Hard rock act working their way to the top

‘‘It's quite hard work putting out a CD these days. Getting into the New Zealand charts was a bit of an achievement for us.’’

It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock’n’roll and Aaron Ludlow is not getting ahead of himself.

The guitarist from the Lower Hutt hard rock outfit Curlys Jewels said the band had had a big 12 months and were keen to ride the high as long as possible.

With a North Island tour under their belt and having opened for Kiwi rock legends Head Like a Hole, 2017 had been huge for the Curlys with Ludlow ranking the release of their EP, The Skin We Shed, at the top of their list of achievements.

The record peaked at number 11 on the Official New Zealand NZ Album Chart and spawned the single Bastard Fate which debuted at number one on the New Zealand iTunes rock chart and reached number four on the New Zealand heat seeker singles chart.

‘‘It’s quite hard work putting out a CD these days. Getting into the New Zealand charts was a bit of an achievement for us.’’

Despite becoming more serious about their music, he was not ready to chuck in his job in business management just yet. Like most New Zealand musicians, the band’s members work day jobs to support their passion.

The band started as an acoustic two-piece in 2011 and over the years gained a drummer and bassist.

They had been playing regular gigs and festivals throughout 2017 and were beginning to carve out a place for themselves within the Kiwi rock scene, Ludlow said.

Their reputation as a hard hitting act earned them an invitation to support New Zealand metal band Devilskin and Sumo Cyco from Canada at an already sold out show at Wellington’s San Fran on October 13.

Ludlow said playing alongside big acts such as Head Like a Hole and Devilskin was ‘‘pretty cool’’.

‘‘They are real legends in New Zealand rock. We are fans of their music and it’s a bit of a privilege to share a stage and their audience.’’