Part 15: Molesworth street… Devils Whorehouse! Ooops..The Sticky Filth Roadie from Hel!
Before Molesworth Street I flatted with Semp and his missus in Devonport Flats. A couple of the NPHC paid a visit to our place one night to pull a hit on Slug (whom was staying with us in our spare room, not that they told us that’s why they were there!… ‘Is Slug home?’…Yeah sure dudes, he’s out the back….”Cheers!”… fuckers…). The first thing I heard was my name being called so I ran into Slug’s room, Sledge and Dean had him bailed up in the corner, Dean had an iron bar…I rarely hit my friends, in fact, never. It’s like part of the code or whatever…But this time, well, I punched Sledge and he dropped (he was fucking drunk and precariously wobbling on a mattress at the time) and pushed Dean into the corner. After that Semp ran in to help and it turned into a bullshit slanging match. I couldn’t believe these assholes would pull a hit at my place! No matter that they fucked it up as well! Sheeshh…time and place guys… It was pretty fuckin dis-illusioning.
140 Molesworth street was to become home to the core of the remaining NPHC. A seedy dive with the obligatory filthy toilet and pile of unwashed dishes, this old house would be around for 13 years or so, and home to many of the later Demon Nation Horde. Starting off in the smallest room there with flatmates Johnny Milano and Michelle (their must of been someone else too but fucked if I can remember…) I carried on roadieing for Nefarious as well as part time doorman at other NP gigs (Notably, Das Untermensch/ Tension, Sticky Filth, Nefarious and the gigs they would do with visiting bands). Breaking up fights seemed to be my destiny for a while there. I guess it must be my peaceful demeanour…
Nefarious were dark, gritty, evil. I loved it! Hardcore at its sleazy, shady best! Drugs, sex, rock’n’roll! (hmmm or have I said that already!) The kind of music your mommy told ya to never listen to but that she wanked herself off too in the hope of a visit from the band…
With Nefarious and Sticky Filth there was an exchange of members. Radford joined Nefarious for a while and became their singer and not long after that I was asked to roadie for Sticky Filth (after their roadie, Milano, had to leave). I asked Nige if it was cool (my allegiance was to Nefarious!) and he said ‘go for it’. So I became a SF Roadie! Woowoo! and also Tension roadie part-time too. Tension’s drummer, Paul, had joined the Filth (after Pete Westbury left……). Mainly, it was the usual driving, security, loader shit but drum teching as well cos Paul had a ‘rack system’ that was a bit of a bastard to set up.
Most people over 25 (:lol:) have heard of Sticky Filth, I guess. Noisy, melodic, punk rock with wicked lyrics and stand-out vocals. Dunno, people who listen to it know how they feel about SF. Paul, being from a metal band, had the tightest drumming I had ever seen up to that point. Apart from early Metallica and shit (but it’s not like ya can stand behind Lars’s drums and watch him…). Chris is a fuckin demon on Guitar. He does shit with his gat that sends chills and thrills up your spine! I’d often stand there wasted as and just stick my head in the stack to get the full-glory of an arpeggio (or whatever ya call them). Craigs bass playing is solider than iron and pounds away at your cerebellum and his vocals are sometimes haunting, other times, driving, daring you to get the fuck up and slam.
Fucking wicked…good times….
We were the SF crew. Hell, they did so many gigs back then they all seem like some crazy, roller-coaster ride in a rental van down a slippery hill to perdition. The Filth have friends everywhere, skins, punks, hardcore all listening to that distinctive sound. Drunken nights all over New Zealand, catching up with old friends for a night then blasting off to somewhere else.
I remember Steve (Gisborne, Riverbar) giving Chris and I the left-overs of all the top shelf bottles cos I had helped him out in a small set-to. We sat up all night getting drunk as skunks before heading to Napier to play at the Shakespeare (?). The Nile River Festival (Greymouth?) where we shared our hotel with Shihad on one side and Snort on the other and getting fucked up with both bands and discovering Canturbury Ale and Old Dark. Gigs at the POD and free piss from Steve (?) and the bar. Shows with The Warners, Bad Brains, Sick of It All (haha), two shows with Suicidal Tendencies, Gobsmakt at the Powerstation, Flesh D-Vice in Wellington and the all night drinking session at Indigo (when some mates of ours were the barmen!). Strawberry Fields Festival (near Raglan) and getting cheap(ish) dozens with my band pass. The gig in Dunedin and staying at Bron’s before going out to blast off rounds with assault rifles before the show. Sitting at Caffiends in Chch singing ‘Hooters’ with Richie from Hideously Disfigured while the SNORT girls laughed along with us. Searching for change in Timaru to get burgers and endless nights annoying people with my snoring (it’s a Demon…it just sounds like snoring…well that’s my story and I’m sticking to it).
Watching Emily (1080) getting her nose bitten by Spence’s ferret and hassling her about turning into a ‘Were-Ferret’…Full Moon!!! Runnnnnnn! Ems is gonna changeee!. Some annoying skin in Hamilton while I was drinking with Nazi/ punk scum that got a beatdown from Phil OC.
Pakari Fests and chatting to Mark H (Demoniac, HLAH) about how wicked we thought Demoniac was…”Oh, it’s sorta a joke, really….” and staying up all night drinking while Ems asked me if I had had acid ..”Naw…Just Gimlet!”. Stage diving from a hundred different stages onto people I hopefully knew. Standing over Gareesh to get paid and wandering along white sand beaches in a drunken stupor telling old ex-NP people that Nivek had died. Shows with Front End Loader and numerous other bands. The roadies beating the band at touch and backing up Chris at the BDO when some eejit wanted to have a go. Two shows at Mountain Rock, one that got rained out so the Filth couldn’t play (while I drunkenly clung to the vans steering wheel in the mistaken belief it would sober me up while swearing to ‘never touch straight bourbon’ again…) then the other where we saw Dave Dobbyn’s van get ‘shaving foamed and feathered’ by some famous NZ muso’s and Midnight Oil kicked everyone out from backstage before they played (fuckin divas!). Locking in ‘Douff’ (The NOD) at Squid cos he was in the shitter and trying to get Mikey Havoc’s keys out of the car in which he had locked them in. Missing out on Al Jorgensen’s (Ministry) big bar shout at Squid after the 96 (?) BDO…Giving Heath my Suicidals pass after the first time and him losing it a half hour later…Crashing Suicidals room cos we heard they had beer and only finding low alcohol shit. Pakari Fest where I met Mel and Pakari fest where Poodle got a beatdown while me and Chris stood their tripping when we shoulda stepped in…
Giving the Suicidals roadie shit after Pat had been caught filming them…”I’ve been to prison,… Where’s that tape!”…’Big fucking deal, dumbass’. Getting shit from the stage manager at BDO and asking “Where’s our free beer?!” after the stage was nearly invaded by Filth fans. Sitting in countless burger bars and waking up on countless floors. Carrying amps, drums, guitars all over NZ and throwing idiots off stage cos they ripped out leads. Standing around looking menacing with the Filth Crew and posing for photos with Ian Afterbirth in the Hutt at Rocky’s. Drinking kegs at Hair street after Noise control had confiscated their stereo only to be shown a whole cupboard of spare stereos! Laughing at the boys after their little ‘accidents’ in the morning…(ahhhh, that’s why ya take spare pants!). The Bad Brains manager asking Chris politely not to film them and dropping his guitar cos his case was fucked…Plugging in amps and slaving them to other amps to get brutal punk rock, Climbing on stacks and taking wicked photos for Raddie’s collection. Smuggling cans of pilsener into shows on Upper Symonds street with The Warners…Wondering how the Herald could fuck up and call Sticky Filth ‘STICKY FINGERS’ after the BDO.
Having Claire from Palmy refuse me entry to the Mushroom Ball cos she didn’t believe I was the Filth Roadie “Your names not on the list…”…But, I’m the Roadie!….(Spence sorted it…)…then 2 weeks later being introduced to her in AK …”This is Slammy, He’s the Filth roadie from Hell…” Paul’s second to last gig after Radford drunkenly collapsed onto his drums knocking them over and having to give people refunds. All the boys from Tension and The Filth going to Auckland to see Sepultura and Tension played with them! Pungent Stench and Tension at Section 8 and seeing Al’s black eye after the Tension/ Pungent gig in AK and their set-to with the bouncers on Fort Street. Seeing the ‘Butter Ad’ girl wearing a SF shirt while we all had our ‘STICKY FILTH CREW’ shirts on. Being asked if I knew how to play the drums after Paul left.
Boots first gig and finally seeing the Filth like it was meant to be…
Fuckin good times….all like a part dream/ part nightmare now…
Hell Yeah…..
Memorable quotes…Some guy in Napier…”Fuck, your roadie looks like a hard cunt….” (awwww some people say the nicest things…)
Chris on the way to Wellington and stopped at a burger bar “Damn, Slammy looks like he wants to kill someone…”
Slammy to Raddie “Hey Man, ya can’t sleep there, the bugs will crawl all over you”…