Knock, Knock! It’s The Johos!

The Johos were a three-piece punk band formed in 2012 at Turret House, Wellington, New Zealand, known for their raw energy and irreverent humor. The lineup featured Axle on bass and vocals, Jessy McNamara on drums, and Sam Thurston on guitar and vocals. Drawing their name from an abbreviated term for Jehovah’s Witnesses, The Johos crafted fast, catchy punk anthems with demented vocal interplay between Axle and Sam. Their music blended sharp-witted jabs at evangelical Christianity in songs like “Blood Transfusion” and “Knock Knock” with gritty tales of drunken gutter punks (“Punisher,” “Overblast,” “Contamination”) and philosophical nihilism (“1000 Mooing Wankers,” “Blood Buzz,” “Handicapper General,” “Whole World Drunk”).

I reckon we are mostly having a laugh at stupid religious concepts. We were all raised in Catholic households so there is this obvious binding hate for new life churches (as if they are somehow worse than the classic vultures hahahah). Especially the ones bold enough to come knocking at your door. I guess we should probably take a secular approach in some songs . We put a lot of energy into evangelizing punters so they live out their lives the way we think they should. LOVE! HUNGER! cannibalism? …PUNK! You know? That kind of jizz-jazz. If only we could tap the Parachute music festival. THEN! We’d be political!
Jessy McNamara, Living The Dream #10

The band hit the ground running with their debut gig in October 2012, sharing the stage with The Dilfs and Captain’s Log before tearing it up at Christchurch’s Punkfest. They later performed at “Gettin’ Worse: Punx Still Angry” as part of the Up The Punks 2012 exhibition. Despite busy schedules—Sam with Rogernomix and Meth Drinker, Axle with Awkward Death and Vomit Storm—The Johos played a handful of shows in 2013. That same year, they recorded their 11-track album, “Knock, Knock! It’s…(The Johos)“, at Scumbag Studios, released by Zero Style on blood-red translucent cassette with a lyrics zine printed over recycled Jehovah’s Witness Watchtower booklets.

In 2014, The Johos played a memorable Take Shelter show in World War II bunkers above Scorching Bay. Their final performance was at Valhalla on April 24, 2014, before Jessy McNamara’s departure overseas brought the band’s sermon to a close.

Origin	Turret House
Genre	punk
Years Active	2012 – 2014
Labels	Zero Style
Associated Acts	Awkward Death Rogernomix Piggery
Past Members	Jessy McNamara (drums, vocals) Sam Thurston (guitar, vocals) Axle (bass, vocals)