Get Contented with The Tutts
Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 9:55 am

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I guess I can say that Auckland rockers The Tutts have come a long way in the year it’s been since I last saw them perform along-side Motocade at The Yellow Submarine, without feeling like too much of a liar. They have, really. I’m only stating that because we’ve not seen much of them over the past twelve months. That’s probably due to the release of their debut album Get in the Club which I ran excitedly out to purchase the very day it went on sale. First listen and it’s safe to say I was more than happy to have added this one to my collection of carefully selected discs.

Touring around the North Island to promote their new release, it was a welcomed treat to see that they were returning to the mighty Tron for what I anticipated would be another killer show like their last. Twelve months ago we enjoyed smoke machines and tambourines, and any set like that will usually get five stars from me straight away. The Yellow Sub has since closed its doors, and a new underground venue by the name of Flow has enjoyed reaping the benefits. Having played host to some impressive names in the six or so months it’s been open; hopefully they’ll bring more bands like The Tutts to our city in the future.

Advertising that the doors opened at 7, I figured that 9:30 would be about the right time to turn up to a packed out venue. Oh how I got it wrong…Instead we were the first ones to head down-stairs, so automatically it was time for a drink to dumb the pain. The pain lasted for about an hour, until there were a few more people hanging out on the slippery vinyl couches. Not quite the turn-out I was expecting, but there was a show to get started, and that’s what Hamilton’s favourite physcobillies Dick Dynamite & The Doppelgangers did…with grace I must say.

On form, as always the lads got into songs off their recently released EP, Be My Abductee, like Morte d’ Amore, I Like Girls Who Can’t Dance Well and Suicide Zombie as requested by the little lady jiving up the front. Each played to Doppelgangers perfection along with all my favourite yelling and screaming that goes down so nicely with your favourite pair of dancing shoes.
Usually you won’t see the main act of the evening watching the other bands because it’s un-cool, or something, but it was refreshing to see a couple of the guys from The Tutts getting into the colourful rockabilly set and clearly enjoying it.

Packing up their gear and hopping off stage, The Tutts were pretty quick to get organized and into their set, unlike their last visit to the Tron where we were left hanging for what felt like hours! I think this time maybe there weren’t as many drinks involved? Something else I noticed wasn’t involved was that much loved smoke machine…what’s going on?! Lucky for them, these guys don’t really need all that jazz to put on an entertaining show.
Something I really love about The Tutts is that they never really seem to be worried about what people think of them. They just do their thing – almost in the style of a band practice if you will.

Getting into their set with one of my favourites off their album, All Over Town, I was delighted to notice that they don’t sound much different live. I guess I already knew that, but when you haven’t seen a band for so long, things change. Artists get tired of playing the same stuff and start to ‘mix it up’.
Singer Scott Allen provided the best entertainment out of the crew throwing his hands in the air, jumping around the stage and bashing that tambourine in true Tutts style. With hair in his face for most of the set, he still managed a smile through what I imagine was a disappointing turn-out for the band, so for that, he gets two thumbs up from me.

The others were really quite boring, just standing around doing their own things occasionally commenting on the ‘15’ kids that turned up and how they didn’t realize that Hamilton had so many people living in it. That, I must say was pretty funny though, but sadly, it was almost true – the 15 people part at least. Even with the lack of support, the guys still managed a good set in their band-practise style I have come to love from shows like this. It’s casual with a hint of intimacy that you’d never get to experience at a larger scale event.

Coming to an end of their gig, I was excited that they hadn’t performed their very first single that everyone knows and always asks for, K. But hopping back on for a staged encore, they did it to everyone’s delight. Watching everyone run to the floor was kind of sickening…it’s been how many years now? I know it was a hit, but there’s more to The Tutts now than ‘The C4’ song'. I think the lads either thought the same, or loved it. Either way, they were smiling and that’s the main thing I guess. Hopefully in a year’s time, they’ll visit again and play to a more enthusiastic bunch like they deserve.

Amanda Ratcliffe

Treat central at The Yellow Submarine
Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 9:48 am

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Right, so last night I was lucky enough to see The Tutts play in the Tron. I wrote a review. This isn't it. I just thought I'd chuck this one up while I'm here.
Enjoy!

Motocade’s latest EP, Into The Fall was released in February 07, and ever since I first laid ears on it, I’ve been waiting for another show of theirs to see how well they perform some of my favourite songs off it live.
I’ve never been to a gig at The Yellow Submarine in Hamilton before, so this was a great chance to check out the venue and the awesome talent New Zealand has to offer.

Having no idea what the bar was like, walking down the stairs into the cave (as Scott Allen from The Tutts would say) was a real treat. You just don’t know what you’re going to be greeted with!
There weren’t many people downstairs yet, but the one’s who were there relaxed out on cute little striped couches around the surprisingly large space. The Yellow Submarine is quite a dingy cave, but it certainly has its charm. One of my favourite features are the toilets! They are so rock n’ roll, you can smell it (or maybe that’s something else?!) The doors are kicked in at the bottom and there’s even abit of CBGB style tagging going on in there.

The Braxton Hicks and Sunny Tokyo started the evening with some catchy tunes, before Motocade casually strolled onto the stage.
There wasn’t a huge turnout, but everyone got into it the minute they started with two new foot-tapping songs, Brainwasher and Soap Opera.
Next was My Friends which was an instant hit with the crowd who danced and sung along. It could have been performed better by Eden Mulholland, who admittedly had drunk too much before–hand, but it was quickly made up for with Bill Murray Fan Club.

Motocade have such a distinctive sound, and it was great to hear their new songs have still got it. Two favourites were She Got Deaf and Comeback Kid, which were played particularly well by drummer Will Mulholland. Eden Mulholland also put on a good show with his (almost) wailing vocals that are so unique to the band.
It would have been nice to hear a couple of songs from their first EP, but it seems that Motocade are more into getting their new tunes heard by the public – perhaps to see what people respond to before producing their next album?
Whatever the reason they were intense and put on a show that would normally be hard to follow, but The Tutts know what they’re doing.

Last time I saw them play was at the Altitude in Hamilton and they were awesome, so I was really looking forward to another top notch Tutts performance.
About twenty minutes later they hopped on stage, and because everyone was still wound up from Motocade there was a race to get to the front. The rock n’ roll scene was created with a smoke machine and lighting before breaking into their amazing set. All members were really into it and at one stage it was almost like being at a massive rock concert with ten thousand fans. Singer Scott Allen gave it his all, which made the crowd go nuts.

Of course there were requests for ‘the C4 song’, K, which eventually got played, much to the people’s delight. Even though there were probably only 50 people there, one guy managed to get up and crowd surf which was followed by a couple who hopped on stage and started dancing. I even saw an audience member using their tambourine…One thing I really love about The Tutts is their use of the tambourine. It’s so simple, but creates such a friendly vibe, and apparently it makes people think it’s OK to use other people’s things too.
The end of the set was amazing. They had played their last song for the night but came back for a surprise encore – and when I say surprise I mean they didn’t even know they were going to be doing it!

It was a great last performance played with a ridiculous amount of enthusiasm by all members, especially Scott Allen who ended up sitting on the floor of the stage. Towards the end it was almost like watching Jim Morrison in his early years.
It’s clear that when The Tutts finally release their first album they’re going to be huge, so if they’re playing in a town near you, go! You won’t be dissapointed.

Amanda Ratcliffe

The Tutts - Get In The Club
Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 3:31 pm

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As the eye of the storm passes overhead things are quiet. And at that moment just before you think there is no more to come, the hurricane begins again.

‘Get In the Club’ is the debut album from the Auckland dance-rock, five-piece the Tutts, released October 20. From the runaway success of the first single ‘K’ to the enchanting and tainted love story of ‘I20’, the Tutts songs conjure images of debauchery, dark hallways, and a band steeped in nocturnal mystery. The new single ‘All Over Town’ picks up where the band left off with the vampyric club anthem ‘Whiteout’, with a Smiths like melody, a tambourine and jangling and jagged guitars, ‘All Over Town’ sees the natural evolution of a band finding their sound more and more, but one that is keeping the style that has earnt them the recognition they have received so far.

Their debut album has been a long time coming, but emerges this October after a year’s work in the studio with producer and ex Skeptics member Nick Roughan (Shihad, Headless Chickens, Dimmer). After forming in early 2006, Scott Allen (vox/synth), Mat Robertson (guitar), Dan McLaughlin (guitar/synth), John McNab (bass) and James Percy (drums), burst upon the scene with an army of synth-laced rock songs that made you dance in dark clubs where the smoke poured through the crowd and the strobe light made the dancefloor appear as if the puppeteer above had gone mad. Two years later after the hype has subsided they bring out the record they sweated and bled into until they knew it was ready. ‘Get In the Club’ is a true representation of a band, not a passing fashion in music. Featuring ‘K’, which was nominated for single of the year in 2007 at the NZ Music awards and won best breakthrough video on Juice TV in 2006, and 12 other tracks which capture the mesmerising, dark and sonic power of the Tutts live show, ‘Get In The Club’ defines the saying ‘worth the wait’. Having supported the Strokes and beginning 2007 playing to a 6000 strong crowd at the Big Day Out the Tutts holed up and promised themselves they would not emerge proper until the record they knew they could make was finished. And now here it is. So Get In the Club, October 20.

The full album is available to preview for free on www.myspace.com/thetutts until October 20th