The Nudge have been steadily building their reputation as one of New Zealand’s finest and most exciting live acts for a few years now. The three mad men behind The Nudge are Ryan "Treble" Prebble (guitar, vocals), James "Clip-On" Coyle (drums), and Iraia "Cackles" Whakamoe (keyboards). They can often be found bedecked in animal suits and rocking out like lunatics across the country. Their propulsive live performances have stood toe-to-toe with the likes of Trinity Roots, Kora, and Little Bushman without breaking a sweat. The band has just released Bug Nudge Pie, a record that blends the disparate influences and ideas of the three individual members. The songs on Big Nudge Pie range from blessed-out swampy jams (‘Shook Me’), to strident rockers and twitchy blues rambles (‘In My Olds House’). There really is something for everybody in here.
Live favourites like ‘Leif’ and ‘The Golden Egg’ more than hold their own as studio renditions. The Nudge manages to capture a lot of the manic fire that they bring to the stage on tape. The former has an infectious spaghetti western guitar riff and the latter kicks it out big with a heavy, rhythmic tribal beat that is tailor-made to make you move your feet, head, and booty. Make no mistake, this is party music. Over the course of the album Prebble taps into the goldmine of 60s / 70s icons, primarily Mick Jagger and Jim Morrison. He even manages to sound like a male Janis Joplin with his throaty croon on ‘Yesterday’s Blues’ and ‘Moving In You’. The meaty ‘Come Home’ has a crushing leaden blues stomp, the kind that The Doors used to spin to prove their blues “cred” but with the added magic of Prebble’s funky guitar. The sumptuous ‘Raising The Greyscale’ rises out of the psychedelic fog like the spectre of Pink Floyd. A slow, loping bassline holds down the bottom end and the distant watery sound of an organ wash through it. The David Gilmour-esque guitar work only inflates the Floyd comparison. The guitars often recede into the background, taking a backseat role for a short while, before bursting back into the fore. There is plenty of six-string magic abound but the guitars know their place.
This album is so masterfully constructed that you will never want to skip a song. They have made a place for everything they want to play and you can find everything in its place. When left to mellow out in the sun, Big Nudge Pie is truly a gorgeous record. I can imagine many people soaking in the tasty grooves while sipping at a cold beer and/or perched over a hot BBQ. Grab yourself a warm hearty slice of Big Nudge Pie today!
