Live Review: King Brothers at Valhalla, Wellington

King Brothers Alka Silka Cindy NZ Tour Poster
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King Brothers
w/ Alka Silka and Cindy
Valhalla, Wellington
Thursday 13 February 2025

When it comes to crazy rock music, Japan punches well above its weight.

In recent years I’ve seen the likes of Guitar Wolf, Shonen Knife and Otoboke Beaver, but King Brothers are by far the best I’ve seen.

I saw them when they came with The Vottones in 2018 and honestly, that show made a huge impression on me. They came back to NZ in 2023 but didn’t make it to Wellington, and I was busy touring with a band of my own, so I sadly I couldn’t see them. 

But late last year the legend Austin from Your Enabler Presents put the announcement out. King Brothers were coming back! I made sure to purchase a ticket as soon as possible. It’s already an incredibly stacked year for gigs, but this is the one I’ve most been looking forward to.


I arrived at Valhalla a few songs into Cindy’s set. Scott Brown was in The DHDFDs, who played with King Brothers last time I saw them, and have toured with King Brothers extensively. I guess this is his new band – I couldn’t find too much info about either. Cindy was certainly a great way to start the night, with high energy, unfiltered rock music. Seeing a sweaty, topless, heavily tattooed drummer is a great start. Stubbies also add a special je ne sais quoi to the performance. It was frantic, fast paced music with attitude. My favourite part was when the guitarist climbed up to the storage area on the side of stage just to jump back down. It was like Eddie Vedder behaviour, but with vocals that were marginally easier to understand.

Alka Silka were on next. The first thing to note is that their lead instrument was accordion. This gave an odd folk vibe to otherwise raucous punk/rock music. The punk ethos ran strong, with their activism, music and DIY merch. Two members had prominent patches on their clothes decrying the genocide in Palestine. And they had some great quirky merch, with lots of DIY designed shirts, badges, some 7″ records and the like. I had a great time listening to their music. The accordion was interesting, as was the frequent use of cowbell in the drumming. It was almost like circus music with blastbeats. They shared vocal duties, with lots of chanting and shouting. “Okinawa is a small island with a big voice”, they offered, about their homeland. Well the big voice came through loud and clear.

And then we had King Brothers. They brought the drumkit off the riser to the front of stage to be closer to the audience. Will the soundtech was busy putting all the microphones back in place after the move and I mentioned to him that he needn’t stress too much about it because they wouldn’t be staying put. He laughed and nodded, saying he could tell that King Brothers were pretty restrained during soundcheck and he was expecting more, but he had no idea what the full extent would be.

The trio were all dressed in suits. They started off with drums front and centre, and the two guitarists flanking the drums, each standing atop their amps, riffing away before jumping down to commence their set.

Marya on guitar and screams had gaffer tape around his waist in lieu of a belt and his hair had greyed since I last saw him, but his energy hadn’t dissipated one iota. He screamed into the microphone before throwing it into the audience. He’d beckon and signal that he needed it back, before immediately throwing it back out. It was we were playing fetch with him. Audience members would take turns screaming into the mic as well, but I wonder if they were happy about it when Marya began licking and slobbering on it, putting it into his mouth. He also picked his nose and ate it to continue the gross-out tactics. The other two musicians were just as intense in their playing, but Marya was the star. 

Roughly half way through the set they dismantled the drumset and reassembled it in the middle of the audience. They signaled to Will to turn off the stagelights, relying solely on a worklight they’d stuck on a mic stand for illumination. Well that, and a dozen or so phone lights. It was such a spectacle, everyone needed to film some of it. It was almost too wild to believe. Marya beckoned us closer before pouncing, and began to crowd surf around, doing arial donuts around his bandmates who were now performing in the middle of the room.

It was an incredible night. Three amazing acts that all had their own flavour, but delivered memorable sets full of crazed energy. I highly recommend getting along to a show if you get the chance.


King Brothers are playing the following dates in NZ:

Thursday 13th February – Valhalla, Wellington
Friday 14th February – Double Whammy, Auckland
Saturday 15th February – Palace Tavern, Tauranga
Sunday 16th February – Harbour View Hotel, Raglan

Tickets: https://www.undertheradar.co.nz/index.php?task=searchall&q=king+brothers 

 

 

Words and photos by Joseph James

Live Review: God Is An Astronaut at Max Watts, Melbourne

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God Is An Astronaut

w/ Solkyri & Treebeard

Max Watts, Melbourne

Saturday 8 February 2025

Following the early days of post-rock, Godspeed You! Black Emperor laid the groundwork for long cinematic compositions that experimented with sounds and guitar, drums and bass moved on from being a lead plus rhythm section. It set a tone for hundreds of bands that would explore the possibilities in this universe.

One of those who joined that school in the early days was Irish trio God is an Astronaut, who played in Australia for the first time ever this last week. A good crowd turned up to see the band who, for many, was their first introduction to post-rock and songs without words.

First support was Melbourne heavy post-metal quartet Treebeard. Sprouting from the covid years they have strengthened their performances in leaps and bounds. Strong, hard riffs were the order of the day and there is melody carrying those riffs along, creating impressive dynamics and interplay.



One track in particular (I think it was called Snowman), served up it’s crescendo in an impressively unique way. Rather than getting faster or building to the lift in volume, the song walked along peacefully, then in an instant, with no increase in speed, our eardrums were hammered with thunderous, deliberate drums, bass and riffs. I knew something was coming, but I had no idea it would be this. They closed the set with some splendid harsh vocals – another welcome surprise. What a glorious set. Get another guitar and hold those riffs over a little longer and Treebeard will be unlike anything you’ve heard.

Solkyri were up next. A Sydney band formed about 14 years ago, I remember how impressed I was by the range of emotions they could convey live. They have over those 13 years developed a tightness and skill level in performing that matches their inventiveness and range of sound. Kicking off with the beautiful No Thoughts/No Dreams I found myself uplifted and smiling. Turns out you can start a post-rock set at other than full blast and still get the crowd’s attention. Half way through their five songs we were treated to the wonderful joy of This Can’t Wait, one of the first tunes they penned. I’ll never get tired of this.

Just when you thought the happiness would continue, they unleashed I am the Motherfucker, which slowly builds to an assault on your brain. The emotions you’ve been feeling are torn away for the melancholic, cautious, despairing intro, soon followed by the pleasure of being smashed against a wall of rocks. Take that!


But they end on another lighter note with Pendock & Progress, having covered their catalogue and provided a perfect sampler

And now the headliner. I met some folks who had travelled from Perth to catch the show, including one who has followed them all over the world, seeing them now 18 times. That’s an indication of the love the Astronaut fans have for the trio. They were very well rewarded, with a band on top of its game. Well written tunes, a flawless sound, and that special something that happens when you perform this often for so long.

The band has written many shorter tracks of around three minutes, and more than a few are introspective glimpses of life. Tonight though, the longer tracks had time to breathe, and there was a slow build of the tempo and volume over the first three songs- Odyssey, Echoes and Falling Leaves. I did get a feeling the crowd were not fully invested and the applause was subdued, but that all changed as the boys broke into All is Violent/All is Bright. From then the crowd came alive, the crescendos grew and the cheering was much more spirited.


When Apparition hit that second half we really got a taste of the harsh, angular riffs and chords these guys can knock out. The tension and harshness cut through the air and smacked you on the face before settling down to rest.

The rest of the night followed in a similar vein with gently paced melodies and riffs walking through different rooms, playing with four and eight bar building blocks, sometimes landing gently, others not so much.

The sound mix was good, the snare cracked good and loud, and guitar and bass each chased melodies and riffs, sometimes grabbing each other around the neck before releasing their grip to stop the screams.

When all was done and the crowd filtered out it was great to see all three bands chatting to punters and relaxing. I’d noticed less of that over recent years so it was lovely to see.

Oh and Nick, I forgot the two words you wanted me to use in this. Sorry mate 😊

 

Gilbert Potts

 

Tickets for the rest of the tour: https://www.birdsrobe.com/shows/god-is-an-astronaut-australia-and-new-zealand-tour-with-special-guests-solkyri-amp-treebeard

Live Review: Shihad at Trafalgar Centre, Nelson

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Shihad

LOUD FOREVER final tour

w/ Con Carne, Mim Jensen

Trafalgar Centre, Nelson

Friday 7 February 2025

 

I still remember the first time I saw Shihad play.

I’d missed out a few times when I was younger, because the venues were R18. I recall Shihad and The Datsuns played a double bill at Riwaka Hotel, just out of Nelson. My dad went with his mate Mo, but I couldn’t go because I was underage. The injustice!

So I jumped at the chance when Shihad played the inaugural Homegrown festival in Wellington. Many Wellingtonians I’ve spoken to lamented this new festival, saying it replaced the vastly superior X*Air, but I was hyped. There were a bunch of bands that I wanted to see, and under 18s could go. From memory, the ticket price was roughly $60. A small group of us – four schoolfriends – took the ferry across to Wellington for the weekend.

Shihad were the headliners for the rock stage. They had just released their album Beautiful Machine. I had preordered it and been sent a comically oversized XL t-shirt with the album that looked like a tent on my runty teenage frame. But I wore it with great excitement, and finally I managed to see Shihad for the first time. They made a hell of an impression.

I made a point of seeing Shihad every time I could from then on. I moved to Wellington after highschool, which made this easier. A handful of times at Homegrown – the lineup never appeared to change much. I managed to see them twice at Riwaka during Christmas breaks – which made me feel redeemed somehow, seeing how I missed opportunities to see bands play there when I was younger. I even wrote a review that Rip It Up Magazine posted on their website, which was a big deal for me. I saw them open for AC/DC. I even saw them play at their old highschool.

The gigs that felt most special are when they played their albums Killjoy and The General Electric in full at San Francisco Bathhouse. I also saw them play TGE the following year at Big Day Out festival (probably my highlight of the day – I was pretty soggy and exhausted by the time Tool came on), and they played their debut album Churn at the Auckland Town Hall in 2023. I think I’d seen them play 20 times before tonight. The only bands I’ve seen play more times are ones I’ve toured with.

I’ve always featured them pretty prominently on this site. The first album reviews I wrote when I started Will Not Fade were of a maybeshewill record and Shihad’s FVEY. I also reviewed their most recent, Old Gods, and have written about gigs I’ve seen them play a handful of times.

Late last year Shihad announced their final tour. Touring requires a lot of time away from their families and priorities had shifted over the years. They’d barely played in support of their latest album and had decided to call it a day, rather than half-arsing it. I had noted that they’d slowed down and weren’t playing as frequently, but that was a reality for many bands because of the pandemic, so the news came as a shock.

Money has been tight recently, but I’ll be damned if I’m missing their final tour. I decided the Wellington show was not the appropriate send off. Homegrown is sponsored by alcohol companies and it’s always plagued by annoying drunks who are legless not long after midday. There are annoying drunks at most gigs, but when an event like a festival lasts longer than a standard gig, things can get a lot messier. Outdoor stages can be fickle in terms of acoustics. It seemed like a disservice to their hometown fans, choosing to end things at a festival. I want to see the band do their own thing, unconstrained by festival slots. And I think most people would agree. Festivals are cool for seeing a variety of acts and can be good value in that sense, but if you care about a band, you’d prefer to see them play a stand-alone show.

Napier was an attractive option – with one of my favourite bands Jakob opening. But I opted for Nelson. This way I could make the most of Waitangi Day and spend some time with my family.

I probably hadn’t been in the Trafalgar Centre for close on 15 years, but upon entering I was taken back to Smokefree Rockquest. I remember playing on that same stage with my friends in sixth form, and how it was such an amazing experience playing to so many people in a huge space with a big PA. The space felt pretty amazing tonight too. They’d installed temporary carpeting and curtains and brought some bleachers in at the rear. The sound was better than I’d anticipated (Dad had told me that last time Shihad played Trafalgar Centre they’d played the Victory Room because it offered better acoustics than the main hall), and the lighting was fantastic. The room felt full but not too cramped.

In the past, Shihad have often had Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” play just before coming onstage. I was surprised that this wasn’t the case tonight, with some kind of fanfare playing instead. They gave a wave before launching into the blistering “Tear Down Those Names”, from their latest album Old Gods.

This is the final tour, so the band knew they had to cover the bases. They worked through their catalogue in reverse order, playing at least a few songs from every album. They’ve been doing this for years now so I’ve come to expect it and it made the setlist somewhat predictable, but there were some treats thrown in there.

Shihad are rooted in metal and rock, so we could rely on them to deliver some songs with mean riffs. From “You Again” to “Empty Shell”, they always bring the energy. “Alive” felt a bit messy but they kept it together.

I wasn’t in the best frame of mind when I reviewed Old Gods, and probably came across jaded and defeatist when looking at the state of affairs they were tackling in the subject matter. But somehow things just feel more and more dire with time, and I appreciate seeing that these men in their 50’s are still using their platform to unify their fans and stand up against injustices. They still have that fire in their bellies and brought the ferocity with songs such as “My Mind’s Sedate” and “Think You’re So Free”. It was weird seeing a National Party MP standing in front of me singing the lyrics ‘when do you think we’ll wake up?’ to a song that was written about how his government was selling our country down the river.

But they’ve written a lot of songs in an array of styles over their 36 year career, so it wasn’t all piss and vinegar. We had some some tender moments, like “Pacifier” and “Feel The Fire”, and some fun pop numbers like “One Will Hear The Other”. I’d never previously noticed guitarist Phil Knight playing synth on songs like “Ignite” and “Deb’s Night Out”.

I remember that Beautiful Machine era, the band went through a image rebrand of sorts, getting haircuts, wearing button-up black shirts and looking more clean cut than in the past. They’ve stuck to this look for the most part, but bassist Karl Kippenberger and frontman Jon Toogood both had long hair and facial hair again. Toogood laughed about how surprising it was that he could still grow long hair like that, at 53 years old.

One of the things that make Shihad stand out as a live band is that they’ve written songs specifically to be played live. They worked out the tempos that people want to move to, the choruses that people want to sing to. I highly recommend the Studio Stories podcast, especially the two episodes that explore Shihad’s process of writing and recording The General Electric. (There’s also an episode about Killjoy). They would have written the “Sleepeater” bassline for people to bounce along to, and “Pacifier” would have been written to entice people to hold lighters in the air for the ballad (or phone lights, in this modern era).

They played a few tracks from the Pacifier record. It was maligned at the time because of its commercial nature and because Shihad had changed their name to appeal to the American market. But I always loves the album and those songs stand strong. Toogood noted that “Everything” sounded fantastic. His comment sounded tinged with regret that they’d never given that song the attention it deserved, and the realisation that they won’t have the opportunity to remedy that now that the band is coming to an end. Toogood also revealed that drummer Tom Larkin had written the riff to “Semi-Normal”, from the same album.

I mentioned that Shihad sets have become a bit predictable. They’ll almost always play the expected hits. But now and again they’ll throw in a deeper cut to keep the diehards happy, like the aformentioned “Everything”. Shihad fans can be extremely loyal and I expect many will be travelling to multiple final gigs, so the band have tried to mix up the sets somewhat. Toogood mentioned that they’d played eight songs in Nelson that they hadn’t played elsewhere on the farewell tour.

“Ghost from the Past” sounded fantastic – a song I hadn’t heard them play much. I could see that some people were fizzing about “Empty Shell” as well.

They finished their set with a blistering version of “Screwtop” from their first album, Churn, and then we were left wondering what would come next. A cut from Devolve, their first EP? “Home Again” was a given. “Run” was likely. I expected “Cheap As” – Toogood always mentioned how it was his favourite Shihad riff when they played it.

As expected, for the encore they came back with the anthemic “Run”. It sounded huge. This was followed by an even bigger singalong: a cover of Split Enz’s “I Got You”. I hadn’t actually thought of that one because it’s not on a Shihad album. They played another Churn track, “Derail” before ending with the obligatory “Home Again”. There was no other way to end it. It’s the alternative national anthem, alongside Dobbyn’s “Loyal”. Shihad have many, many jewels in their repertoire, but “Home Again” is the defining Shihad song.

I’m sad that Shihad are calling it a day. There’s a reason I’ve made a point of seeing them play so many times over the years: because they’re bloody good. And even though I’ve come to know what to expect for the most part, their shows always feel vital. Every time I hear them sing ‘Doesn’t it feel good just to be alive?’ from their song “The General Electric” I have to appreciate how true that line feels in the moment. They’ve chosen to end on a high, and I respect their decision. They did a damn fine job of summing up their career tonight, and I’m glad that I was there to help say farewell.

 

Joseph James

Vorn profile on Audioculture

Vorn at San Fran for Cubadupa Festival
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Michael Hollywood, who runs the excellent blog everythingsgonegreen, has written a great article on Audioculture about the one and only Vorn Colgan.

https://www.audioculture.co.nz/profile/vorn

Vorn is one of my favourite musicians, playing in numerous amazing Wellington bands such as Vorn, The Wellington Sea Shanty Society, Crash Bandihoot and many more. I contributed some photos to the article so thought I should share.

I have also reviewed the past two albums from Vorn’s eponymous band, The Late Album (2023) and The Winter Sessions (2017), if you would like to read some more about his works on Will Not Fade.

Premiere: FVKVSHIMA – KUATO

FVKVSHIMA KUATO cover art
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FVKVSHIMA are a new metal band based in Wellington, New Zealand. I am very excited to premiere their debut single, “Kuato”, and have interviewed vocalist Mark Mundell so that you can learn a bit about the band.


Will Not Fade: How are you?
Mark Mundell: I’m staying frosty, mon frére. Simply splendid. Top of the world. 2024 is shaping up to be a far better year than the ones we’ve had recently.

How did FVKVSHIMA come to exist?
The band had been around as a three-piece for several years – it’s only in the last year or so that the band has numbered five. The guitarist, the bassist and the drummer all knew each other of old – Nathan and Greg were formerly members of Backyard Burial, while Peter was the drummer for Shakahn, as well as playing in a million jazz bands. Our keyboardist, Dayle (aka Jellybones) is also an extremely talented and prolific musician, having been involved with blues, honky-tonk, ska and Balkan brass.
And then you have the hanger-on that is me. I stand at the front and shout at people. I’m also in Planet of the Dead. Around eighteen months ago, Planet was on a hiatus – we were all pretty burnt out by the pandemic and sorely needed a breather – and I wanted to keep on with a musical project. Pete had put a note on Facebook that they were looking for a vocalist, and I thought I’d give it a shot. For some reason they kept me around. Dayle joined us around a year ago in April, and not long after that we performed our first shows in October.

How would you describe your sound?
A fine question, and one I struggle answering all the time. I’ve heard some people compare our sound to Meshuggah, because it’s heavy and progressive, which I am not mad at in the slightest. Personally I’d say there is a definite industrial influence, as we have sharp edges on the guitar sound and the synths. But I don’t know, I’d rather people heard our stuff and judged for themselves.

I’ve seen FVKVSHIMA play three times now, and I’ve got to say I’m a huge fan and have been telling all my friends they need to come to your shows. I’m very excited to help introduce your debut single to the world. Why did you pick “Kuato” as your lead single?
As we’ve played live shows and worked on new material, I think there has definitely been an evolution of our style – particularly when Dayle was on board. His synths have been a real game-changer for our sound, and we discussed that the first songs we would release would be taken from those we had developed together.
To be honest, it was a two-horse race between “Kuato” and “Dominator”, which isn’t far behind. I think both of these songs do a great job of personifying where we’re currently at and giving everyone an idea of the versatility of our sound. I’m super excited to find out what people think. The plan is to roll out all the songs we’re playing in our live shows, and we have lots of new songs waiting in the wings. We’ll be busy this year!

Your first single – “Kuato” – is a Total Recall reference. What is your official statement on the 2012 remake starring Colin Farrell?
If “Rekall” was actually a thing, and they could erase the part of my memory where I watched the 2012 version, that would be great. Some films just do not need a reboot.

And are you aware that a recent Rick and Morty episode revolves around Kuato as well?
Yeah, I saw that episode. I did enjoy the reverence to the movie, but I wouldn’t have needed the excuse to watch it – “Rick and Morty” has always been bloody hilarious. Now I just need a Recall-themed Futurama episode.

FVKVSHIMA KUATO cover art

Tell me about the artwork.
We opted to develop artwork that was specific to the tracks we’ll be releasing initially. Our drummer has a good friend who has come up with some awesome imagery for “Kuato”, featuring the titular mutant himself – we’ve also worked that into a lyric video that will drop with the single. We want the visuals to be as striking as the music.

Tell me about the songwriting process. Do you write music with a theme in mind, or come up with lyrics to fit the music?
Nathan and Peter are the creative engine when it comes to writing the music, and when I first started writing lyrics for FVKVSHIMA, it was a challenge to make them fit. The music is quite technical and it took me a while for it to click – I spent hours listening and re-listening to practice room cuts trying to feel out where lyrics would fit. My approach to writing lyrics has typically been to write them like poetry, and then I’ll work out how to make them fit the music later with Nathan. Nathan and Peter normally have a good feel for where they want stuff to go, and we’ve always been able to land on an arrangement we all agree with.
I find I’m generally always writing lyrics. I get a spark or two every so often – it could be a passage in a book, or a particular scene in a film (the first part of “Kuato” is actually the first scene of the original “Total Recall” movie, where Quaid and Melina are walking on the surface of Mars) – and I’ll just write. It can end up a bit more abstract in some cases, but people have always managed to pick up the themes. When I joined FVKVSHIMA, the guys already had heaps of music ready to go, so I went through a process of deciding which lyrics fit which tracks – I definitely wanted the feel of the track to fit the lyrical theme. So far I think it’s turned out pretty well, but we will let you be the judge.

I’ve seen you use a vocal effects pedal during your live performances to add different sounds to your vocal delivery. How do you settle on the sounds and effects that you choose to use?
I use the TC Helicon VoiceLive, which has served me pretty well so far. When it comes to vocal effects, I’m a firm believer that “less is more”. I initially just wanted a little gain and the occasional bit of reverb, but I found some sections of the music that I felt would benefit from a little something extra, to add to the atmosphere – especially in a live show. I tried a few things at a few live shows and people seemed to dig it. As we continue to write new material, I’ll often experiment with effects in the practice room and see if I can land on something that suits the theme. I’d like to say the effects I land on where targeted, but to be honest it’s often a bit of trial-and-error. With the layers that Dayle adds on keys, vocal effects don’t feel out of place to me.

Obviously you’re a huge sci-fi fan. Please list some of your top recommendations for our readers who’d like to explore the genre.
Oosh. There are so many! People who have heard my other stuff will know I’m a massive Frank Herbert fan, but we won’t go there. I’m a fan of a lot of old school sci-fi writers – Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut – but for my money, you can’t beat Philip K Dick. It’s no surprise that several of his books were the inspiration of many great movies.
I think one of the more modern sci-fi book series I’ve read and liked is The Gap Cycle by Stephen Donaldson. It’s definitely not a space opera – it’s pretty near the knuckle at times – but I think his characters are really interesting and it’s a story that holds you until the end. The other series I’d recommend is William Gibson’s Neuromancer books, which are more cyberpunk in nature.
For graphic novels, my go-tos would be Otomo Katsuhiro’s Akira, Watchmen and V for Vendetta. I’m also a big fan of 2000AD, so I was reading stuff like Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog, Rogue Trooper and the ABC Warriors as a kid. All of the above have inspired or featured in my lyrical themes at some point or another.

What lessons did you learn from your previous bands that you brought with you to this band?
Tolerance is the main thing. Bands are really like a family and often you will disagree on things, so I’ve tried to be better at being flexible and knowing how to pick your battles. When I was younger in bands I’d argue about a lot of crap that I wouldn’t give a shit about these days. I guess another aspect is how you keep everything above the grind so the band doesn’t end up becoming a chore or like another day job. Some folks want to write, some folks like gigging, others the promotional and the socials – I guess as a band you collectively have to find what makes people tick and let them pursue their passion, and that helps keep it fresh for everyone. I think I’m lucky with Planet of the Dead and FVKVSHIMA – we’re all of a similar age, we all seem to manage to pull in the same direction, even with our various real-life commitments, and we all still find joy in what we do. I sincerely hope it stays that way for a long time.

Your other band, Planet of the Dead, had a lot of plans disrupted around the time of your last album release due to covid-related events like lockdowns and reduced capacity shows. Has this made you more cautious with making plans going forward, or do you think the major impacts of the pandemic are behind us now?
New Zealand has been slower than other countries (at least in my opinion) to come out of the covid cocoon – you only had to walk the streets of Wellington last year and the one before to see that for yourself. However, I honestly believe we’ve turned a corner and I think we’re starting to get there. There are great promoters doing righteous work and pushing hard to bring international acts to New Zealand more recently, and those shows I’ve attended have been jammed. It’s been a wicked year so far for live music. I always jinx these things though, so I’ll state my position as “cautiously optimistic” and we’ll leave it there.

I know that you’re a fan of physical media because I see how much your record collection has grown every time I come to your house. Have you got plans to release FVKVSHIMA music physically?
Digital will be the way initially, but I would love to see FVKVSHIMA’s work on a CD or a bit of wax. That’s a medium-term goal though, I think initially the priority has to be just getting our music out there in the first instance. Once we’ve got an album’s worth on Bandcamp, then we’ll maybe look at getting some vinyl pressed.

This is just the start for FVKVSHIMA. What have you got lined up for the future? Touring, releases, world domination?
More tracks, more shows. We’ve got a year of real mahi ahead, but none of us are work-shy in the slightest and we’re finally getting our sound out there for everyone to check out – we seriously hope people will dig it. We’ve had some great live shows in the last six months with some amazing NZ metal acts, and we’re generally always up for jumping on a bill with whoever. So I think our plan for the next year is to be seen and heard as much as possible. After that … world domination? Sure, why not. Can’t hurt.

Here’s your chance to say anything that we haven’t covered.
Thanks for the chance to have a chat. Music sites, blogs and fanzines are part of the lifeblood of our scene – it’s how we get heard. So we appreciate you writing about it, and we appreciate all the people who take the time to read it.
Stay frosty.


Kuato available across all platforms including:

Youtube:
https://youtube.com/@fvkvshima?si=mYNTq0k211Q14RSF

Bandcamp:
https://fvkvshima.bandcamp.com/track/kuato

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6QzpIJeK3qDYNCkKaGg0wL?si=Om8MLMQoQg2AqYQveMoSgA

Distrokid:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/fvkvshima/kuato-2

FVKVSHIMA links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064268550642

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fvkvshima_band/

Photos by Joseph James/Will Not Fade and Jechtography