Fun to Belt out in a Shed: A Q&A with Commodore65

​A band that Contact can feel it played a small hand in, on their way to gaining international success, was The Datsuns. Under their earlier moniker, Trinket, the band got airplay on the station and placed third in the last of the Contact 89FM Battle of the Bands competitions in 1997. Phil Buscke Somervell, guitarist for Trinket and The Datsuns, is now in Thames based outfit Commodore65, who are playing at the Contact 50ish! We talked to Phil about the computer - the Commodore 65, how it is to be in a band in Thames, how important Contact was in his early musical endeavours, and more!

​HUP: With a name like ‘Commodore65’, I half expect your genre to be 8-bit electronic video-game music. But I don’t think that is what you are at all. How do you describe your music?
 
Commodore65: Well, your half expectations are somewhat right. When we first talked about starting a band the term ‘8 bit punk’ was thrown around. We still talk of doing that era’s video game versions of all our songs one day, or as b-sides potentially, but we essentially write everything as short repetitive tunes that are just fun to belt out in a shed. All our artwork will most likely resemble those old games too!
 
HUP: Who is in the band, and how did you get together?
 
Commodore65: We all live in Thames and are interested in similar music, so it was just a matter of time before we struck up a creative bond. Jessica (drums/vox) and Joshua (keys/vox) run a music shop in town and Jessica and I also worked together at a local café. The cafe and music shop are basically next door to each other, so in-between making food and coffee for the locals we would yarn about music ideas and soon started jamming. Everything evolved very naturally and there’s a very open, creative vibe to the whole thing.
 
HUP: The Commodore 64 was a computer that sold around 17 million units, evidently making it the highest selling computer of a time. Reading around I find that the Commodore 65 was a prototype follow-up that was never released to market. What is the story behind the naming of the band Commodore65?
 
Commodore65: This is it in a nutshell! It was never released so we thought it’d be a funny band name. Honestly, we didn’t think or discuss it too much. It sounded fun, looks cool written down and associates itself with cool art. [continued below]

​HUP: Phil, how important was Contact in your early Trinket days?
 
Commodore65: Super important!!! I grew up in Leamington. It was the only radio station I was interested in as a kid and they supported Trinket/The Datsuns and played us from the beginning. We were kids and discovered so much music through Contact. Especially through Scott Newth. Now, a life long friend and music colleague. Huge gratitude!
 
HUP: The band is based in Thames.  Are there advantages or challenges to having a band based there?
 
Commodore65: Thames is almost the perfect little place. It’s close to Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga but has its own small town vibe going on. Beautiful environment and easy access to be able to travel to shows in those cities, but it also has a sense of isolation about it at the same time. The airport is close, so really you’ve got the world at ya feet.
 
HUP: What are your aspirations for Commodore65?
 
Commodore65: C65 is about creativity. We aspire to collaborate, to laugh, to yell out in rage, to pursue funny ideas as well as serious world views, to be well informed and to be open to ideas. We intend good times and always look out for each other.

with Ian Duggan; ​photos by Amy Torr.