Formed in January 2004, Wellington’s Sidecar Fury started out under the Kill Bill inspired name The Crazy 88s. The original lineup featured Era Brightwell on guitar and vocals, Ben on bass and vocals, and Andrew Bell on drums. By mid-2004, the trio had settled on a new name – Sidecar Fury – and began carving out a place for themselves in New Zealand’s energetic early-2000s punk and emo scene.
Musically, Sidecar Fury delivered a blend of emo-tinged pop-punk, mixing catchy melodies with emotional punch and sharp guitar hooks. They quickly became a familiar name on the Wellington live circuit, sharing stages with bands like Not Quite Right, Rearview Murder, and Worst Case Scenario, as well as national heavyweights Sommerset, Kitsch and The Bleeders.
On March 12, 2005, Sidecar Fury released their debut EP, Loud & Sober, showcasing their mix of urgency, melody, and heart-on-sleeve lyricism. Less than two weeks later, on March 23, they hit a career high point when they opened for US punk veterans Strung Out, alongside their friends Not Quite Right.
Later that year, Sidecar Fury contributed a track to the Unearned Income compilation, performing at the release show at Valve on October 8, 2005. Their final show came just a few months later on December 2, 2005, at Ellen Melville Hall in Auckland, sharing the bill with Cold By Winter, Kitsch, Streetwise Scarlet and Tomorrow Comes In Silence.
| Origin | Hutt Valley |
| Genre | emo pop-punk |
| Years Active | 2004 – 2005 |
| Associated Acts | Rearview Murder, Not Quite Right |
| Past Members | Andrew Bell (drums) Era Brightwell (guitar/ vocals) Ben (bass/ vocals) |
Releases
| Title | Date | Label | Type | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loud & Sober | 2005, March 12 | DIY | EP | CD |
| Unearned Income | 2005, Oct 8 | RTT Records | compilation | CD |
Timeline
2004, September 23, Valve
Sidecar Fury, Not Quite Right, Worst Case Scenario
2004, September 30, The Cross
Not Quite Right, Sidecar Fury, The War Within
2004, October 30, Valve
Not Quite Right, Rearview Murder, Worst Case Scenario, Sidecar Fury
2004, November 26, Indigo
Sommerset, The Bleeders, Sidecar Fury, The War Within
2004, December 16, Valve
Sidecar Fury, The Red Carpet Murder, Slowdance
2005
2005, January 8, Valve
Not Quite Right, Worst Case Scenario, Sidecar Fury
2005, January 15, Valve
Harbour City Punkrock presents Rearview Murder, Not Quite Right, Worst Case Scenario, Sidecar Fury
2005, March 11, Bluenote
2005, March 12, Loud & Sober EP
2005, March 12, The White Room/ The Cross
Sidecar Fury EP release party featuring Rearview Murder and The War Within
yo yo most people have heard by now that the fucking whiteroom closed down yesterday. awesome timing aye. nice of them to tell us what was going on too. the dude couldn’t pay his bills and the power company has disconnected the power there. anyways not to worry, we were incredibly lucky that there were no bands booked for The Cross (next to Zebos) so its gunna be there now. fuck man you should’ve seen how stressed we were last night. jesus. all good its gunna be huge. starts at 10.
Andrew, Punkas, Sat Mar 12, 2005 8:33 am
2005, March 23, Indigo
Strung Out (USA), Sidecar Fury, Not Quite Right
2005, April 2, Valve
AKL vs. WGTN: We Dunno, Losing Face/ Not Quite Right, Sidecar Fury
2005, April 9, Valve
w/ Cold By Winter, Rearview Murder
2005, May 5, Valve
“Brand Of Smile” live recording
2005, May 21, Valve
Sidecar Fury, The War Within, Incursa, New Ending
2005, June 3, Bar Bodega
The Bleeders, Sidecar Fury, Cop Car
2005, June 10, Valve
Cold By Winter, Sidecar Fury, Cop Car
2005, July 1, Indigo
Sommerset final Wgtn show w/ Kitsch, Sidecar Fury
2005, August 26, Indigo
Kitsch (AKL), “The Burning Ground” album release w/ Cobra Khan, The War Within, Sidecar Fury
2005, September 2, Valve
Sidecar Fury, Rearview Murder, No Love Lost
2005, September 17, Valve
Losing Face (AKL) album release, 5th Threat, Sidecar Fury, Rearview Murder
2005, October 7, Bar Bodega
Benefit gig for Amnesty International Zimbabwe appeal featuring Rearview Murder, Sidecar Fury, The Offbeats, Skankamelia
2005, October 8, Unearned Income compilation
2005, October 8, Valve
Release gig for Unearned Income
2005, November 5, Valve
All ages, 5PM: New Way Home (AKL), Second Theory (AKL), Sidecar Fury, Rearview Murder
2005, November 11, Galatos
Wellington: Sidecar Fury, Rearview Murder vs. Auckland: Cold By Winter, Tomorrow Comes In Silence
2005, November 12, Indigo
No Use For A Name, Not Quite Right, Sidecar Fury
2005, December 2, Ellen Melville Hall
Sidecar Fury, Cold By Winter, Kitsch, Streetwise Scarlet, Tomorrow Comes in Silence
