Tigers of The Sea were a high-energy psychobilly, garage, surf rock, and rockabilly band based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara/ Wellington, New Zealand. Active from 2013 to 2018, they delivered a wild, raucous sound that evoked a beach party crashing into a midnight graveyard rendezvous with The Cramps – full of trashy riffs, reverb-drenched vibes, and unhinged fun.
The band formed in late 2013 as a three-piece surf-rock outfit, founded by guitarist Nick Sloane, with drummer Ollie Moon (the “able seaman”) and vocalist/ guitarist Tim Glasgow (“vocal greaser”). They debuted live on December 18, 2013, at the San Francisco Bathhouse in Wellington alongside Hollywood Fun Downstairs. Before the year ended, they recorded two early tracks at their Seaview practice space and played beachside gigs in Whitianga and Great Barrier Island to ring in 2014.
In April 2014, the lineup expanded with the addition of bassist Lucie Camp (from The Dilfs and In Cahoots). They quickly became fixtures in Wellington’s underground scene, sharing bills with local acts like Phone Sex Robots, Fantails, and E/N/T.
Later in 2014, the band entered Munki Studios with engineer James Goldsmith to record their self-titled debut Tigers Of The Sea EP, released in March 2015 on 12″ vinyl. The record featured striking artwork by Wellington artist Xoe Hall. The Tigers stayed active through the year, including a support slot for Canadian garage punk legend Mark Sultan.
2016 brought more momentum: they kicked off the year at Moon bar with Auckland duo Dad Jokes, contributed a cover of “No One Wants An Alien” to the local tribute compilation Wiped Out: A Tribute To The Wipers (via Zero Style), and released their second EP, Cut and Run, in August. The release was celebrated with gigs at Newtown’s Death Ray Records and Auckland’s Whammy Bar. Artwork again came from Xoe Hall. Around this time, Kitt Verhoff (from Pop OD and Ayn Randy) stepped in on bass after Lucie Camp relocated to Auckland.
Fresh off the new vinyl, Tigers of The Sea hit the road for a North Island tour supporting Portland’s surf rock outfit Guantanamo Baywatch.
In 2017, their frequent collaborations with Dad Jokes evolved into a joint international adventure: a “honeymoon” tour up the west coast of the United States, crossing into Canada, joined by John Dimery (AKA The Hag).
The band played a handful of shows into 2018 before disbanding in August with a final show at Black Coffee in Newtown for Death Ray Records 5th birthday. RIP Tigers of The Sea – gone but still shaking asses from beyond the grave.
| Origin | Wellington |
| Genre | rockabilly, surf rock |
| Years Active | 2013 – 2018 |
| Associated Acts | The Dilfs Dad Jokes Phone Sex Robots |
| Past Members | Nick Sloane (guitar) Ollie Moon (drums) Tim Glasgow (vocals) Lucie Camp (bass 1) Kitt Verhoff (bass 2) |
| Web |
Releases
| Title | Date | Label | Type | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tigers Of The Sea Vol.1 | 2013, Dec 24 | single | DL | |
| Tigers Of The Sea EP 1 | 2015, March 9 | EP | 12″/ DL | |
| Wiped Out | 2016, March 13 | Zero Style | compilation | tape/ DL |
| Cut And Run | 2016, Aug 19 | EP | 12″/ DL |
Timeline
2013, December 18, SFBH
2013, December 24, Tigers Of The Sea Vol.1
2013, December 31, Sandbar (Whitianga)
2014
2014, January 2, Great Barrier Social Club
2014, April 4, Valhalla
First gig with Lucie Camp on bass?
2014, June 6, The Stomach
2014, June 7, Space Monster
2014, October 8, SFBH
2014, November 1, SFBH
2014, December 6, Moon Bar
2015
2015, February 7, Secret House Party
2015, March 9, Tigers Of The Sea EP 1
2015, March 13, Laundry
2015, June 13, Meow
Into Orbit, E/N/T, Tigers Of The Sea
2015, June 20, Meow
2015, July 31, Bodega
2015, October 3, 180 Victoria St
2015, October 31, Meow
2016
2016, January 22, Moon
2016, March 13, Wiped Out: A Tribute To The Wipers
2016, August 5, Moon Bar
2016, August 19, Cut and Run
2016, August 20, Death Ray Records
Album launch
2016, September 4, Bodega
Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds
2016, September 24, Whammy
2016, October 6, Whammy
2016, October 8, Valhalla
2017
2017, February 24, Moon
2017, March 5, Newtown Festival
Deathray Records, Wilson Street.
2017, April 28, Moon
2017, May 6, Wine Cellar
2017, June 2 – 18, USA Tour
2017, June 4, 4th Ave, (Tucson)
2017, June 6, Knockout (SF)
2017, June 9, Gnarburger (LA)
2017, June 11, Handlebar (Toronto)
Dad Jokes, Protruders, Blank Stares, Tigers Of The Sea
2017, June 13, Barfly (Canada)
2017, September 9, Newtown Bowls Club
Master Blaster “Pass Out” release show, with Tigers Of The Sea, Unsanitary Napkin.
2017, October 14, SFBH
Me First and The Gimme Gimmes (USA), Tigers Of The Sea
2018
2018, February 18, Caroline
2018, August 25, Black Coffee
Tigers Of The Sea’s last show.
