Winston Watusi Music Plus

The word 'punk' means different things to different people – and that's even before you start using it as a musical term.

Once you start trying to define 'punk' musically you end up with one of those circular discussions that so exercise festival organisers trying to decide things like 'what is Jazz really?' or – even worse – 'how do you define Blues'?

I'm a bit old-school on this. But maybe that's because I'm old. At least by the standards of young punks. I happened to be in England way back in the mid-seventies during those furious days of 'original' punk. I actually remember the shocked front page headlines in every single newspaper the day after the Sex Pistols used the f-word during a BBC interview. The entire country was aghast.

That was punk for me: the Pistols, the Buzzcocks, Sham 69, The Damned, X-Ray Specs... with others on the fringes. The Clash were musically retro but good politically; The Jam were more sophisticated musically and pretentious lyrically but great live.

Then the Americans started proclaiming their bands to be 'punk': the Ramones? Johnny Thunders? Maybe The Slits, but Americans branded anyone doing anything new as 'punk', from The New York Dolls to Patti Smith and Talking Heads...

New punk?

Since the late seventies/early eighties there have been new punk movements every few years, whether it be Green Day (punk – really?), grunge and hardcore stuff in the nineties, basically anything with guitars and a bit of energy. But where's the philosophy? A lot of that early explosion – despite merely being a fashion statement for Malcolm McLaren – was specifically politically working class, fed by anger at Thatcher's policies of repression and class warfare.

Then there was a lot of music called 'post-punk', which brings me to the debut album of Tauranga band Dead Simple, 'Backchat', which pulses with punk energy and I find an absolute breath of fresh air. Though it's been out a few months it has been hard to find on-line and passed me by until I managed to get a CD. In fact the album is only now available for streaming, via: deadsimple2.hearnow.com

Dead Simple are singer/guitarist Glen Wilson, bass player/singer Lara Wilson and drummer Verne Bigwood. They are, by strange coincidence, all born on December 27. They recorded 'Backchat' with producer Tim Julian at Welcome Bay's Colourfield Recording Studio.

Glen has history on the New Zealand music scene, with his 80s band Unrestful Movements regularly labelled 'post-punk'. Website Audio-Culture calls their music 'Slow, snarling, grinding songs that echoed the punk era and anticipated later "sludge" rock bands'.

Simon

This is his first recording since then and there are remade songs here from that band, 'Anti-Trend' and 'Greed', both political broadsides sitting alongside newer songs such as 'Simon'. That one should have particular relevance here, what with our ex-MP, Jamie Lee Ross and political donations taking centre stage. Glen writes a fierce lyric and his angry delivery is perfect. Songs are not the place for subtle political analysis: anger, lean and mean, delivers here, with a chorus of 'God give me strength, can't take the stench, can't take it.'

There's an anti-1080 anthem, a Joy Division cover, 'New Down Fades', and a rather delightful jazz-leaning love story 'Lost My Wallet'. There's also a cool medley when 'Democracy' (a lament for its passing) segues into 'Anarchy In The UK'. Musically the band favour slightly dark minor grooves, typified by the optimistic opener 'Live Life' and the songs really deliver melodically, with aggressively catchy choruses and clever use of backing vocals.

There is no pretence in these cuts. Dead Simple sounds like a genuine three-piece playing live. Extra guitars have not been added to create a false wall of metal sound. What you get is absolutely honest, with the odd subtle studio touch: a grinding guitar, cool old-school soloing, and solid drums and bass.

I like it. I like it a lot. I'd love to see the band live. In the meantime, you can get CDs – or book the band! - via www.facebook.com/fordeadsimple

Damn fine work all round.