Blistering Tongues Press Release
The 2013 NZ ‘Gashgushilicious’ Tour sees Blistering Tongues play 12 shows from Great Barrier Island to Dunedin. On the back of the ’10 gigs in 10 days’ South Island Tour in July, this will be the Tongues 6th ‘full’ NZ Tour. Playing live is where the Tongues differ from other bands with their unique uncompromising stage presence mixed with their no-holds-barred mentality. Unwilling to pigeonhole their music into a genre and with live shows well into the 100s, it’s easy to see why they have been called ‘one of NZ’s best live acts flying under the radar.’
Glenn Bathgate (vocals/guitar) started Blistering Tongues in Oamaru in 1995 with a line-up that lasted one show. His move to Dunedin to start Teachers’ College 2 months later, saw him team up with Mosgiel-born cricket mad Nabby Mcnahb (lead guitar/vocals). It took 8 years and many personnel changes to find the current line-up. It wasn’t until 2004 that they played together for the first time. Rotorua- born Ham Henderson (bass/vocals) and Karamea-born Vanya Vitali (‘Ritalin’, ‘Skaface Claw’) (drums/vocals), providing the solid rhythm section that the odd coupling of Glenn and Nabby needed to lose themselves in.
When the band was based in Dunedin up until 2007, they played everywhere from woodsheds to stripclubs, on the back of trucks whilst driving around the city to rooftops, Live radio to Live national television. They are now spread through-out the country with Motueka Valley, Wellington and Auckland being called home. They come together to tour or record.
This tour sees them play songs from new album Gashgushalicious (their 5th release) as well as a smorgasbord of material spanning 17 years. From punk to country, funk to metal, rock to pop with comedic undertones all over it, the Blistering Tongues ‘live’ show is one that you’ll remember…for all the right reasons!
Touring the North Island with Blistering Tongues is Grandad’s Wedding from the Motueka Valley. What is unusual about this band is that it is fronted by Glenn’s 13 year old son Billy Bathgate on drums/vocals (yes, he gets 7 days off school!) The Tongues’ Glenn and Nabby make up this 3-piece. Playing since 2007 they released debut album ‘Fruit and Nut’ (Billy wrote 60% of the 18 songs) in 2011. They will be playing 1st so make sure you get along nice and early.
Playing the South Island only is Motueka’s Shunt who are bringing their brand of punk/rock out of the Nelson region for the 1st time. Fronted by eccentric energised forestry worker Wayne Mendleson and backed up by Matthew Bauer (guitar), Brett Pottinger (drums) and the Tongues greedy Glenn Bathgate (bass), Shunt will be kicking it in the teeth before Blistering Tongues calms it back down…a tad.
