

HUP: Rob, you went for the non-power power move of not standing front and centre in your own band's portrait. Was that deliberate, or are you naturally Just That Indy?

Rob: Did I? It was squidgy underfoot. I couldn’t be arsed to move, for fear of slipping. So it just happened and it’s totally cool with me. There are other pics, that was just a nice one!

Ian: We got some photos in front of a deflated mushroom that we thought was pretty reflective of the band. We’ve gone with the glamour shot first up though.

HUP: With new recordings coming out you've got yourselves a nice new shroomy photo or two, a Spotify presence, a Twitter account... how much of being a band is playing music and how much of it is 'all the other stuff'?

Rob: My god! The Sunday before Light That Shines came out I think Ben (guitar) spent a whole day getting shit ready… all the socials and that. But it’s all in place now so the next songs will be less hassle.

Ian: Most of it is playing music. It has taken us two years to get to this point. We have been hitting social media in the last week or so, because now we are getting into promotion mode. The social media side hasn't been so important until now, other than to promote shows.

Rob: It has taken ages! But we've had challenges along the way. Good experience though, and it’s nice to feel in control with some songs in the bag ready to go.

HUP: You're drip-feeding the music out now. Light That Shines is available now, and then I guess there'll be a two-week teaser campaign before single #2...

Rob: Weeeeell... I think it will be a bit longer. We decided to record a video for the next one. Another new experience. It will take a little while, but sometime in October, all being well.

HUP: Will you go back to Garden Place for filming, or somewhere more exotic?

Rob: No firm plans as to what it will be like, just that we will do it. We only decided about two hours ago! I’m keen to get some Kirikiriroa in it for sure. I like the idea of Fairfield Bridge in it in some way.

HUP: The greatest H-Town video ever is Trade Secrets by Dubious Brothers. So if you need a template for local sights, there you go. [Made in 2002, highlights include an elevated shot of the duo rolling over Fairfield Bridge, tyres smoking down Rostrevor Street, the whole crew hitting the river to go gambling speakeasy-style on the Waipa Delta, and a breakdancing scene that I’m 99% sure is filmed in the Gardens.]

Rob: Ooo thanks, I’ll check it now. Cool vid!

Ian: Watch the video later - rude!

HUP: Anyway, let's go back to the recording side of things.

Ian: Yeah, getting to the point of having recordings has taken a while. We were originally meant to be in the studio on what became the first weekend of lockdown.

Rob: We were going to go to The Porch with Scott Newth, then lockdown hit.

Ian: That was our original, original plan. Then [post-lockdown] we were set up to do some more lo-fi type recordings, but that fell through fairly last minute. 

Rob: We’d lined up our pal Cam to demo them first before full-on recording. We were set up to record in our practice space, but circumstances got in the way.

Ian: Because we had all set our weekend aside, we checked back with Scott Newth and The Porch and they could take us. We started out as a 'lo-fi' pop group. With these recordings, it is difficult for us to carry that moniker!

Rob: It was lo-fi as when it was just me with one mic, a small amp and a Casiotone in my spare room!

HUP: How do you think the abandoned sessions would have gone? 

Ian: They would have been very different recordings. They would have been great, either way... but they would have been different.

Rob: Yes, true, we would’ve learned lots and done things a bit differently in the studio, but Scott has been amazing and got us to where we want to be.

HUP: He’s a one-man institution.

Rob: He is. Legend and a gent.

HUP: You’ve gone from a solo kick-around project to a gigging line-up, now a well-recorded group with a Real Digital Presence... is there a goal in mind? Or just a track to keep travelling down?

Rob: Honestly, I don't know! I can’t believe it’s gotten this far. It’s a very good thing to have in my life - finding these people to be in a band with, who like the same things and have a similar level of ambition - not that much, but just enough. I’m lucky as.

Ian: I think the main goal is to just enjoy ourselves. I would love for the songs to get a wide audience, and for people to appreciate them. I'm not counting on being able to give up the day job.

Rob: I don't want it to end - writing songs, covering cool songs, playing neat shows, having fun. It's a hobby for sure, but it's a buzz and so much fun.

HUP: How much does playing neat shows and having fun rely on the state of the local scene?

Rob: Good question. I don’t know really. A decent venue is important for any scene, obviously, and we have that. Never, in Frankton, is coming on the scene, and there’s the Meteor too so there’s enough places. I think we need a proper music bar that’s open all the time though, for 'those people' to hang out and meet, drink, talk, form bands, listen to music etc. If I had the money...

HUP: If we're lucky this pandemic will crash inner-city property prices, drive out everyone who complains about noise, and set the scene free!

Rob: I mean, that sounds amazing! The scene I know is mostly older people who go for a beer and to listen and watch rather than much else, but that’s cool. I'm quite old now but I don’t like old person music... or do I? God, I never thought of it like that.

HUP: I have a sneaking suspicion that guitars = old person music these days, but I don't care to check. As one of our more established groups, is Bitter Defeat better-placed to have fun and find listeners no matter what, or are you more reliant on venues and ears to get what you want out of it all?

Ian: Are we well established?

HUP: By Hamilton standards, absolutely.

Rob: REALLY?! Jeepers! 

HUP: Name me a non-Dunedin band that's been on the Radio One top 11 without counting as established. [The week of this interview saw Light That Shines voted #9 on the Otago student station’s weekly countdown]. I'll wait.

Rob: Haha, fair enough. Quietly stoked about that btw, good on ya, Ōtepoti. We lucked in with [opening slots for] The Bats and Hamish Kilgour. They were good to get the name out there. And Phil on the HUM has been very supportive. I reckon if we keep the filter high and release decent tunes and get better at playing live, we'll do alright.

Ian: I think the way things are playing out, online is a really important outlet for us currently. If this is any measure, our followers on Facebook are up 4600% in the last week; that has been from the release of one song, rather than the two years of gigging.

Rob: Ian is the band statistician, and not just cos it has -ian in it either. Statistic(ian)! There’s another song to write.

HUP: Some of those 4600% are going to be from ages away, like Dunedin, for example.

Statistic(ian): Interestingly, a lot of the new fans are from the UK!

HUP: You have the means to keep those fans without ever being in the same room as them. Does that appeal to you guys?

Ian: I'm stoked about the airplay on Radio One. If you had asked me a week ago what a measure of success would be for a band at this stage, charting on a student radio countdown would be it. I'm going to have to raise my expectations now.

Rob: And of course one day we will go there and play, on the great road trip we have in our heads. I’m really looking forward to releasing an EP on record, and a wee tour playing nice little shows around the place. And, of course, playing here to people who are into the music.

HUP: How many tracks will be on the EP?

Rob: 4 songs on the EP.

HUP: And when’s it coming out?

Rob: That depends on format - will we do a record or not? - and the lead-times involved. It might just be CD but it will be a financial decision really. 150 records is about $2,000 to press, which is a big chunk of change. We could record another 5-6 songs for that.

[Hi, readers. Light That Shines is available via Bandcamp as a name-your-own price download. You could, for example, name $2,000 as your price. Just an idea - Ed.] 

HUP: How different was the dynamic in the studio vs practice or performance?

Ian: I think we were all genuinely a bit nervous going into the studio. We all started this band a bit out of our comfort zones: Rob not having sung before, Julian on bass rather than guitar, Ben and I not having really been in bands before. (And me not really being musical, at all!) Kathryn [on drums] was probably the most comfortable on her instrument coming in. In the practice room, we probably have more of the lo-fi ethic... that it doesn't matter if you play some bung notes. The stakes were higher in the studio.

Rob: Dynamic-wise, it was more focused, but reasonably relaxed I think, lots of excitement. It was good overall - two half days and we were all done. Really neat process. Scott was amazing. We tried to get as much as we could, live. On day one we did a couple of setup hours then live takes of Better, Long Lash and some bad Light That Shines.

HUP: Light That Shines came out brilliantly. 

Rob: We couldn’t get Light That Shines on day one. Then on day two: first take, done.

HUP: What was up on day one?

Ian: My family came in on the morning of day two. Having the audience made us up the game, I think. And it gave Rob people to play up to.

Rob: We did a bit of patching up of bits where needed, and Scott tweaked some in post-production too, but overall we're stoked. All the songs are different, but I think we're really all excited about the next one because it sounds, if I can say it, grrrreat.

HUP: Rob, Light That Shines is about your Nan, yeah?

Rob: Yes, when I saw her last she was 97, asleep in an old folks’ home. She didn't know I was there, but the light was coming through the window catching her silver hair. Just a picture in my head.

HUP: That's a beautiful image. 

Rob: I cried like a baby! My daughter never met her and had been looking forward to meeting her at last. But she [Nan] was out of it and not able to see or talk to her. We all cried loads.

HUP: The lyrics could be quite sombre, but you went in another direction and sang something celebratory.

Rob: Yes, Nans are really great. Mine was. So many ace memories. And even though it’s a sad image, it was lovely because my daughter and I were both super-sad together. There’s something oddly grounding about shared grief, I think.

HUP: What does your daughter think of the song?

Rob: She loves it, haha. All the bloody comments on YouTube are her and her friends - “so lit”, etc.

Ian: If you think that's meaningful, wait until you hear Long Lash.

Rob: Haha!!

HUP: I was about to ask you to wrap things up with a plug, but Ian's just nailed it.

Rob: There you have it!

Light That Shines is out now on Bandcamp (for those who want to flick the band a couple of bucks), Spotify (for cheapskates), and YouTube (where you can comment on how lit it is). 

This interview has been heavily edited to remove a bunch of emoji, some atrocious spelling, a 15-minute detour into gnome-related facts and puns, some terrible banter about metal detection as a hobby, and a photo of the interviewer playing a tiny violin. 

R E V I E W
​'Ultraviolet' EP, by Empasse
​by Ian Duggan

I grew up beyond the west-side of Huntly, a bike ride from Rotowaro, and I was schooled in Huntly itself. In primary school I had a friend who I visited in Rotowaro - the son of a miner - so I have vague memories of the town, before it became a (literal) hole; the site of the town went on to become part of the second largest opencast coal mine in New Zealand. Most vividly, I remember ‘tapping’ the pay phone in the main street. So, with these memories, the debut ‘Ultraviolet’ EP from ‘Empasse’ piqued my interest, being described by Nick Johnston (late of Sora Shima, The Changing Same and Dynamo Go), the musician behind the project, as “a soundtrack to a story that is not well known in New Zealand… the story of the town of Rotowaro, a former mining village that was entirely removed in the 1980s to make way for an opencast coal mine”. The cover art, featuring the Huntly Power Station, also has a personal interest, as an area I watched emerge from paddocks in my childhood, which I passed every day on my bus trip to school, and where my sister ended up working for a time. To date ‘What’s Wrong with Huntly’ by ‘Hugh and the New Zealanders’ is probably the best known song about my hometown; “Angus McDonald’s the mayor of the town, he’s into coal mining….”.
​
Rather than celebrating the coal towns, however, Nick describes ‘Ultraviolet’ as being “about the damage and wounds that we cannot see – in this case, it is the rural communities that have [been] battered over many generations to grow and power our larger cities…”; “successive generations in some of those communities have been hit particularly hard for land and mineral extraction. In the case of Rotowaro, a whole village that had to be destroyed to keep the coal flowing to Huntly Power Station, or the power station itself being built on sites of importance to local hapū, with the station built right next to Waahi Pā”. All of this resonated with me, having grown up there through the ‘boom’ and eventual ‘bust’ of the mining and power industries, witnessing the social change of the area first-hand, before I eventually escaped to Kirikiriroa.

But what of the music? Composed primarily during our first COVID-19 lockdown, Johnston describes it as “having cinematic qualities… something that would not feel out of place on the big screen”. This is certainly true; I can easily see these instrumentals, each of which represents different moods, from the dark and atmospheric opening track ‘Lockdown’, to the more upbeat ‘Battering Ram’ (with its relentless beat reminiscent of industrial progression), being picked up for the soundtracks of New Zealand movies. As much as I love The Phoenix Foundation, heaven knows we need a bit more variety in our movie soundtracks!
​
The EP is scheduled for release on 14 September 2020, and will be available through Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Tidal and YouTube.

I N T E R V I E W
Repeat, Repeat: A Q&A with Repairs
with Ian Duggan​

​The debut album by Auckland band Repairs, ‘Repeat, Repeat’, features a whopping 14 songs, and is due out on 18 September. In the meantime, the release of their third single from the album, ‘Pop Song’, is also imminent. We spoke to Repairs bass player Nicola Edwards about the upcoming releases, impostor syndrome, the time taken to get the album to completion, and hidden messages in the album cover!

HUP: As I haven’t heard the single, or the album yet, what can you tell me about them? Do the lyrics of the single or album have themes or significance?

Nicola: The themes running throughout the album – anxiety, feeling isolated, disillusionment, searching for meaning and hope – are ones I think everyone can relate to, particularly at the moment. Pop Song’s lyrics are an admission of imposter syndrome and feelings of inadequacy – which again is something I think resonates with a lot of people.

HUP: When I was an undergraduate student at university, I felt I was part of a psychology experiment – not feeling worthy of being there, and thinking I was being monitored for my reactions to any good grades I received. Is impostor syndrome true to life for the band members, and in what facets of your lives would you have these feelings? 

Nicola: Oh I so understand! Impostor syndrome is definitely something that I’ve felt for most of my life, particularly creatively. I went back to study animation a few years ago, and even though I’ve done various bits and pieces of illustration and design work since, I still feel uncomfortable or unable to call myself an artist. “Faking it until you make it” certainly isn’t something that comes naturally to me! Luckily I have bandmates and friends who are incredibly supportive of my playing music, and so the impostor syndrome around being a musician seems to be lessening slowly but surely.
 
HUP: The album seems to have been a few years in the making. When I talked to Repairs guitarist/vocalist Martin Phillips in 2018, he said the album was mostly recorded, and thought it would be out in late 2019. What happened? Is the album that resulted what you thought it would be back in 2018?
​
Nicola: I know, we were so optimistic! At the time Martin spoke to you, we really did think we had all the songs for an album – but then we started playing some of them live, and we found ourselves thinking “Hmmm, actually it sounds better if we structure it like this” or “These lyrics don’t quite work when we play it live, how can we fix that”. Songs like “Stop/Start” for example (which was our set opener) is a completely different song lyrically than when we first played it. 

We also took a bit of a break from playing shows mid-2019, with our practices being more about jamming on ideas and just having some fun recording demos. I think that’s when we started to really hit our stride creatively. In fact “Pop Song” happened to be one of those jams where everything just seemed to click. 
​
Martin does all of our recording as well as mixing, and so I think that time we spent just creating really helped us to gain the confidence to go – “You know what, we have some really good new songs and can record this ourselves – let’s start the album from scratch.” [continued, below]

A R T I C L E
Another Timeless Classic: A Q&A with Yolk
With Ian Duggan
​
Wellington ‘Gutter Folk’ artist Yolk (a.k.a. Yann Le Dorre) has been a favourite at HUP, having featured more times on our ‘Tekau Nga Waiata Pai’ HUP/The Hum radio show and podcast than any other artist! We interviewed Yann last year more broadly about his Yolk project, but with the recent release of a new album, ‘Cherry Blossoms & the Moon’, we interview him again, this time with a focus on the new album, and how he dealt with lockdown! 

HUP: ‘Cherry Blossoms & the Moon’ is another brilliant album. One thing I love about your releases, outside of the fantastic songs, is that each is a coherent piece of work, with a consistent feel through them. On this album, the first half in particular appears to be more laid-back, but also more ‘intense’ — particularly lyrically — than your previous releases. For example, last year’s ‘SADEGO’ and 2018s ‘Bad Water’ appear upbeat compared with this release, at least musically, while lyrics here involve themes like sadness, boredom, hopelessness and death. Do the songs on each album reflect what is happening in your life, or do you go into each with a character in mind?
 
Yolk: Thank you!! Songs are like lovers and you can learn to hate anyone! Musically I wanted to create pretty atmospheric stuff, focusing more on ‘mood’ rather than ‘excitement’. I wanted the songs to drag you along the beach. I think ‘intense easy listening’ is a fitting description. From a writing point of view, Fitzgerald and Hemingway have sort of embedded this ‘authenticity ideal’, in that you should only write about what you know. I think the best way to understand and in turn explain is to feel it first-hand, taste the blood in your mouth and feel those harsh winds whipping you on that lonely walk home.
​
‘Cherry Blossoms’ was written as a thematic piece. I wanted to capture those few months through summer when the sheer anticipation of the coming heatwave is enough to make you crack a beer and to follow through into the dirge of the dying cicadas when the days aren’t so long and you look back on the blackout and realise the sun has set. Each of my albums could paint a picture for me and each song usually begins as a personal affair, but then time tends to end them in a divorcee fashion. I can be a little disconnected from the older songs. It’s almost like looking at an old photo; you know it's you, but your face has changed, and you don’t dress the same. It seems I’m always feeling pretty sentimental, so I would like to say I write from the heart; whether or not it is kind is a different story. Being rather impressionable, I think my albums tend to take on this character narrative dependent on what I’m listening to, who I’m hanging out with, whose love is involved, etc, and these variables are always changing, and thus a character can live and die throughout an album cycle. The character of ‘Cherry Blossoms’ to me in hindsight was a new man, facing down the barrel of adulthood, whilst still very engaged in the twilight of his youth, desperately thinking, yet always meeting the eye with confidence. I tried to sonically represent the end of an era with the album, looking to be the last of that ‘wall of sound, overdub city, digital vibe’, paired with a more straight-ahead lyrical approach, in which I’ve found more comfortable delivering as I’ve gotten older. These days I care less about hiding behind deep metaphor and don’t need to beat around the bush so much; the term “sighing in plain sight” comes to mind.
​

​HUP: One of the early favourites for me on this album is ‘Another Timeless Classic’, which I find unsettling to listen to with the aggressive dialogue from the 1987 movie ‘Barfly’ running through the background. What was your inspiration for using this dialogue here?
 
Yolk: The stars aligned in the gutter that summer, and all roads led to [writer Charles] Bukowski. My friends Dad tipped me off to that classic Mickey Rourke performance [in Barfly] while I was hanging around on his farm for a couple of weeks. I held some vague romantic notion about the self-destructing drunkard already and that movie really got me going. My sister ended up lending me a copy of [Bukowski’s semi-autobiographical novel] ‘Ham on Rye’ around that time too. Charles’ writing struck a chord in me with its simple yet emotive layman’s portrayal of existing through the bottle in this indifferent world. “Hey boy, fetch me a draft” became a little phrase between my friends and I, so I felt like it would be right to honour that through song. ‘Another Timeless Classic’ is essentially a eulogy, describing people’s reactions to a funeral. I thought the way the Barfly steamed through life was the perfect tragic comedy to pair with the faux blues piano. I feel the sounds of a brutal fistfight could represent that entropic climax of life perhaps better than any wailing guitar solo could.
​

​HUP: As we covered in the last interview, you are a prolific releaser of albums. The songs on this album were recorded a year ago. Have you been able to concentrate on new music during the lockdown? 

Yolk: Haha, ah yeah. For better or for worse the songs are pouring out of me! Fortunately, the month leading up to lockdown happened to be one of the most hectic in my life, so there was plenty of mental baggage to sift through and compose with (haha). Initially, I planned to work on two albums I recorded last year and get them ready for release, but I very quickly realised I only had the patience and interest for the most recent stuff. It has been a little trying at times with lack of external motivation and me beginning to hate my bedroom, but it's surely coming together. I’ve been outsourcing a few parts to other musicians over the internet, which has been a new experience for me. Having other talents on record has opened up the way I have been conceiving the album. I’d say I’m going in a very stripped back direction that feels much more refined.

HUP: This album has beautiful cover art, featuring a literal representation of the album title.  Who designed this?

Yolk: My dear friend Catherine painted the cherry blossom tree, then I painted the back drop and arranged the elements on some sketchy software. I wanted the cover to draw you into the 'delicate yet visceral' world of 'Cherry Blossoms & the Moon'.

HUP: The album is available digitally on Bandcamp, but you have also done a run of cassettes for this release. What made you release on this format, and how do people get hold of one?
 
Yolk: I’ve been a champion of this lo-fi format for quite a few years now. I love the grit and yesteryear feel of cassette and ultimately decided to release it on tape because it was cheap. People don’t tend to have CD players anymore, while a cassette is nostalgic real estate and easy to slip in your pocket. You certainly don’t listen to cassette for fidelity, but it does have that ‘analogue’ sound we all know and love. People can purchase these for the reasonable price of $10, either through my Facebook page, Instagram or Bandcamp.

I N T E R V I E W 
The Owl with Big, Googly Eyes: A Q&A with Adam Helliwell of Ceolskog
​with Ian Duggan
​
‘Ceolskog’ is a recording project of Adam Helliwell, who has recently released a new EP titled ‘The Owl with Big, Googly Eyes’; his fifth since 2015. Ceolskog combines heavy metal with traditional folk music, particularly Celtic and Nordic… along with a bit of humour. We had a fascinating chat with Adam about Ceolskog; the new EP, the influence of nature and Scandinavian elements in the project, his previous band ‘IronStein’, and more!

​HUP: On one hand your intent with Ceolskog seems serious, and I am really enjoying the songs ‘Rakiura, Glowing Skies’ and ‘Mannen og Kråka (Kråkevisa)’ on this EP. But then you have titles for your EPs and albums like ‘Made In My Bedroom’, ‘A Comfortable Tree Stump’, and now ‘The Owl with Big, Googly Eyes’. Your videos are also full of good humour. Overall, how serious are you about this project, and what are your aspirations for Ceolskog?
 
Adam: I'm really quite serious about the project, although my dedication to it waxes and wanes. In terms of my aspirations, I'm really not sure what the end goal is. I guess I would like the whole thing to keep growing... like a fungus mould in a damp room. Or maybe more like Entoloma hochstetteri, our native blue mushrooms, since Ceolskog has quite a big New Zealand focus. Dear me, I am digressing already. Anyway, let's just say I have no belief that I will ever be able to quit my full-time job. Ha ha!

Yes, there certainly is a decent injection of humour into the whole thing, which I suspect is a carry-over from my last band, ‘IronStein’; full-blown comedy played a crucial role in our live performances. I do feel that if I'm not making a joke out of the whole thing, at least on a certain level, that I am misleading people by trying to convince them — and perhaps myself — that I am better or more professional than what I truly am. In other words, I try very intentionally not to take myself too seriously, otherwise it feels like false marketing. That could be a self-esteem thing, or perhaps I'm using it as a shield against tall-poppy syndrome. But I actually think we Kiwis tend to have that sort of subtle humour in our approach to serious tasks; a good-natured and dry type of self-deprecation.
 
HUP:  Is your music as Ceolskog influenced by other bands?
 
Adam: Lots of folk metal bands have been a huge influence on my own brand of said genre. But it is the genre as a whole that has really influenced me, rather than any particular band. And I listen to a lot of them. For example, there is Ensiferum and Korpiklaani from Finland, Tyr from the Faroe Islands, Arkona from Russia, Falkenbach from Germany, Eluveitie from Switzerland, Dalriada from Hungary, and Heidevolk from the Netherlands. The Hu is a folk metal band from Mongolia, and they are making quite a buzz at the moment. Even Alien Weaponry could arguably be called folk metal for certain songs of theirs - and although they're not an influence on me, I do enjoy them. I could go on, but you get the picture. I'd say my brand of folk metal is generally less heavy, with a slight New Zealand flavour.
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Besides folk metal, Queen has been a huge influence in the sense that they first proved to me that you don't have to restrict yourself stylistically speaking. Just listen to their song ‘Innuendo’. Of course, I also enjoy the more regular kind of heavy metal bands, such as Iron Maiden and Metallica, and also traditional folk music (particularly Irish). I love country music and old cowboy songs, and orchestral or ‘classical’ (specifically the Romantic era) music too. All of those types of music have given me loads of ideas for songs and influenced my music in various ways. But there are too many artists, composers and bands to list here. But, if I had to narrow it down to the four bands/artists that probably have had the biggest influence on me, I'd say the Swedish death metal band Amon Amarth, the one-man metal band Bathory, The Proclaimers (which I guess you could label as ‘Celtic pop’), and finally the late, great, ‘Godfather of New Zealand folk music’, Phil Garland. Quite a mix, I know! [continued below]

HUP:  While ‘ceol’ means music in Irish, the ‘skog’ part of your name means ‘forest’ in Norwegian. One of the songs on this EP, ‘Mannen og Kråka (Kråkevisa)’, is a metal rendition of the Scandinavian folk song "Kråkevisa" (or “The Crow Song”). A number of your previous songs are similarly sung in Scandinavian languages. Were you fluent in Scandinavian languages before the Ceolskog project? Do you have Scandinavian ancestry? What has drawn you to this region?
 
Adam: It actually all began with the song ‘Trollmors Vuggesang’, a lullaby that, with slight variations, is sung all over Scandinavia. A slightly creepy lullaby, or ‘litt skummelt’, as a Norwegian may put it. It was a 2010 Norwegian fantasy/mockumentary film about trolls, ‘Trolljegeren’, or ‘Troll Hunter’, which first brought my attention to the song. It also started my fascination with Scandinavian folklore. At one point in the film, Hans, the lead character, actually sings that very lullaby. A couple of years later, I thought it would be a bit of a novelty to record a metal version of Trollmors Vuggesang, and so I did just that! In regards to all the subsequent Scandinavian-language songs I've recorded, they were all actually suggestions, or requests, by Scandinavians who had enjoyed my version of Trollmors Vuggesang. And I guess I was kind enough to oblige!

As for my ancestry, as far as I am aware, it is mainly English and Scottish. I have been told, by a cousin, who happens to be a country-folk musician, that the part of the family he shares with me has Scandinavian ancestry. I myself have not looked into it, so I'm not sure. That part of my ancestry lies in the English county of Derbyshire, which, sure enough, has a little more Scandinavian DNA than the rest of England, but I doubt that is what he means. As to the language, I know enough to catch a bus or order a pizza… or even find a public toilet… but I couldn't have a proper conversation. If a Norwegian person writes a couple of sentences to me online, to compliment me or correct me or whatever, it can take me a few minutes just to translate it!
 
HUP:  Your music videos for Ceolskog are commonly a mix of you at home playing to camera interspersed with scenes of New Zealand nature. I assume that it is this love of nature that has influenced the lead track, ‘Rakiura, Glowing Skies’? Tell us a little about this song.
 
Adam: Yes, the outdoors and nature has had a big influence on Ceolskog. I'm an avid hiker, and have always had a layman's interest in zoology, geology, paleontology and ecology. I even considered pursuing a career somewhere in that realm of science, but after I failed every subject in my last year of high school, I decided that might not be such a good idea! Anyway, in 2018 my sisters and I hiked the Rakiura Great Walk, in Stewart Island. It had quite an impact on me, as the place is almost a time capsule that looks into New Zealand's natural past. Tui and Kaka are numerous there, and fly around the main settlement, Oban, like you would see sparrows and blackbirds do here in Hamilton. We even saw dolphins swim by. I'd never seen dolphins before that.
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The following year, I read a book called ‘Ghosts of Gondwana: The History of Life in New Zealand’ by George Gibbs, an entomologist. It seeks to give a basic outline as to why New Zealand's plants and animals are so unique when compared to other countries. Oddly, it was reading the book which inspired me to write about my Rakiura trip, as opposed to the trip itself. The chorus has this line: “Rakiura, glowing skies, remind us how land once was”. Because (besides other off-shore islands acting as wildlife sanctuaries) it's as close as we will get! Actually, another song on that album was inspired by a book I read. I composed “Tyrannosaurus Rex was There to See” after reading a book called “The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs”, by an American paleontologist, Stephen L. Brusatte. As you can probably guess, that song concerns the asteroid that brought about the extinction of the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period. [continued below]

HUP: Where have you done your recordings?

Adam: In my bedroom at home! It's a very, very basic set up. Speakers, pre-amp, guitar amp, a microphone, a couple of cables, a PC, and of course Pro Tools. I really don't know what I am doing most of the time; the whole process is all trial and error for me. I am not a technology-savvy sort of person. I like mountains, trees and rivers better!

HUP: I had been waiting for ‘The Owl with Big, Googly Eyes’ to be released as an album, but it seems you changed your mind at some stage and released it an EP. What led to this shortening?

Adam: I was actually feeling a little burned out by the project, and decided I couldn't be bothered recording eight or nine songs for an album. I planned to take a break for 2020 and just concentrate on making hiking videos for my YouTube channel instead. So I just went ahead and released the five songs rather than record any more. Naturally the Covid 19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown made any hiking plans impossible. So instead I actually got back into recording songs! A week or two ago I released a folk metal cover of Phil Garland's song, ‘Wind in the Tussock’, via my YouTube channel. So I guess I am working on a new album now! Or perhaps an EP... [continued below]

​What or who has driven you to create your own music? 
Music has always been the place where I turned to process my emotions.  Growing up some of my main influences were Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Enya, Enigma, Depeche Mode, and New Order.  (Although my first vinyl was Sesame Street's Disco album and I still listen to "Me Lost Me Cookie at the Disco" pretty regularly.)  Around my teenage years I started writing my own songs by putting my poetry to piano, and I found it became a sort of therapy for me. 
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What is the best gig you've ever ever been to?
I was lucky enough to see Prince perform in New Zealand shortly before he passed. He was incredible and captivating and hilarious and overwhelmingly talented. 
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What is your favourite Hamilton music memory?
Going out to watch a great night of music at Nivara Lounge and then rescuing a stray kitten from their car park who now rules our household.

'New Moon' is released tomorrow, April 24 and is available from parabolawest.com

​While most of the rest of the bands on the compilation have played at Nivara Lounge, the first track is a notable exception. This was a track submitted anonymously by ‘r.p.i.l.d.’, and titled ‘I Love Nivara Lounge’; “This is a song about my happy place”, it begins. This song really sums up what Nivara Lounge means to so many people, and it serves as a great compilation opener, to keep our thoughts on what this compilation is really all about; “City park placement, the Tron’s best basement; It pushes all my buttons, but not when I am shut in”. Brilliant stuff. Who is this mysterious musician, and what is r.p.i.l.d.? Well, the following appeared on the Hamilton Music Wiki from an anonymous IP address, that explains at least part of our question:

HUP: Tell me briefly about Lizard; when did you form, how would you describe Lizard’s music, and who were your biggest influences?
 
Gwyn: Lizard formed in 1994. Keith [Wright: vocals, guitar] and I were good friends but in different bands. Both of our band’s split up. So we started a new project with a few other friends and started writing new music. My brother Rod [guitar, vocals] joined later that year and Mark Brightwell on drums when Th’ Clap finished. That was the line-up for the ‘Rumours’ EP.

Our music covers a wide range of styles as Keith, Rod and I all write and sing. Reggae, funk, rock and punk all featured through our music. Our influences are Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Ramones, Dead Kennedy’s, Fishbone, Suicidal Tendencies, and Infectious Grooves, but also Van Halen and Black Sabbath, and we evolved into a surf punk and funk band.
 
HUP: You are re-releasing your early album and EPs online. What are the releases, and when were they originally released? What has made you release then online at this stage?
 
Gwyn: Our first EP ‘Rumours’ was released in 1996, our first album ‘Dave - Once A Lizard, Always A Lizard’ was released in 1998 and our second EP ‘ZFS’ (Zesty Fruit Slice) was released in 2011.
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No Lizard releases have ever been released digitally. In October 2018 my brother Rod and I released our ‘Morgan Brothers Band’ EP ‘Kin’ digitally through DRM. That went really well and it led to Rod, Keith and I agreeing to remaster and re-release the Lizard back catalogue.

DRM are great to work with, and after ‘Kin’ was released we had a lot of people asking where they could get our Lizard albums.

HUP: How do you think the songs have stood the test of time? Are there any songs you are still particularly proud of?
 
Gwyn: I think the songs are still great. Because we have a variety of styles it works well.

‘Rumours’ is a great song off our first EP and really got Lizard our start. ‘Chocolate Fish’, ‘Boris’ and ‘Take Me Away’ off the Dave... album got a tonne of airplay, and that album sold over 3000 CDs. Off ZFS ‘Never Seem The Wiser’ is a great track.
 
HUP: For people that haven’t head Lizard before, what three songs from these releases would you recommend someone have a listen to, and why?

Gwyn: ‘Rumours’, ‘Boris’ and ‘Chocolate Fish’.
 
HUP: Where online can people find the releases?
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Gwyn: Spotify, iTunes, YouTube and 30 other streaming or download platforms.

​The self-titled album from Hamilton’s Datemonthyear has been long in the oven. Head chef/band founder Trevor Faville has been working on this material for the last five years and the results show a true dedication to the craft, both in musical arrangement and aesthetics. This is an album that, despite being created by “independent music bohemians”, is professionally astute. It is paired with quirky lyrics and memorable hooks that will no doubt ensure its popularity. 

Opening number, entitled, ahem, ‘Numbers’, is a great example of this. The vocals of Emma Koretz float breezily over the instrumental but spike surprisingly in the ear.  Lines like, “dancing with Machiavelli’s Ghost” followed quickly with “Supermarket queue on a Saturday” give the elaborate and the mundane so succinctly.  The song gives way to the punchy ‘Flowers’. Here, the instrumental prowess of Brooke Baker (guitar, keyboards), Tyler Leet (guitar) and Hayley Schwass (bass) come to the fore to support Koretz’ smooth vocal delivery. 

‘July’ must have been written with northern hemisphere whanau in mind (“July/making hay while the sun shine’s down”). It is the lead single and sees squelchy guitar and soaring singing keeping fans of everyone from early Neil Young to Fur Patrol hanging onto every note. It would be easy for these songs to be lumped into something quintessentially “Kiwi”, with some similar sounds to other local heroes like the basslines of Lucid Three or the understated but complex drumming of someone like Ross Burge of The Mutton Birds, but there is something more here. 

That may well be picked up by listeners as far flung as Essex, Argentina and Germany (where Datemonthyear are already getting airtime), and it may be that artists in general are not being hemmed in by geographical constraints the way that may have been true of the Dunedin Sound for example. The smaller the world becomes, the bigger a band like Datemonthyear will be able to be. It feels like that Datemonthyear are “making faces to the scenery” and taking a journey that is just as emotionally varied as it is not grounded in solely being a “kiwi” band and that makes it a mighty fine record.
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