Hard News by Russell Brown

If not for Suicide I'd never have got into Springsteen - something I doubt anyone has ever said

Essential and much loved band in my world... everything about them is so just freaking cool

Just noticed this: some excellent corrective graffiti by Viv Albertine at a British punk rock exhibition that contrived to erase all the women of punk. Go Viv.

I too was lucky enough to see Suicide in London, in '98 at a gig at the Royal Festival Hall as part of the John Peel-curated Meltdown Festival.

An excellent electronica trio, Add N To (X) opened up, then Suicide followed, playing all of their debut, plus a few songs from their very under-rated second album. They were bloody amazing.
Unfortunately, they were followed by the Jesus And Mary Chain who dull as hell.

As an aside, my mates and I noticed a guy down the front with really long hair and wearing a tie-dyed Hendrix t-shirt. We all agreed we recognised him from the NZ music scene, but we couldn't quite put our finger on it.
Later, on the bus home, the penny dropped - it was the ex-bass player from Wellington punks Flesh D-Vice...

Good music does not age .....

https://soundcloud.com/pete-dnanz/pete-gordon-breaks-set-sample

This is a portion of a 'breaks' or break-beat set..... it is around 10 years old .....and is by a New Zealand dj called Pete Gordon.

He's still one of my favorite Dj s despite being in semi-retirement for quite a while now.

The photo is from a outdoor wellington dance party held in the bush (Rimutuka national park)........

It was called "Resurrection" in reference that there had been a few years break since the legendary MuMu lands and 'check-point charlie' which set amazing standards.....( check-point charlie had the most PA equipment with the highest wattage , the biggest Lazer & lighting show, the most mirror balls, rigging etc and generally the most outdoor party equipment ever assembled in one Zone in a New Zealand outdoor electronic dance party at the time) .... True sensory overload in every way.

'The gathering' which was then the premier outdoor electronica event in New Zealand at that point of our history had more gear overall ..... but spread over multi-zones

Resurrection was the start of a Wellington outdoor resurrection that evolved into "the Wairongomai Ball" and then "The forest".

Pete Gordon was the opening Dj at Resurrection....

In this Breaks set of his the tune at the end explains what ' Break- beats' is ....

Its hard not to like this music as it features 'the cow bell",..... "the 303 assassin machine" .... and "The Drop" ................. much respect Pete :) :0

Later, on the bus home, the penny dropped – it was the ex-bass player from Wellington punks Flesh D-Vice…

I recall in the late 80s that you could be assured f a solid NZ ex[at turnout to what to the rest of the world were pretty fringe acts.

The one that sticks in the mind is Pere Ubu's reunion show at the Town & Country. Bloody packed with New Zealanders. Including the woman who got up on her boyfriend's shoulders and flashed her boobs at David Thomas. Who responded, pricelessly:

"I'm not Jim Morrison."

After the fact: Peter Jefferies, pictured while playing a set of This Kind of Punishment songs, alongside Chris Matthews, and with Michael Prain on drums. At Golden Dawn last Saturday night.

Heh. Vega and Rev at the racetrack.

Nice obituary in the Guardian. Here's Cheree from the sefl-titlted debut

On a different, I-missed-it-totally, note, Bernie Worrell of Parliament/Funkadelic fame Parliament/Funkadelic also died recently.. Computer I'm on just now has no speakers so I'm hoping this is good! Flashlight, recorded live in NJ in June 1978