Hamilton Live Music Trust presents....

The Ninth Annual Hamilton Circle Jerk 

With a name like The Hamilton Circle Jerk, you would be forgiven for thinking you have somehow discovered Hamilton’s dark seedy underworld of low budget porn. Sadly, if your recreational pursuits lie there you might feel a bit ripped off by stumbling into The Annual Hamilton Circle Jerk. If you are, however, a lover of discovering new music and bands, you may well have found a whole new side to Hamilton you didn’t know existed.

It all started from an idea formulated by a local musician Mark Tupuhi that germinated into a music event. The rules are simple: each band must perform two covers of songs by other Hamilton bands/musicians, past or present, and one of their own. Indeed, seeing the love shown by local musicians for their rich local musical history, expressed by their enthusiastic covering of each other’s songs, was not lost on this local ideas man, hence the appropriately and colourfully titled ‘Circle Jerk’ was born.

Following the tradition from where it first began, the event showcases the diversity of musical talent and genres Hamilton has to offer, between 10 to 15 bands playing on one night. The Circle Jerk features artists from differing genres including reggae, alt-country, indie, electronic, shoegaze, hard core, post rock and anything else you can throw into the mix.

One of the pleasantries of “the Jerk” is the appearance of Hamilton music veterans and those who have moved away, but who still hold an affinity for the Hamilton scene. New up and coming bands that are establishing themselves a reputation for their amazing live performances also have the opportunity to “show their stuff” (cue the obligatory jokes!) to a large and appreciative audience.

This year’s line-up is no exception and continues to celebrate the fun, malarkey, tasty musical treats and the many creative reinterpretations of Hamilton tunes that make up the Circle Jerk.

Bands making their Circle Jerk debut this year are Wolf Wizard, Hedge Fund Trader and DateMonthYear. All bands feature members who consistently have played in some Hamilton most notable and well known acts. One our cities most recent arrivals Occasional G will also be making their debut bringing some gorgeous sounds our way. Members of Dickheads are anything but, having already played in some of Hamilton's most well known bands Ancient Tapes, Dynamo Go, Sora Shima and The Contenders. We look forward to seeing what they bring to the Circle Jerk table.

Heavyweight dub and reggae giants Knights of the DUB Table are set to return after their amazing Circle Jerk set back in 2010. Having spent the last couple of years playing some of NZ’s best music festivals and supporting some of NZ biggest dub and reggae acts, The Knights have been busy touring up and down the country promoting their most recent release.

Also included in the line-up are Hamilton band Rumpus Room. Respected veterans of the local music scene, the band have been consistently wowing audiences with their fantastic live performances. Also returning are Wink, Wink, Nudge Nudge who can claim Circle Jerk fame at having the most audience members on stage for a sing a long. Electronic and avant garde music artist Glass Shards also makes his returns after his heart breaking rendition of an Arongi song last year which brought tears to the eyes. Gorgeous folk duo Looking For Alaska also return to spellbound audiences. Last but definitely not least, Circle Jerk founder Mark Tupuhi's band Runt return to contribute to the music and malarkey that is The Hamilton Circle Jerk.

Kiwi artists are being high fived all around the world these days, and obvious masturbatory references put aside, celebrating your own musical backyard is a pretty good place to start. Think of Circle Jerk as the appetizer to the buffet, your own personal smorgasbord to taste test your music buds on. Come along and check out some of H-town’s finest bands and genres and if you were accidently looking for porn you may have discovered something ten times better; musicians who can actually handle their instruments.

Bands: Wink Wink Nudge Nudge, Occasional G, Wolf Wizard, Hedge Fund Trader, Rumpus Room, The Knights of the DUB Table, DateMonthYear, Glass Shards, Dickheads, Looking For Alaska, Runt.