Biography
Originally performed as Art and Duty, a name borrowed from Wellington band Beat Rhythm Fashion‘s song of the same name. The band comprised of Andrew Naylor, Rob Kitson (also Of Clients), Rob Mayes (Dolphin, Throw, Springloader), Rick Tindall (Johnnies) and David Scales (Clients) in 1984.
This band played live only once, at The Gladstone, where there accident compilation track was recorded – a battle of the bands contest which included performances by the Expendables, Not Really Anything, among others.
A sort of transitional project for Rob Mayes, the band feature 14 songs with music written by Rob and lyrics improvised by Rick. The band followed on from a previous line up featuring Mayes, Naylor and Kitson dubiously called the Perk-U-Laters, a punk pop outfit put together by Fred Bertram, Christchurch’s self styled Malcolm MacLaren figure.
Fred managed a number of bands including Desperate Measures and The Clients and fostered Mayes song writing talents by manufacturing a band including the sneering vocals of Robert Blackmore, Mayes on guitar, Naylor on bass and Kitson on drums (also bassist with The Clients).
The Perk-U-Laters played 3 shows, the first at the illustrious star and garter where the predominantly punk audience enjoyed 5 raucous numbers including ‘Psycho Fred’, a thrashing torrid of cheek directed at manager Bertram, who was mixing the band at the time. Yelling for more the audience were informed ‘They Don’T Know Anymore’. One university gig and one Hillsborough tavern gig later and the band disbanded, dropping singer Blackmore and eventually enlisting Tindall on vocals for the pretentiously named Art And Duty.
AD featured a new batch of Mayes compositions and included a twin drummer line-up, mainly due to the band rehearsing at the clients armagh street practice room, a house owned by Naylor and then girlfriend Kirsty Lay (Face Of The Eighties’ winner). This house was a notorious punk party venue and had the good fortune to have a good selection of band gear to thrash away on, including 2 drum kits. AD performed their songs once before Mayes decided to write a whole new batch of songs with other musicians, moving on to work with the Steve Birss, and eventually into Dolphin.
– Rob Mayes
Members
- Andrew Naylor (Drums/Bass, 1984)
- Rob Kitson (Drums/Bass, 1984)
- Rob Mayes (Guitar, 1984)
- Rick Tindall (Vocals/Guitar, 1984)
- David Scales (Drums, 1984)
Discography
Links