Piggery were a Wellington crust punk band active from 2017 to 2021. Drawing on D-beat, sludge and black-metal influences, the group featured Sam Thurston (guitar), Bosun (vocals), Matt Szwed (bass) and Jessy McNamara (drums). The band formed in late 2017 practicing out of the legendary Turret House punk flat in Newtown.
The members were already familiar figures in the Wellington punk community. Thurston played in Rogernomix and Bordger; Bosun drummed in power-violence trio Stress Ghetto; Szwed performed in the crust duo Pvnisher; and McNamara also played in Bordger and had earlier been in The Johos with Thurston. Several of the musicians had recently played together in Corpse Rat, which folded shortly before Piggery began live performances.
Piggery made their debut at Valhalla in April 2018 at a show marking ten years of Thurston’s zine and record label Always Never Fun. During 2018 the band played frequently, including support slots for visiting Australian groups Darkhorse, Reaper and Contaminated. They also appeared at Neil Roberts Day in November. In June that year Piggery recorded six tracks with Vanya of Scumbag College studio fame. The recordings were released in 2019 as a self-titled 12″ LP, co-issued by Always Never Fun, Razored Raw, Limbless Music and Six Noises. A small cassette edition was produced for Razored Raw’s “Xmas Chaos” event later that year.
Activity slowed in 2020 due to Covid-19 disruptions, though the band returned for several late-year performances including an appearance at Punkfest in Ōtautahi/Christchurch. Piggery gave their final performance in March 2021 at RVCFest in Kirikiriroa/ Hamilton. Their self-titled EP was reissued that same month on 12″ vinyl with additional support from Real Vegan Cult.
After Piggery disbanded, the members continued to participate in new and existing projects. Thurston and McNamara remained active in Bordger; Szwed went on to perform in a number of punk groups including Gutter Killer, Skitkrimes, Indiscriminate, Putrid Future, Datguy, Maced and No Sector; and Thurston and Bosun reunited in the grindcore band Forced Starvation, which debuted in 2022. McNamara later joined the post-punk group Fog.
| Origin | Turret House, Newtown Wellington |
| Genre | death/ sludge, crust |
| Years Active | 2018 – 2020 |
| Labels | Always Never Fun, Limbless Music |
| Associated Acts | Rogernomix The Johos Police Lineup Meth Drinker Bordger Forced Starvation |
| Past Members | Sam Thurston (guitar) Bosun (vocals) Jessy McNamara (drums) Matt Szwed (bass) |
Releases
| Title | Date | Label | Type | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piggery | 2019, June 1 | Always Never Fun Limbless Music Razored Raw Six Noises | album | 12″/ DL |
| Piggery | 2019, Dec 20 | Always Never Fun Razored Raw | album | tape/ DL |
| Rungus Among Us | 2019, Aug 19 | Razored Raw | compilation | tape/ DL |
| Piggery | 2021 | Limbless Records Razored Raw Real Vegan Cult | album (reissue) | 12″/ DL |
Timeline
2018, April 27, Valhalla
2018, June 1-2, Valhalla
2018, July 27, Lucky Bar
2018, July 28, Snails
2018, October 7, Aro Valley Hall
2018, October 25, Valhalla
2018, November 10, Neil Roberts Day
2019
2019, June 1, Piggery
2019, June 1, Valhalla
2019, July 6, Whammy Bar
2019, August 19, Rungus Among Us
2019, December 20, Valhalla
2020
2020, October 17, Newtown Sports Bar
2020, October 24, Otautahi Punkfest
2020, November 28, Valhalla
2021
2021, March 12-13, RVC Fest
