5 Nov 2024
UsernamePassword

Remember Me? | Join | Recover
Click here to sign in via social networking
  • Articles »
  • Reviews »
  • Head Like A Hole - Head Like a Hole @ San Francisco Bathhouse, Wellington, 25/08/2011

Head Like A Hole - Head Like a Hole @ San Francisco Bathhouse, Wellington, 25/08/2011

28 Aug 2011 // A review by Alistar3000

Booga Beazley shows us he's all class.The opportunity to review and photograph Head Like A Hole was the culmination of a long history/obsession with the band. I first saw a photo of HLAH when I was 11 and became a fan without even hearing their music; it was back when they were becoming known for their onstage antics - dressing up in plastic yellow tubing, playing naked, the sort of crazy behaviour that is appeals to a pre-teen music fan. 

A few years later I snuck into a bar underage for the first time to see them play, then saw them again a year later at an all ages show that I had to walk 17km to get home from. The year after that I made sure I was picked to interview them when they came to play my school.  

I've seen them play a couple of times since they reformed - the first time shortly after they buried the hatchet, at a gig with Luger Boa, and then at the Big Day Out a couple of years ago. I wasn't expecting much but I was impressed with how fresh their sound was, how energized they seemed after all these years, and most of all, how exciting it still seemed. 

Now they've got a new album that they're pushing/plugging and I was curious to see if they could still deliver a HLAH show that wasn't, now, based on fond memories from my teenage years, so I headed down to Wellington's San Francisco Bathhouse on a mild Thursday night to find out.

They're an older, wiser beast now (Booga told the crowd he'd recently turned 40, but they don't look any older than when they broke up in 2000; perhaps a sign of their cleaner lifestyle these days). No more gimmicks to reel the punters in; no more narcotics nor nakedness, although the noise still remains. 

After prolific opening act Cairo Knife Fight entertained us with their looped drums, Hendrix-like guitar antics, and heavy blues riffs, we were collectively ready to welcome Booga and crew back to the San Fran.

The crowd was an odd mix of old fans and new, evident when they started with a song from the new album. The young ‘uns at the front knew it word for word and were singing along and moshing hard, while a circle of older/original fans stood slightly back from the chaos. And that didn’t really change until HLAH pulled out Faster Hooves from their second album, Flik Y’Self Off Y’Self

From that point on the band had the entire crowd enthralled and were back to their original form. The energy was amazing, Booga stalked the stage like an angry, drunk (although admitted that a shot of Tequila before the show made him feel sick) bum. There was constant stage diving and crowd surfing, including from the band, drinks were had from a (hopefully replica) human skull and bottles of Tequila were thrown to the crowd.

After Hootenanny Booga declared that we’d now reached the halfway mark, before chuckling and admitting that they were nearly done. A few more hits rolled out, notably their cover of I’m On Fire, always a crowd favourite, before they took a slight pause, returning with a four piece horn section to close with Crying Shame and Glory Glory from Blood Will Out.

It was loud, chaotic, intense, and seemed to be over far too soon – I could have happily listened to a set twice as long, especially if it meant more of the old favourites.  But it left me in no doubt that Head Like a Hole are back and they’ve still got it.

 

About Head Like A Hole

Formed in Wellington, Head Like A Hole originally consisted of Booga Beazley, Nigel Regan, Andrew Durno and Mark Hamill. Like most young bands, they started out by playing small gigs at local pubs and at various well known live venues. Then quickly started touring the university circuit. The band soon made a name for themselves with energetic and often outrageous live performances, appearing on stage either naked, caked with mud, or covered completely in body paint.

Therefore forming a solid and dedicated following throughout the live music scene. Head like a Hole were soon signed to Wildside Records and began their recording career. 1992 saw the release of their debut album, 13 which the band largley produced themselves. The single Fish Across Face successfully made it into the New Zealand Top 10 charts. In keeping with Head Like a Hole tradition the video for Fish Across Face included a scene where Nigel regurgitates an orange substance into Booga’s mouth and was promptly pulled off air.

Head Like a Hole continued touring and performing the university orientation circuit. Then returned to the studio in 1993 to record their second album. Flik Y'Self off Y'Self. Which was released in stores in 1994 providing two singles. Faster Hooves and Spanish Goat Dancer. After the release of two successful records the band’s popularity and exposure increased, and so Head Like a Hole remained on tour. Playing to capacity crowds and sold out venues throughout the country, and in 1996 secured a position on the bill to play The Big Day Out festival. That same time the band suffered a sudden and tragic loss, with the death of their Manager Gerald Barry Dwyer. And it was late 1996 where they headed back to the studio, this time travelling to Australia and worked on a third album. Double Your Strength, Improve Your Health & Lengthen Your Life. Cornbag, the first single from the album, was released in November 1996, but received only moderate chart success.

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Head Like A Hole

Releases

Narcocorrido
Year: 2015
Type: Album
Juicy Lucy
Year: 2014
Type: EP
Cornbag
Year: 2014
Type: EP
Fish Across Face
Year: 2014
Type: EP
Hootenanny
Year: 2014
Type: EP
A Crying Shame
Year: 2014
Type: EP
Spanish Goat Dancer
Year: 2014
Type: Album
Faster Hooves
Year: 2014
Type: Album
Blood Will Out
Year: 2011
Type: Album
Blood On A Honky Tonk Floor
Year: 2000
Type: Album
HLAH IV
Year: 1999
Type: Album
Wet Rubber
Year: 1998
Type: Album
The Not Nicomjool EP
Year: 1995
Type: Album
Flik Y'Self Off Y'Self
Year: 1994
Type: Album
Beelzebeats
Year: 1993
Type: Album
13
Year: 1992
Type: Album

Other Reviews By Alistar3000

Primacy - Single Review: Shade Black
15 Oct 2015 // by Alistar3000
Auckland 5-piece Primacy are one of those bands that don’t try and hide their influences; their new single Shade Black is a healthy blend of all that was good about ‘90s rock, and that’s not a bad thing. Starting out with a Tool-like intro that soon gives way to a heavier, chugging riff, the song maintains a freshness and urgency throughout.
Read More...
Cairo Knife Fight - Album review: The Colossus
11 Jun 2015 // by Alistar3000
Having seen Cairo Knife Fight perform live many times over the past few years I’d always been under the assumption they were performing songs from a number of prior recordings. So I was a little surprised to discover that The Colossus was actually their first album (they do have a few EPs recorded), and more surprised to find that long time guitarist Aaron Tokona (AHoriBuzz) was no longer a key part of the band, and makes only a small appearance on the album – with that revelation I didn’t know what to expect when I pressed play.
Read More...
Mel Parsons - Album Review: Drylands
05 May 2015 // by Alistar3000
Back in 2011 I reviewed Mel Parsons' second album Red Grey Blue and enjoyed it – it had some well written songs, was well produced, and was easy to listen to. When I first popped in her latest album Drylands, I thought she’d taken a bit of a different path to the alt-country that dominated her first album.
Read More...
Album Review: Tahuna Breaks Live 10
02 Apr 2015 // by Alistar3000
It’s hard to believe that Tahuna Breaks is celebrating 10 years making music together, although they do seem to have always been around, and I guess if anyone’s going to be keeping a record of how long they’ve been making their brand of funkified reggae, it’d be them. To celebrate the occasion they’ve release Tahuna Breaks Live 10 – 10 tracks spanning their career, recorded live last year at a one-off concert to celebrate the milestone (so I guess the album should actually be called 10 + 6 months).
Read More...
State Of Mind - EP Review: Until The World Ends
12 Feb 2015 // by Alistar3000
Auckland drum and bass duo State of Mind are no strangers to collaboration, having worked with the likes of Tiki Taane and PNC to craft some big hitting tracks that achieved a lot of airplay. This time round they’re working with the trio from Black Sun Empire, hailing out of the Netherlands, produce the heavy hitting Until The World Ends EP together.
Read More...
Album Review: Latinaotearoa in Latinoamerica
09 Dec 2014 // by Alistar3000
When I started reading about the concept behind the second Latinaotearoa album it sounded like a good idea and I was quite excited to have a listen to it. If you’re not familiar with the story, Auckland musician Isaac Aesili (Solaa, Opensouls, Eru Dangerspiel, Funkommunity) teamed up once again with Venezualan singer Jennifer Zea, and Brazilian-born DJ Bobby Brazuka, to research and write a bunch of songs in Brazil, then record the album of Latin-influenced tunes in Brazil and Auckland with guest appearances by some great musicians (such as Raiza Biza, Julien Dyne, Riki Gooch and Miguel Fuentes) – what should, on paper, lead to some great experimentation and crossovers of styles.
Read More...
Beastwars Live at San Fran, Wellington 10/10/2014
21 Oct 2014 // by Alistar3000
I was finding it hard to believe that it’d been over 18 months since I last saw Beastwars play in Wellington as I stumbled on down to the newly refurbished San Fran in Wellington last week. I’m not sure why it’d taken me so long to go back to Wellington’s number one metal (or at least heavy rock) band, especially since they’d never disappointed me before.
Read More...
Into Orbit - Caverns Album Review
24 Aug 2014 // by Alistar3000
Wellington two piece noisemakers Into Orbit have an appropriate name for the kind of music they’ve created on their new album Caverns; it’s spacey feeling, often out there and is sure to take off. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from the album before listening to it (or even if I’d like it at all), but came away a devoted fan after having it on constant repeat for a couple of days while I explored everything it had to offer (I’m still not there yet, not even close).
Read More...
View All Articles By Alistar3000

NZ Top 10 Singles

  • APT.
    ROSÉ And Bruno Mars
  • DIE WITH A SMILE
    Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars
  • BIRDS OF A FEATHER
    Billie Eilish
  • TASTE
    Sabrina Carpenter
  • I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
    Gracie Abrams
  • ESPRESSO
    Sabrina Carpenter
  • SAILOR SONG
    Gigi Perez
  • LOSE CONTROL
    Teddy Swims
  • A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
    Shaboozey
  • GOOD LUCK, BABE!
    Chappell Roan
View the Full NZ Top 40...
muzic.net.nz Logo
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report a ProblemReport A Problem