The Gordons

★★★★

The Gordons + Future Shock 1972. DL/LP

1981 debut from “sonically challenging” NZ trio who became Bailter Space.

Christchurch trio Gordons were NZ’s most influential noisemakers of their era, cited by Sonic Youth and numerous Flying Nun label scene-makers. Their debut EP Future Shock bypassed post-punk for minimalist, pummelling protopost-hardcore. But it is a mere sketch compared to the following album. The sound is so dynamic you’d swear Steve Albini engineered rather than a cash-strapped local. John Halvorsen’s galvanising bass sat alongside Alister Parker’s guitar squalls (he’s also an alternately sinister and nervy presence on vocals), while Brent McLachlan’s concretesteady drums held more than a supporting role. With both Right On Time and Growing Up stretched to nine minutes, The Gordons resembled a juggernaut, and even the shorter Laughing Now felt unstoppable. Parker’s conversion to Christianity fatally intervened, but nothing can diminish their brutal beauty or legacy.