Alive and kicking
Rising Auckland band SoccerPractise offer an uneasy mix of punk, electronica, te reo and arty visuals.
As you get older,” says Thom Burton of Auckland group SoccerPractise, “the idea of magic in regular life diminishes every day so you kind of want to create something magical for people in everything you do.”
He’s not talking about his band’s fondness for New Age philosophies, but rather explaining why they have decided to show off their rather punkish brand of dark and moody electronica by incorporating visual artist Kim Newall into their line-up.
“It’s quite important for us as a band that the main product is the live show, so Kim is very important to making it as compelling as possible,” Burton says. “I like that we work artistically to develop an understanding of using lots of different materials and we really think hard about the narratives he draws up.
“When you go out and pay your $20 to see a band for a Friday night out, you want it to be worthwhile. I found out a long time ago that it was one thing to have your shit together to play in a band; it’s a whole other thing to play to people. It’s a nice feeling when a band obviously cares enough to create a good live show.”
At the recent Auckland launch of their self-titled album, the front bar of The Golden Dawn was done up with swirling, repetitive, lo-fi geometric designs. It was the perfect, slightly claustrophobic setting for the compelling music.
The other deliberately persuasive aspect of SoccerPractise is frontwoman Geneva Alexander-Marsters. The daughter of poet, performer and author Raewyn Alexander sings in English and Māori, skipping between a pure soulful voice, menacing growls and a powerful punk howl. She certainly lives up to Burton’s billing of her as the band’s “serious secret weapon”.
Although their slightly Portishead-ish first album has just hit the download streams after two years of singles such as the property-market-obsessed Windfall, I was Screaming, Big Bad Wolf and te reo Amene, they’re already back in Roundhead Studios working on a heavier follow-up.
“This will probably show more punk influences than trip-hop and focusing on uneasiness as something that can be invigorating,” Burton says. “I guess we try to tap into emotions that aren’t as obvious because contemporary electronic music is very much about serving up a singular emotion and I think that insults the listener’s intelligence.
“So it’s darker and heavier, not because we want to be more brutal. It’s more about creating something that’s not obvious and more to do with giving people questions rather than answers.”
“[It’s] one thing to have your shit together to play in a band; it’s a whole other thing to play to people.”