Blake was a high-energy skate-punk band hailing from Wellington, New Zealand, known for their raw, fast-paced sound. Formed in 1998, the band was founded by Tim Vogtherr (bass, vocals), Dave Brown (drums), Craig Coburn (guitar, vocals), and A.J (vocals). The group came together almost by accident when Craig and Dave, jamming instrumental punk and hardcore, caught the ear of a local promoter. With a gig lined up in just three weeks, they recruited Tim and A.J, wrote an entire live set, and hit the stage. By the end of the year Blake was on the bill for touring US band Sprung Monkey.

Blake was a part of Wellington’s fourth punk wave along with local acts Brubeck, Channel 13, and Floorpie and out-of-towners Sommerset and Kitsch. They also continued to get opening slots for international heavyweights like MXPX, The Ataris, 28 Days, The Vandals, Guttermouth and Shutdown.

In 2000, A.J parted ways with the band, and Blake continued as a three-piece with Craig stepping up as lead vocalist and guitarist. Later that year they released their debut EP, Holy Moly, showcasing their melodic pop-punk sound.

In October 2001, Blake dropped their debut full-length album, Outta Control, later embarking on the “Drunks ‘n’ Punks” tour with local delinquents The Minimals finishing up with a farewell show at Valve on December 21. Seeking new opportunities and with a debut album in the luggage, Blake relocated to Australia, playing extensively across Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney before returning to New Zealand for a North Island tour in late 2002.

There’s not much record of what happened to Blake after 2002, although they do make two further appearances in compilations: Punkemon Vol.2 (2004) and Pick of the Litter (2005).

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Origin	Wellington
Genre	pop-punk
Years Active	1998 – 2002?
Labels	Global Routes Music
Associated Acts	Floorpie, Brubeck, The Minimals Channel 13
Past Members	Tim Vogtherr (bass, b-vocals) Dave Brown (drums) Craig Coburn (guitar, vocals 2000-2002) A.J (vocals 1998-2000)

Releases

Title	Date	Label	Type	Format
Holy Moly	2000		EP	CD
Outta Control	2001	Global Routes Music	album	CD
Punkemon Vol. 1	2001	Smalltime Records	compilation	CD
Punkemon Vol. 2	2004	Smalltime Records	compilation	CD
Pick Of The Litter 2	2005	Puppy Killer Records	compilation	CD