Taking their name from the (now closed) Ocean Beach Freezing Works in Bluff, where lead singer Gary Dalhousie’s uncles worked after arriving in New Zealand from Tonga, Ocean Beach are multi-faceted three-piece based in Auckland, with two thirds hailing from the South Island towns of Invercargill and Timaru. They explore many shades of rock, from pop-punk to glistening soundscapes; defining themselves as “noisy bric-a-brac and shimmering resonance”. Their brand new single “Cigarettes and Champagne” falls in the latter category.
To help celebrate the release of “Cigarettes and Champagne”, Ocean Beach have recruited two fantastic acts to join them at the Thirsty Dog on Saturday December 16th.
The legendary Jed Town will be bringing his electrifying one-man show. to the Thirsty Dog He emerged in the post-punk scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s with his bands The Superettes, the Features, and Fetus Productions; the latter created art as well as music, and gained a following both locally and internationally for their audio-visual experimentalism. Over the years Jed Town has been involved with techno (as ICU and JedEye), film soundtracks (Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer), and in groundbreaking 5.1 surround recordings of NZ flora and fauna. His solo show comprises a selection of songs from across his career.
Lost Demos’ debut EP “Viva Lost Demos” saw them named as finalists of the Auckland Live Best Debut Award, part of this year’s Taite Music Prize. Lost Demos perform a unique breed of “psychedelic swamp folk alt-country. Created in the West Auckland seaside studio of musician/composer Peter Hobbs (guitar, vocals, stompbox) the band line-up is ever-changing. This gig includes Rachel Wallis on keys and Andrea Holmes on drums. Hobbs (Kitset, Lesley Speaker) also creates soundtracks for screen and dance projects; and has won numerous awards for film and television composition. Lost Demos will be playing songs from their EP as well as music from Hobbs' upcoming concept album about the Maungatapu murders (a Nick Cave-esque obsession with the incredible story of the Burgess gang murders in 1866).
Ocean Beach have five recorded songs in their beach bag; two of which have already been playlisted on New Zealand’s leading alternative radio station 95bFM - and one of which made the Top Ten. They have also been featured on San Fransisco DJ Alex Green’s podcast “The Heart Goes Boom”.
