1994 – UP THE PUNKS

The Wellington punk scene in 1994 was relatively quiet and subdued, mainly due to a lack of new bands and releases. The departure of one of its most prominent bands, SMUT, who relocated to Sydney in late 1993, left a noticeable gap. SMUT quickly integrated into the Australian punk scene, playing their first show there at an Easter Weekend Punks Picnic on Sunday, April 3, and gigging regularly throughout the year.

Activity was limited but included cross-genre experimentation and occasional benefit shows. Devoid, evolving from their industrial-goth roots, staged an ambitious multi-media performance titled “Deus Ex-Machina” over two nights in March at Bats Theatre. The show incorporated projected visuals, live angle-grinder action, and a “machine-age” aesthetic blending art-noise with sculpture and performance elements.

Flesh D-Vice, a longstanding Wellington punk/hardcore outfit with roots in the early 1980s, remained active. In May they performed at Stax alongside Christchurch’s Pumpkin Head, Wellington’s Sadius Fiend, and Palmerston North’s Blunt. Later that month, the band appeared at the New Plymouth Mushroom Ball. Flesh D-Vice continued to embody the raw, hard-edged punk/ rock’n’roll spirit that had helped sustain the scene for over a decade.

Skapa drummer Chas Mannel helped organize NZ’s first national “Skaparty” at Auckland’s Gluepot, reflecting a growing national ska/ punk network.

A highlight for the activist side of the scene was a July NZAVS benefit show at Thistle Hall, which brought together three local Wellington bands with Swampgoblin (Hamilton) and Prolapse (Auckland).

March

March 4, Bats: Devoid (Deus Ex-Machina)
March 11, Thistle Hall: Septic Noise Grinder, Conventional Toasters, Loosehead
March 12, Bats: Devoid (Deus Ex-Machina)

April

April 3, Sydney Park, St. Peters (SYD), Punx Picnic: SMUT (1st Sydney gig), Subversion, Stalin’s Organ, Blood Clot Feral Dreams, Unclean
April 7, 178 Wakefield St: Froithead, Devoid, Loosehead, Premature Autopsy, GOB
April 8, Bodega: Skapa
?, Bodega: Devoid (last gig)
April 29, Newtown Neighbourhood Centre (SYD): SMUT, Subversion, Worm, Headstone
April 30, Zetland Hotel (SYD): SMUT, Savage Cabbage, Stalin’s Organ

May

May 6, Stax: Pumpkinhead, Flesh D-Vice, Blunt, Sadius Fiend
May 7, Glebe Rowers Club: SMUT, La Sect Rouge, Psychomotor, Feral Dreams, Stalins Organ
May 13-14, New Plymouth: Mushroom Ball: Sticky Filth, Flesh D-Vice, Kitsch, Froithead, 5 Girls, Intravenous, Andrew Fagan, Clay Blunt
May 20-21, Lewisham Hotel/ Vulcan Hotel (SYD): Subversion, SMUT, Omnicide, Lit Babiez, Downtime, Stalin’s Organ, Minute Minder

June

June 4, The Gluepot: Skapa, The Managers, Banana Revolution, Looney Tunes, Skatilater, Bwada Riddim
June 24, Framptons (TGA): Skapa, Banana Revolution, Body Snatchers