Stream Sick Old Man's Debut EP 'Tribunus Plebis'

It’s been a busy week for d-beat – a relatively obscure sub-genre of punk rock categorised by the extensive use of the signature drum beat of seminal British punk band Discharge. Auckland-based band Sick Old Man combine these influences with black metal to make a raucous cacophony of history-inspired heavy party tunes. Their debut EP comes accompanied by sweet artwork from Ahnand Unka (recent recipient of the 2016 Dirtbag Award for Best Visual Artist) and is out now on CD through Swampkult and on tape through Hairy Palm (available through Worn Out distro).

Drink deep the new EP and read the interview with bassist and back-up vocalist Cyprian de Castro-Robinson below...

So, what’s the deal with Sick Old Man?
We are a crusty d-beat band with some black metal and grind influence who started at [short lived central Auckland venue/practice space] the Concrete Casket and now we jam in the Titirangi Bush.

What are your influences musically and lyrically?
Musically, we are heavily influenced by heaps of d-beat and crust, specifically the likes of Skitsystem, Wolfpack, Napalm Death, Disrupt and Darkthrone. Concerning lyrics, we are secret history nerds so we wrote a bunch of pisstake songs about obscure battles from 500 years ago and songs invoking ancient Roman insults, such as ‘Barba Crescit Caput Nescit’ meaning ‘the beard grows longer but the mind does not grow wiser’, just in case any wanna be Greek philosophers come to our shows.

What are your thoughts on punk rock in AK city right now?
Auckland’s got a sweet little punk community that is producing some sweet bands at the moment! Check out mean as locals such as Bridge Burner, Setentia and Markdown.

Anything you’d like to add?
Underground communities in NZ are producing all the best bands and it should stay DIY and community driven. As Sore Throat would say – "Death to capitalist hardcore".



Sick Old Man are playing this Saturday 17th Demcember at Norty Or Nice at Whammy Bar in Auckland, head over here for more details and to buy tickets.