Sidewinder are back with their third single Walk of Ishi, which follows on from the powerful Mississippi Fire, which came out a few months ago. Again, what we have here is stoner rock, with very strong links to QOTSA, which are based around the vocals of Jason Curtis. The song starts quite slowly, with the drums being the prominent feature, and he is soft and delicate, but when the rest of the guys crank it up, he lifts his voice and powers over the top. There is a great use of dynamics, contrast, and control in this, so even we have an almost tribal beat there is the feeling there is going to be breakout aggression coming down the track.
This song is inspired by an actual historical figure - a Native American man who was the last survivor of genocide against his tribe – and we feel his pain. How a New Zealand band are able to channel this harsh stoner American southern rock is beyond me, but they throw in some healthy amounts of grunge to bring us something which is dark, doom-laden and mysterious yet compelling all at the same time.
There is a deep sonorous vibe to what they are performing, and there must be a shout out to both James Goldsmith (engineering and mixing) and Mike Gibson (mastering) who really have captured a depth and presence in the material. The album is set to come out at the beginning of next year, and it will be interesting to hear a full collection of their songs together, but until then all we can do is keep playing this and drop into their world.
Formed in October 2020, Sidewinder are a new combination of experienced Wellington based musicians. They play a groove laden brand of bluesy desert rock with a grungy, southern rock twist.
Hitting the stage for their debut just six weeks after forming, the band received a rousing response from a large crowd. Since then the band had not kept still, clocking in numerous live shows as well as heading into the studio to record their first singles with top local engineer James Goldsmith.
Sirens, the bands first single was duly released April 2021 and was enthusiastically picked up by local rock radio, overseas bloggers and podcasters. That same month the band hit the road for concert dates in Tauranga, Hamilton and Auckland to promote the single before returning to a triumphant homecoming show in Wellington.