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The Black Panthers

Biography

Late 90’s sleaze rockers out of Christchurch and featuring Garden City rocker extraordinaire Matt Alien (aka Matt Johnson also of The Hi-Tone Destroyers).

Made a habit of being even more extreme than The Hi-Tones, with Matt constantly baiting the audience (not having to play guitar freed him up to provoke the surly members of the audience).

Alien was joined by Bob Cadillac (aka Rob Buick), Ayatolla Blitzkrieg (Vaughen Richardson) and Leon Zchvargo (aka Matt’s brother Ben), and put out a small issue self-titled release on the local Kato label in 1998.

Both The Hi-Tone Destroyers and The Black Panthers used the disclaimer ‘No Squares or Hippies!’ on all their posters and releases, though bassist Blitzkrieg was always accompanied by a handful of hippy girls eager to throw marmite-stained underpants at him while he performed.

The group was less prominent than the Hi-Tones, and disappeared once Alien relocated to Auckland forming the similarly minded Slavetrader.

Members

Discography

  • Hey Hey 7″ single (1998, Kato Records, KR79)
  • The Black Panthers (2001, Kato Records, KR003)

Links

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