Punk fkn Oi! from the Department of Labour.

The Sub-Dominants were a three-piece Oi! punk band born in the soul-crushing purgatory of a Labour Department “work for the dole” scheme. Featuring Allanah Woodford on bass/ vocals, Graeme on guitar/ vocals and Neil bashing the drums, The Sub-Dom’s sang about booze, violence and the grim tyranny of greyness that was Wellington in the 1980’s.

Their first gig? A chaotic blast for a hall of wide-eyed primary school kids, probably scarring them for life. But they hit their stride on March 21, 1987, at Clyde Quay Tavern, sharing the stage with the unhinged Manson Family. From there the D.O.L TAP scheme coughed up some cash for recording time at Writhe Studios where they laid down four tracks for the Madness to Mana comp, a 12” slab of rebellion with cover art by their mate Steve Andrews – a punk and a rasta toking up while the Dole office burns.

October ’87 saw them ripping up the North Island with local legends Flesh D-Vice on the “fiendish” Hellfire and Damnation tour that included the White Hart Hotel in New Plymouth and Gluepot in Auckland. The final show at Cricketers in Wellington even featured bloody pigs heads as props courtesy of Gerald Dwyer.

During 1987 they played venues like the Cricketers Arms, Rock Theatre, and the legendary Ear-Ache ’88 at Railway Hall, slugging it out with T.A.B, Microwave Babies, and Wazzo Ghoti. But like all good things, The Sub-Dominants burned out fast. They played their final show at the Steinie Club on April 4, 1988, and called it quits. Short, loud, and gloriously unpolished, they were the sound of the streets—gone but never forgotten.

Graeme went on to play in Palmerston North death-punk band Black Chrome, from 2004 – 2017.

Origin	Wellington, DOL
Genre	Oi punk
Years Active	1987 – 1988
Associated Acts	Flesh D-Vice Manson Family
Past Members	Allana Woodford (bass, vocals) Neil (drums, vocals) Graeme (guitar, vocals)