Formed in 1985 by a group of high school students from Wellington’s northern suburbs Acid Reign played politically charged anarcho-punk. The original lineup consisted of Jared Bryant on drums, Andrew Johnston (AKA the Juve”) on guitar, Andy Hope on guitar, and Andy South on bass. Prior to Acid Reign, Jared and Juve had already been playing as a punk duo named Affliction. Based out of a basement practice room in the polite suburb of Crofton Downs, Acid Reign recorded a rough demo tape with the appropriately apocalyptic title “Everything’s Gone Wrong”.

Drawing heavy influence from the UK anarcho-punk scene, Acid Reign took inspiration from bands like Flux of Pink Indians, Dirt, Omega Tribe, Crass, and Poison Girls. Their music was characterised by socially conscious lyrics that tackled themes such as anti-war sentiment and opposition to animal exploitation. Beyond their music, Jared and Andy Hope expanded their creative output by producing the punk zine Second Dark Age.

The band underwent a lineup change when Jared and Juve departed to form Avil Retards. Alister stepped in as drummer, and Nick joined as vocalist. This revised lineup recorded the Rain Fall demo tape in mid-1986. Acid Reign played in Wellington’s second-wave punk scene, performing alongside contemporaries like Compos Mentis, Microwave Babies, and Nazgul. They were closely tied to the local activist community, particularly through zines like Anti-System.

Acid Reign’s music reached beyond New Zealand’s shores with two tracks, “Death Without A Thought” and “Fuck War,” featured on the trans-Tasman Blast Away compilation released by Sound Mind Records. In 1987, their anit-meat song “Carnivore” was included on the New Zealand compilation EP by Out Of Order Records. The band continued until early 1988, playing their final show at a house party in Rongotai, Wellington, before disbanding.

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Name	Acid Reign
Origin	Onslow College
Genre	thrash, punk
Years Active	1985-1988
Labels	H2SOa, Sound Mind Tapes
Associated Acts	Avil Retards Compos Mentis Microwave Babies
Past Members	Andy Hope (guitar 1985-88) Andrew South (bass, vocals, 1985-88) Jared Bryant (drums 1985-86) Alistair Fyth (drums 1986-88) Andrew Johnston (guitar 1985-96) Nick Lawson (vocals 1986) Alan Clark (vocals 1987)

Releases

Title	Date	Label	Type	Format
Everything’s Gone Wrong	1985	H2SOa	demo	tape
Rain Fall	1986	H2SOa	demo	tape
Blast Away V1	1986	Sound Mind Tapes	compilation	tape
New Zealand	1987	Out Of Order Records	compilation	7″
Greenearth Vol.2	1987	Greenearth Tapes	compilation	tape
Consumer Blackmail 2	1987	Straight Time Productions	compilation	tape
Composite Drawing	1989	DECO Records	compilation	12″