Ōtautahi Never Mind the Punkfest 2020 - Saturday Night session 24th October 2020

 

My noisy holiday weekend continues with my attendance of the Saturday night session of the Nevermind The Punkfest gig.  26 bands spread over 4 sessions across three days at Christchurch's punk HQ, The Embankment  Tavern. I had attended my first  local punk gig earlier in the year soon after the ending of the first COVID lock down , that gig was mostly Christchurch bands, this festival drew bands from all over the country, especially the North Island. Like the last gig the place was pretty much a full house and many of the young ones were in full 80's punk regalia and hairsets.

First up was Nervous Jerk, who I have seen several times over the last few years, they turn up at many of these multi band gigs locally. Their fast paced melodic American style punk is great live and I loved their set again, familiar with several of their songs now especially from the record they released.

Next up was a bit of a surprise. Unruly, from Wellington, I was familiar with in a slight way, but didn't register their name until I checked online after their set. They had a record out that I had very briefly checked out and quickly dismissed and forgotten about. This three piece played a super slow doomy sludge rock that really blurs the boundary between Punk and Metal. It was really low end heavy and so slow, I thought the notes were gonna drop to the floor. I was rather impressed and went and bought a copy of their album.

Things went in the opposite direction with the next band, Pop OD. Very fast melodic punk again in the American Hardcore style, they even played a Husker Du song. Apparently only their second gig. Really good.

Next was one of the two bands that I had really come to see this night. Contenders from Hamilton. I had heard a couple of their songs on The Counting The Beat podcast a while back and was so  impressed that I bought a copy of the 7 inch record they released( I don't usually go for 7 inch records). They actually looked pretty straight as they hit the stage and ripped into their HI- NRG Rock N' Roll. Their female singer was probably the best vocalist of the night and she really makes her present felt by getting really close to the audience and standing on the rail in front of the stage and hanging from the scaffold while singing. They appeared to stretch the songs out a bit more in the live setting than on the record but I recognized several of their songs and they played a blistering set.

Rodgernomix were the next band that I was particularly interested in seeing, Not too familiar with their music but I had heard some on Counting the Beat and they were a favorite of Chris, the Counting The Beat DJ. Another four piece with the Bass player from Unruly and another band with a female singer. This Wellington band have been around now for over a decade and they played a full on thrashy screamy brand of  punk. another enjoyable set.

Finally, for me, was Carradine Choke, who appear to be the leading band in the Christchurch punk scene, and it certainly showed with the mosh pit heaving more than for any other band of the night. They played Crass meets Dead Kennedys punk. There was another band on the bill for the night but I had had my fill by 11:30 when Carradine Choke finished and I still had an hours drive home. Overall a great night with every band I saw impressing 

Carradine Choke - The Embankment Tavern - Christchurch - 13 June 2020

Well, here it is, my first post COVID gig, after New Zealand went down to level 1 alert on Monday, things are almost back to normal for us here except the border is still closed and the ongoing economic effects of the shutdown.

 The Punk scene in Christchurch looks pretty healthy with a pretty much full house for this gig as five bands pummel our senses for this album release gig for Carradine Chokes new album. The door takings for this gig were going to be donated to an anti racism cause in light of the recent world events.

 This was my first visit to The Embankment and I believe my first all punk gig although I had seen a couple of the bands before(Mental Fatal and Nervous Jerk) and Carradine Choke and Zhukov were both names that I had seen mentioned several times over the last couple of years. The stage area was out back of the bar under a semi permanent tent, scaffold type set up so it wasn't the warmest place on this freezing winter night and it seems because it feels semi outside many of the young punks chose to ignore all the no smoking and vaping signs so it wasn't the most pleasant atmosphere in that respect and as management don't seem to want to stop it, it may influence my decision to go there again, my clothes stank when I left.

 The bands played pretty short sets and so between sets I would go hand out in the main(smoke free and warm) bar.

 First band was Ow! My Face. I was not at all familiar and their sound was pretty murky and their music pretty typical thrashy punk,  I enjoyed their set but the least of the night.

 Metal Fatal were next any have a more American Hardcore sound, the female guitarist and singer has a pretty gravelly voice and they rock hard as you would expect and I liked them tonight and last time I saw them, I did think I enjoyed them more the first time.

 Nervous Jerk played next and like Mental Fatal, are a three piece, but their punk leans slightly more toward the more commercial end of the american punk sound, I had seen them before also a couple of times and always enjoyed them, I was waiting for them to play the song off their single that I knew but they did not play it.

 Zhukov were a four piece and I really enjoyed their hardcore type set and the singer looked familiar, so I wonder if I had seen them before. They had some great guitar licks that impressed me.

 Finally Carradine Choke hit the stage, another four piece, and definitely the best band of the night with their Crass Meets Dead Kennedys anarchic punk which had the mosh pit heaving and their sound was really good.

 Overall a very good night with some great punk music all round.