Biography
Awesome is another alias of the prodigious Dianne Smith (also known as Lucy Lurex, Lady Die, Di Smith) from Dunedin. Smith is a prolific underground musician who has performed under numerous names across the New Zealand experimental music scene since the early 2000s.
Under the Awesome moniker, Smith performs as a one-woman show using a distinctive setup: a Casio keyboard with its own built-in tape-deck unit for backing tracks. This configuration exemplifies her lo-fi, DIY approach to music-making that characterizes much of her work across all her projects.
Smith is perhaps best known for forming The International Telepaths with Pat Faigan (aka Duane Zarakov) in July 2002. The Dunedin duo released their self-titled debut in 2003 on Smith’s own Lurex Rekkids label. The band was noted for their garage-rock sound, with Smith’s impressive vocal hollering influenced by Marc Bolan combined with an appreciation for Bryan Adams.
A reviewer covering the “National Anthem” event observed the International Telepaths as “a guitarist and drummer who were playing completely different songs” – a testament to their experimental, chaotic approach. The band broke up in May 2005, despite having planned a release event for their second album Sealed for your protection. The debut album was later reissued as a cassette by Independent Women Records in 2018.
Beyond Awesome and The International Telepaths, Smith has been involved with multiple other projects including Murdering Monsters, Evidence X, Lady Die, LD50, and The Shutups. Her prolific involvement across diverse musical projects demonstrates a sustained engagement with the experimental and underground music scene throughout the 2000s and beyond.
Members
- Dianne Smith (keyboard / vocals, Awesome, Evidence X, International Telepaths, Lady Die, LD50, Murdering Monsters, The Shutups)
Discography
- In Bed with Metallica EP (2005, Lurex Rekkids, LR7)