Acceptance was never part of the plan!

Loosehead was a Wellington-based punk band formed in 1992 by Kieran Monaghan (drums) and Grant Sutherland (bass and vocals), both formerly of the Invercargill punk band Moral Fibre. After playing their first gigs in Invercargill in February 1992, the duo relocated to Wellington in early 1993, where they were joined by Aaron Lloydd on guitar, vocals, and trombone, forming the core trio. Other members, including Phil Scahill on guitar, joined at various points. Departing from Moral Fibre’s straight Oi punk, Loosehead blended punk, post-hardcore, and jazz influences, drawing inspiration from bands like NoMeansNo and Minutemen and experimental theatre groups Redmole and Roadworks.

Active throughout the 1990s, Loosehead became a staple in Wellington’s punk scene, performing alongside local acts like Devoid, Diecast, Conventional Toasters, and Motorsheep, and supporting international bands such as Spitboy, Citizen Fish, and former Wellington punks SMUT. They played the inaugural Punkfests in 1996 and 1997, organized by Screaming Asylum Productions, and returned for the 1999 edition at Thistle Hall. The band released two albums, First Aid Kit (1996) and Pet Shop Gourmet (1999), the latter compiling recordings from 1995–1998. They also self-released the Dork EP in 1999 to accompany their end-of-millennium New Zealand tour. In 1997, two tracks, “Up For Grabs” and “Skin Is Thin,” appeared on the All We Have Is Difference compilation.

Loosehead founded the Wellington Singles Club, a DIY label that released split 7” acetates featuring their music alongside other local bands like Cowcatcher, Scote, Svelte, Diecast, and The Offbeats. Named “When the Mute Get Lucid” after a Julian Cope song, the initiative, driven by Grant Sutherland’s design work and later collaborations with local illustrators, aimed to promote Wellington’s DIY music scene. By 2000, Loosehead, now older than many emerging bands, felt out of step with the newer scene. Their final Wellington performance was at a Carnival Against Capitalism event at Indigo bar, raising funds for the family of Steven Wallace, followed by their last gig at the New Year’s Eve Grovelling festival outside Nelson.

Kieran Monaghan later formed the mr sterile Assembly with Chrissie Butler, a project that became one of Wellington’s most well-traveled punk acts over 23 years. Reflecting on punk’s ethos, Monaghan stated, “Punk, for me, means fuck the scene. It’s not about the scene, the club, the in-club, or the fashion. It did and remains to this day about the intention. If you’ve gone from being an outsider to an insider then you’ve lost the way. Acceptance was never part of the plan.”

Origin	Wellington
Genre	punk, post-punk
Years Active	1992 – 2001
Associated Acts	mr sterile Assembly, Moral Fibre
Past Members	Kieran Monaghan (drums 1992-2001) Grant Sutherland (bass, vocals 1999-2001) Aaron Lloyd (guitar, trombone, vocals) Phil Scahill (guitar, 1996) Justin Bull (guitar) Dave Mathews (guitar) Greg Pugh (guitar) Leilani (guitar)

Releases

Title	Date	Label	Type	Format
Dali’s Dream/ Threshold	1996, Feb	Loosehead Music	single	7″ lathe
When The Mute Get Lucid Vol.1	1996	Wellington Singles Club	EP	7″ lathe
When The Mute Get Lucid Vol.2	1996, March	Wellington Singles Club	compilation	7″ lathe
When The Mute Get Lucid Vol.4	1996	Wellington Singles Club	split	7″ lathe
First Aid Kit	1997, Feb 1	Loosehead Tapes	album	tape
When The Mute Get Lucid Vol.6	1997, Feb 1	Wellington Singles Club	split	7″ lathe
All We Have Is Difference	1997	Kafuey	compilation	CD
Pet Shop Gourmet	1999, Feb 13	Loosehead Music	album	CDr
Dork	1999, Nov		EP	CDr
End Corporate Domination	2000	Loudmouth Records	compilation	CD
Grovelling 2000!	2001	Ruff As Guts	live compilation	CD