The Checks Update
Posted: Sat May 23, 2009 11:11 am

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It’s been an exciting journey for The Checks since emerging from the harbour district of New Zealand's largest city a few years ago. Their creative energies fuelled equally by vintage (rhythm and) blues sounds, pop classicism, and similarly-minded acts of the 21st century like the Black Keys and Kings Of Leon, have seen The Checks achieve the unthinkable for a gang of NZ schoolboys: they have transformed their enthusiasm for songwriting and wild performance into something resembling a career. They’ve been attacking their new material with the fervour usually reserved for first-timers, and this crazed energy certainly leaps out in their second album, ‘Alice By The Moon’.

The Checks relocated back to New Zealand after living in London for 18 months, with their killer debut album ‘Hunting Whales’ (produced by Liverpool legend Ian Broudie), four 7" singles, and a whole spectrum of touring experiences under their collective belts. ‘Hunting Whales’ was touted as "a gloriously uncomplicated dollop of funk and boogie" by NME; and "a rough diamond of a debut" by Mojo.

The band have garnered astounding recognition both at home and internationally from the wider music industry, with achievements including requests from Oasis to open for them across the Antipodes; touring Japan with The Hives; and being championed by Michael Stipe, who invited them to open REM’s New Zealand tour - personally introducing The Checks set each night. These things don't happen to any ordinary, run-of-the-mill group.

For The Checks though, it's about cranking up the excitement in their recordings and their breathless live shows. Whether they’re playing to 12 people in Hull on a wet Tuesday night, or 1200 at Homegrown in Wellington, the energy levels are the same for The Checks; and the last 12 months has seen them bring the electricity when supporting The Killers, touring with Muse, returning to visit Tokyo, and pulling off a Dylan-at-Newport moment at the Whitianga Blues festival with Wilco. The band are barely out of their teens, and just beginning to hit their stride.