Biography
Dick Move are a five-piece punk band from Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, formed in 2019. The band came together through connections made at Whammy Bar, a music venue on Karangahape Road co-owned by bassist Lulu Macrae. When Macrae decided she wanted to play bass in a band, guitarists Justin Rendell and Hariet Ellis — both Whammy Bar staff with extensive punk pedigrees — signed on to join her. Ellis’s partner introduced the group to drummer Luke Boyes, and vocalist Lucy Suttor became the final piece, recruited after being spotted performing the Dead Kennedys’ “Too Drunk to Fuck” at one of the bar’s punk rock karaoke nights. The band chose their name after one of the members used the phrase in a group chat.
Dick Move wasted little time making noise. Their debut self-titled single arrived in November 2019 and entered the Hot Aotearoa Singles chart at number 11. The band played prolifically in and around Auckland, with Whammy Bar serving as a natural home base. Their debut album, Chop!, described as “a 5-way collaboration over New Zealand’s 2019/2020 summer,” was released in October 2020, preceded by the single “Femoids Attack” in September. Despite the disruptions of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns — the second of which began on what was meant to be the first day of a new tour — the band still managed more than 20 shows that year, including their first trips to the South Island. Chop! charted in New Zealand’s top 40.
The band’s second album, Wet, followed in 2023, again entering New Zealand’s top 40. Dick Move built a reputation through this period for relentlessly energetic live performances, short and punishing songs, and an overtly socialist and feminist political outlook expressed both in their music and on social media. Their Karangahape Road community roots remained central to the band’s identity, with the majority of the five members having worked at Whammy Bar at some point.
The year 2025 proved to be a breakthrough period for Dick Move. The band wrote and recorded their third album, Dream, Believe, Achieve, in Australia while on tour there, before embarking on a European run taking in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, France, and Spain. All three of their albums have charted in New Zealand’s top 40. In late July 2025 they released the 7″ single “Fuck It” through 1:12 Records in a joint release that marked their debut on Flying Nun Records. The single’s cover features artwork by Yolanda Fagan depicting a set of keys held between the fingers of a fist, a symbol of female self-defence. The accompanying video, shot in a single take by Stella Reid, was described as a “found footage” piece featuring Suttor in a blonde wig waking up in a chaotic morning-after scenario.
Dick Move’s music is best described as lo-fi, fast-paced punk rock informed by socialist and feminist politics. The band’s social media presence amplifies their political convictions, addressing issues ranging from housing costs and public health funding to reproductive rights and international human rights concerns. Suttor has cited a wide range of political flashpoints as fuel for the band’s creative engine. Guitarist Justin Rendell brings experience from bands including Suicide Dogs, Shitripper, PCP Eagles, and Master Blaster, while Hariet Ellis has played with Na Noise and BOZO.
“We were all friends who worked at Whammy, and the others were very keen to get a new band going. I think it was a happy coincidence with me taking part in punk rock karaoke at the bar (Justin was playing in the band). I can’t remember what was the chicken and what was the egg, but either way it was very good timing.”
— Lucy Suttor, AudioCulture, 29 Aug 2025
Members
- Luke Boyes (Drums, Dick Move)
- Hariet Ellis (Guitar, Dick Move, Na Noise, BOZO)
- Lulu Macrae (Bass, Dick Move)
- Justin Rendell (Guitar, Dick Move, Suicide Dogs, Shitripper, PCP Eagles, Master Blaster)
- Lucy Suttor (Vocals, Dick Move)
Discography
- Chop! LP (2020)
- Wet LP (2023)
- Fuck It 7″ (2025, Flying Nun Records / 1:12 Records, FUCK001)
- Dream, Believe, Achieve LP (2025)