23 May 2022 - 0 Comments

The crew at Punk It Up are very pleased to announce the final line-up for the upcoming weekend of punk rock 'n' roll shenanigans at Tāmaki Makaurau's Powerstation on Friday July 1 and Saturday July 2.

Firing up the weekend of noise and fun on the Friday night are new kids in town Shotgun The Couch Described as "three f**k-ups from West Auckland" who have been sticking a candy coated scuffed boot into the ear holes of punters, punks, and the unfortunate, since mid-late 2021. Have you ever seen one of those people in a mascot suit at a kid's birthday party? Like, a person in a giant furry dog or cat or unicorn costume the kids can hug and chase and play fight with? Well, imagine that, but then kids get a bit too aggressive with the kicks, and the punches get a bit too hard. Then one of the cheeky sods starts throwing a few elbows. Then one of the little animals grabs a bat. Then there’s chairs and cricket stumps involved, and the day changes from candy floss and boogers into torn fur and blood. Those kids were listening to Shotgun The Couch.

Also added to the Friday evening's quality adult entertainment are The Plague, somehow a very appropriate band name for these times. Reformed in 2020 for the release of an album's worth of lost tapes, they were booked for Punk It Up V in 2021, but were thwarted by the COVID plague, they managed one gig, and everyone raved about it, so they were going to play Others Way festival, but once again the COVID plague isolated them again.... twice!!! Voted as a must see at Others Way, but those votes didn't end up counting. Visually and musically The Plague will astound you. Featuring Richard Von Sturmer, poet, writer, mime artist and Buddhist monk, Mark Bell with those blistering fingers, Tim Mahon thumbing away on his vintage Rickenbaker, Serum Sarah Fort haunting your daydream and Mr Andrew Snoid recently rescued from a desert somewhere in the middle of some and where. The original punks, they're political, noisy, and totally f**king original Kiwi Keith brush my teeth!!

Saturday night's gig continues the Punk It Up tradition of mixing the old classic bands with the new blood, the younger members of the current punk generation, which is the beauty of punk, in that it never gets old, it keeps on keeping on. PIU V Mission Control are pleased to announce that we'll be sonically launching from the stage directly at you, in an assault on your visual and aural senses, a super exciting and "in your face" band Memory Foam, who describe themselves as "A big bunch of noise" Currently warming up their set promoting their new Long Player vinyl record Steel Magnolias, these guys will blow you away with their wall of noise sound.

Picking up the classic punk band end of the stick, is the band with more Oi than Toi Toi, Hamtown's very own The Bludgers. Still going after many many years of hard yakker, playing small and large venues all over the country, and playing with small and large bands alike, Punk It Up is pleased to finally have them play at our evening's soiree...

So, when you add in the rest of the acts, Proud Scum, No Class, Cootie Cuties, Sit Down In Front, The Johnnys, Tigers (NZ's first ever Māori punk band), the last ever ever ever performances from No Tag (playing both nights), and each night's live music finished off by those darlings of cover bands everywhere, bankRobbers (with extra special secret guests), you would think that's enough.... but wait, there's more... Miss Dom and Phil A of bFM fame will be spinning between every band, and warming you up before the first act starts at 7:30pm each night, there will be merchandise from all the bands and associated artists, along with some vinyl records for sale, maybe the odd cassette, and some info tables with info on how to better the world we exist in, instead of just complaining about it...

Then, once the live music ends, you are invited to hang around a bit longer in the upstairs back bar at The Powerstation, for a few hours of punk turntable classics hosted by Wastemaster, and including Johnny and The Dambusters, Chopper, and a good few others, spinning the punk hits until the wee hours...

UP THE PUNX

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