Shakes and the Troublemakers - EP Review: Shakes and the Troublemakers
Chris ‘Shakes’ Prendergast has been around the Dunedin music scene since before spending time in the city’s punk instigators The Enemy in the late 1970's. He now fronts this combo with Pottley on bass and at times guitar, along with Red on drums.
But there’s plenty of life in the old surfer yet.
This EP’s opening track, Motorbike, has been around since the turn of the millennia. I recall him playing it live in a long defunct venue The Gresham, around the year 2000. This recording has captured it well.
The Troublemakers both add a beautiful racket supporting Shakes’ over-driven, reverberant, and at times tremolo-heavy guitar.
The second song Surf Patrol, is lifted straight out of the mid to late 1960's. It has all the hall marks of a fantastic live track and it follows the surf structure very well.
Take Me Back To The Sea is pure Shakes. Like some of his contemporary musicians and those swimming up through the ranks, when Shakes isn’t playing music or working a day job, he can be commonly found out the back of a massive set of waves off St Clair, or Whareakeake, or Brighton beaches. Along with Chris Heazlewood, I’ve kind of seen Shakes as Dunedin’s Dick Dale. The opening lyric is “I come out of the water, I come out of the sea…”
Mourning is the next tune and it's a sadly personal song about a friend who had an accident at a river. It makes for a very fitting tribute.
Every great band has a break-up song. Split definitely isn’t that song. It’s a fabulous, lusty song which shows appreciation for the female form, and it comes complete with a great sing-a-long chorus. It's nice to hear Red’s backing vocals in the mix on this track.
This EP is definitely worth a listen.
About Shakes and the Troublemakers
Releases
Other Reviews By darryl baser
MEDaL - Album Review: Sequela
14 Dec 2022 // by darryl baser
Christchurch trio MEDaL are a combination of many years of New Zealand musical history. Singer and guitar slinger David Mulcahy was in JPSE and Superette, bass player John Billows has spent time with The Renderers and Dark Matter and drummer Mark Whyte is part of Into The Void.
Read More...
The Bobby Holidays - Album Review: At The Beach
13 Dec 2022 // by darryl baser
The Bobby Holidays' At The Beach opens with the song Jane, syncopation is to the fore with a great horn section blowing against bass, drums and guitar. The song has an up tempo happy summer vibe.
Read More...
Mad Cow - Single Review: Same Boat
01 Dec 2022 // by darryl baser
Same Boat is the latest single to be released Taranaki 3-piece Mad Cow. Mad Cow are mainstays of the New Plymouth have been around since the 1990’s in the North Island’s music scene, evolving from school band No Comment.
Read More...
23 Nov 2022 // by darryl baser
It might seem like George D Henderson has been a part of the New Zealand music landscape for about as long as Keith Richards has been playing guitar. He’s been in the Flying Nun arena with The Puddle based in Dunedin.
Read More...
Nika - Single Review: Saviour Complex
03 Nov 2022 // by darryl baser
A song with an interesting title will always grab my attention, and the idea of people with a saviour complex has always fascinated me, so when the new song by Nika called Saviour Complex was offered to me to review I almost somersaulted. The song opens with a gently and alluring piano melody before Nika’s voice kicks in and from the first notes some vocal training is obvious.
Read More...
The RVMES - Single Review: Simple Things
05 Oct 2022 // by darryl baser
Oh My God. There are bangers then there’s this tune.
Read More...
VÏKÆ - EP Review: Love Games
25 Aug 2022 // by darryl baser
Veronika Bell, known to music fans as Vikae, has been composing and producing music for a good few years, and is gaining some crossover traction between the dance and pop worlds. While she writes many of her tunes on a piano, and can perform them beautifully with piano and her impressive voice, it is the dance-styled pop versions of her tune which have been garnering her acclaim.
Read More...
Mecuzine - Album Review: Locksmith Thief
21 Jul 2022 // by darryl baser
Now that’s a great way to open an album. Bruised and Broken is the first track of Mecuzine’s new album Locksmith Thief, and my god what an epic track to open their new record.
Read More...
Most Viewed Artists
Latest Galleries
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
More Content on muzic.net.nz
Google Site Search
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 Problem
