Interview: Spike F*ck (AUS) - Aotearoa NZ Shows This Week

Once a solo songwriting project and now reborn as a band, Naarm's Spike Fuck are playing their first Aotearoa shows in eight years this week — headlining Tāmaki Makaurau's Whammy Bar tonight and Te Whanganui-a-Tara's MOON on Saturday. Creator of 2016's influential THE SMACKWAVE EP, founder and leader Spike F kindly answered our questions about Spike Fuck's outburst of activity after a break period, the long-awaited upcoming debut album Pure O plus more...

Spike Fuck
Thursday 15th May - Whammy Bar, Auckland
Saturday 17th May - MOON, Wellington
Tickets on sale HERE via UTR

Chris Cudby: Kia ora Spike Fuck — welcome back to Aotearoa! You were last here eight years ago and a lot has changed since then. What factors fed into Spike Fuck's renewed outburst of activity over the past year and new band format?

Spike F: Thanks. I took a long break from music. About 3 years in total. I started writing again in March of last year. Not for any external reason — I'm not even sure why I started again. It just felt necessary. From there, the songs came quickly. Forming a band felt like the next logical step for me... as prosaic as that all sounds.

What does everyone in Spike Fuck contribute?

Spike Fuck started as a solo project, but in this new iteration, it's a rock n' roll band. Everyone involved brings something different — distortion, discipline, dissonance, tenderness, rhythm, structure, energy. I couldn't do this without the band at this point — and I wouldn't want to.

What does a Spike Fuck live show look and sound like in 2025? How has your World Tour been going?

The shows are loud, direct, and a bit unpredictable at times. Each one feels different depending on the night. But the tour’s been amazing. Lots of fun. Good turnouts, good energy. It’s been a very joyous return to playing live shows again indeed.

Are you playing a mixture of older and new material? What can Aotearoa gig-goers look forward to at this week's shows in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington?

We’re playing a mix. Some reworked songs from Smackwave, some from the upcoming album Pure O. A recent review of the show mentioned that as a band, the live show can at times feel like we’re playing for each other — he meant it as something of a diss but I think it's probably accurate. And I actually think it's probably a good thing. I think people come to the shows to feel something personal to them. And I trust the people will get whatever they need out of it.

What is your newest single 'Eternity & Time' about?

It was inspired by a 14th-century Catholic hymn called 'Pecador Contempla' ('Sinner, Behold') and a book I was reading at the time by this Romanian Orthodox priest and theologian Dumitru Stăniloae called Eternity and Time, which is about how God interacts with human beings, how time enters into eternity and vice versa. Both deal with how people relate to death, time, and faith. I was thinking about that while writing it. But ultimately the song's meaning itself is open-ended — people again should take what they want from it. Anyone reading should go and listen for themselves!

What themes do you address on your forthcoming debut album? How long has it been in the works for and when will it be out?

The album deals with death, judgment, shame, and the idea of redemption. It’s personal but I hope not overly emotional or saccharine. I wrote all the songs that will appear on the album in the space of 2 or 3 months at the beginning of last year. We've been recording it for about a year now and it should be out later this year.