Wazzo Ghoti (pronounced “Wazzo Fish”) is a New Zealand punk band formed in 1984 at Wellington Polytech. The original lineup featured Chris Goodall (bass/vocals), Mark Roxburgh (guitar/vocals), Rex Nairn (guitar/vocals), and Bill Morris (drums). Known for their gloomy early ’80s post-punk sound, their music tackled heavy themes like nuclear apocalypse (“Dawn’s Early Light“), environmental toxicity (“DDT“), and anti-US hegemony (“Squeeb USA“).
The band debuted live on January 25, 1986, at the Cricketers Arms alongside The Paras, self-releasing the performance as the tape Stuff What We Did, You’re A Beautiful Audience. Through the mid-’80s, they shared stages with bands like Flesh D-Vice, Number Nine, and Skank Attack. Tragedy struck in March 1987 when drummer Bill Morris was brutally assaulted after a show at the Clyde Quay Tavern, forcing him to step away from drumming. Wazzo Ghoti persevered with replacement drummers Murray King, Pat McLaughlin, and Andrew Downes, and their song “Magnet” appeared on the Wellington underground compilation When The Wind Blows.
In late 1988, Dean Riley joined as drummer, and the band released their debut album, Gone Ghoting!, at James Cabaret on October 6, 1989. They went on hiatus soon after. In 1993, with Steve Cochrane on drums, they released the EP Coelacanth at Kaminsky’s on May 14, before entering another hiatus. The band briefly reunited in 2014 to play with Vas Deferens, honoring the late Steve Andrews. Members also performed in the Clash tribute band Wazzo Clash during this period. In 2019, Wazzo Ghoti celebrated their legacy with the CD compilation (pronounced: “fish”), featuring tracks from 1986–1993, performed with past drummers, including Bill Morris, at the release gig. Their final documented show was on May 24, 2019, at Valhalla, opening for Auckland punk legends Proud Scum.
| Origin | Wellington |
| Genre | punk, post-punk |
| Years Active | 1984 – 1993 |
| Labels | Skank Records |
| Associated Acts | Wazzo Clash, Flesh D-Vice, Number Nine, Sub Dominants, Manson Family |
| Past Members | Rex Nairn (guitar, vocals) Bill Morris (drums 1) Mark Roxburgh (guitar, vocals) Chris Goodall (bass, vocals) Dean Riley (drums 2 – 18 months from late 1988) Steve Cochrane (drums 3) |
| Member | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Roxburgh | G/ vox | G/ vox | G/ vox | G/ vox | G/ vox | G/ vox | G/ vox | G/ vox | G/ vox |
| Rex Nairn | G/ lead vox | G/ lead vox | G/ lead vox | G/ lead vox | G/ lead vox | G/ lead vox | G/ lead vox | G/ lead vox | G/ lead vox |
| Chris Goodall | bass | bass | bass | bass | bass | bass | bass | bass | bass |
| Bill Morris | drums | drums | drums | ||||||
| Dean Reilly | drums | drums | drums | ||||||
| Steve Cochrane | drums | drums | drums | drums | |||||
Releases
| Title | Date | Label | Type | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stuff What We Did, You’re A Beautiful Audience | 1987 | live album | tape | |
| When The Wind Blows | 1987 | Skank Records | compilation | 12″ |
| Gone Ghoting! | 1989 | Skank Records | album | 12″, tape |
| Celebrate The Sonic Arts | 1989 | Ima Hitt | compilation | 12″ |
| Coelacanth | 1993, May 14 | Skank Records | EP | tape |
| (Pronounced: “fish”) | 2019 | compilation | CD |
Timeline
1986, January 25, Cricketers Arms
First gig, live recording released on Stuff What We Did, You’re A Beautiful Audience.
1986, February 15, Cafe Pacifique
1986, August 16-17, Underground Music Studios
Recording Magnet for the When The Wind Blows compilation
1987
1987, March 20-21, Clyde Quay Tavern
1987, March 23, Clyde Quay Tavern
Live recording released on Stuff What We Did, You’re A Beautiful Audience.
1987, April,Stuff What We Did, You’re A Beautiful Audience
1987, April?, When The Wind Blows
1987, August 8, Railway Hall
1987, September 4, Rock Theatre
1987, September 19, BNU Clubrooms
Flesh D-Vice, Wazzo Ghoti, Sub Dominants
1987, December 18, Railway Hall
One Less Customer, Number Nine, Wazzo Ghoti, Nazgul
1988
1988, January 9, Simon Cottle’s House
Microwave Babies, Nazgul, One Less Customer, Acid Reign, Avil Retards, Wazzo Ghoti
1988, January 29, Railway Hall
Skank Attack, Wazzo Ghoti, Electric Church, The Others
1988, February 12, Victoria University Hall
1988, February 20, Railway Hall
Ear-Ake ’88: T.A.B, Manson Family, Microwave Babies, Sub-Dominants, Avil Retards, Number Nine, Wazzo Ghoti, Droogs
1988, April 23, The Clarendon
Afternoon gig with Number Nine, Wazzo Ghoti
1988, May 14, The Clarendon
Wazzo Ghoti
1988, June 3-4, The Nerve Centre, Dunedin
1988, July 21, The Clarendon
Wazzo Ghoti, The Jonahs
1988, October 8, Cafe 88
World Day For Laboratory Animals gig with Wazzo Ghoti +
1988, November 10, The Bunker
Wazzo Ghoti, Axolotl
1989
1989, October 6, James Cabaret
“Surfacing at last; Wazzo Ghoti. The record you’ve been waiting for.” Gone Ghoting! album release? (Natlib ref)
1989, December 1, Gone Ghoting!
1993
1993, February, Mediate Music
Recording Coelacanth
1993, May 14,Coelacanth
1993, May 14 Kaminsky’s
Coelacanth cassette release, with Skitzoid Men, The Wild Blue Yonder.
2014
2014, February 21, Puppies
2014, November 1, AEB
w/ Die Glocke
2019
2019, March 16,(Pronounced: “Fish”)
2019, March 16, Valhalla
2019, May 24, Valhalla
