Life In The Fridge Exists, commonly known as LIFE, was a short-lived but influential punk band from Wellington, New Zealand. Emerging in 1980 during the city’s first wave of punk, LIFE was notorious for their chaotic, theatrical live performances and raw, unpolished musicianship. The band featured at various shows Nick Swan on guitar, Sam Swan on vocals, Sue Forbes on vocals, Mike Gallagher on vocals, Nino Birch on bass, Adrienne Hally on guitar/ bass and Andrea Sanders on drums.

LIFE burst onto the scene at Billy The Club’s Rockfest on Queen’s Birthday weekend in 1980, delivering a memorable debut:

Life In the Fridge Exists (complete with genuine fridge) debuted on Sunday night. This band (I use the term loosely) offered an interesting version of Johnathon Richman’s ”Hospital” and a shambolic anti-Phil O’Brien ode. The crowd went bananas and called them back for an encore of Jean Genie, which they’d never played before. This lot were purely the most entertaining event of the weekend.(D Maclennan, In Touch, June 1980).

In August 1980, LIFE recorded at Sausage Studios in Thorndon, Wellington contributing three tracks: “Have You Checked The Children”, “First Death Take”, and “Peter The D” – to the seminal Wellington punk compilation “Four Stars”, released in December 1980. They were a staple of Wellington’s small punk circuit, performing at venues like Thistle Hall, Billy The Club, and Cuba Mall’s Sunday afternoon jam sessions.

As part of the inner-city Terrace Scene, LIFE’s anarchic energy was captured in a Chris Knox-directed documentary on Wellington’s punk scene, broadcast on Radio With Pictures in early 1981. By this time, the band had already disbanded. Post-LIFE, Nick Swan joined Riot 111, one of New Zealand’s first overtly political punk bands, while Sam Swan moved to Auckland to form ?Fog, continuing LIFE’s absurd, Dadaist musical approach. Nino Birch continued on with Beat Rhythm Fashion.

Origin	Wellington
Genre	punk
Years Active	1980 – 1981
Labels	Sausage Records
Associated Acts	Beat Rhythm Fashion, Riot 111, Naked Spots Dance, Wallsockets, ?Fog
Past Members	Sue Forbes (vocals) Nick Swan (guitar) Sam Swan (vocals) Adrienne Hally (guitar, bass) Mike Gallagher (vocals, guitar) Nino Birch (bass)