Formed in the Hutt Valley suburb of Stokes Valley by teenage friends Simon Gotlieb, Kevin Kermack, and Dean Reilly in 1982, Aftershock was part of Wellington’s second punk wave, crashing into the capital scene at the “Underground Emerges” show in Newtown, in January of 1983.

Aftershock drew inspiration from proto-punk pioneers like The Stooges and the experimental energy of post-punk acts such as Pere Ubu and Public Image Ltd. Rated by promoter Gerald Dwyer (vocalist for Flesh D-Vice) as one of the capital’s new generation of bands to watch, they were included in the Easter weekend Golden Showers festival. Organized by Dwyer and Void of Riot 111, this seminal gig was recorded and released as the Capitol Kaos album, which includes Aftershock’s track “You Don’t Look”.

In September 1983, Aftershock entered Crescendo Studios to record tracks for a planned EP. However, internal tensions reached a breaking point, and following their appearance at the “Force 6” show – another Dwyer-promoted event – the band called it quits. In 1986, Sound Mind Tapes, a DIY label associated with Aftershock member Simon Gotlieb, released the trans-Tasman compilation Blast Away V1, featuring three Aftershock songs: “Hinterland,” “Two Sides,” and “Bubble Must Burst”.

After the split, the members pursued new ventures. Kevin Kermack formed The Glass (1984-86) and later reunited with Dean Rielly in the influential group Number Nine (1986-89). Simon Gotlieb joined the anarcho-punk outfit Compos Mentis in 1985, before playing with TAB (1988-90) and Vas Deferens; in recent years he has played with Wellington’s The Flash Harrys.

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Origin	Stokes Valley
Genre	punk
Years Active	1982-1984
Associated Acts	Compos Mentis, TAB, Number Nine, The Glass
Past Members	Simon Gotlieb (guitar) Kevin Kermack (bass, vocals) Dean Reilly (drums)