On 18 November 2006, the Media Club hosted a night headlined by Dunedin noise-punk trio Die! Die! Die!, with Christchurch acts Tiger Tones and Not So Experimental providing support. Die! Die! Die! were midway through an intensive 2006 touring cycle that had already taken them to South by Southwest, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Japan — riding on the back of a well-received self-titled debut recorded in Chicago with Steve Albini.
Die! Die! Die!
Andrew Wilson (guitar/vocals) and Michael Prain (drums) had been building this particular brand of chaos since forming in Dunedin in 2003, joined on bass by Lachlan Anderson for the 2006 touring run. Their sound drew from New Zealand’s post-punk lineage — The Gordons, Bailter Space — filtered through US hardcore and UK post-punk to produce something taut, loud, and physically demanding to witness. The self-titled debut, recorded in just two days at Electrical Audio in Chicago with Steve Albini and released in January 2006, had earned significant international attention: a UK edition incorporated the Locust Weeks EP material, and the band had played South by Southwest, toured with Wolfmother, and taken their set across New Zealand, Australia, the US, UK, Europe, and Japan. By the time they arrived at the Media Club in November 2006, they were one of the most road-tested acts in the country — and the photographs from this set suggest they brought every bit of that intensity to Christchurch.
Tiger Tones
Tiger Tones were a recently formed Christchurch act drawing on early Blondie, New Order, and The Cure — a new wave-inflected post-punk energy that would make them one of the more exciting live propositions in the city over the following year. In November 2006 they had no recordings out, but their reputation was already building through performances like this one. They would go on to win Best Breakthrough Act at the 2007 bNet Awards without having released a single record — a testament to their impact live — before putting out a self-titled debut album in 2008 on Pinacolada Records.
Not So Experimental
Not So Experimental were another emerging Christchurch act, built around Rob Martelli, who had played guitar with Tiger Tones on occasion. Like their support partners on this bill, they had no releases out in November 2006 — but they would win RDU student radio’s RoundUp competition the following year, earning a deal with Pinacolada Records. Their debut was recorded in late 2007 and early 2008, part of a productive period when several Christchurch acts from this same scene were consolidating recorded work to match their live reputation.
