Five Questions With… The Axemen
Band: The Axemen
Country of Origin: New Zealand
We spotlight a lot of great bands in our “Five Questions With…” series, but I’m particularly honored to spotlight the seminal New Zealand indie punk band, The Axemen. Bob Brannigan, Little Stevie McCabe, and Stu Kawowski, all veterans of the burgeoning Christchurch and Dunedin music scenes, came together around 1981 (more on that below) to play their first show in protest against the South African Springbok rugby team’s tour of New Zealand. The band also staged other performances in opposition to sexist advertising and homophobia. And their sound is as unconventional and forward-thinking as their politics, melding the adventurousness of artists like Beefheart and Faust with the conventional Dunedin sound.
The lineup over the years since formation has seen multiple transformations over the years (see: https://en.wikipedia.
Current lineup (post-2010 or thereabouts) as featured in recordings below is:
- Steve McCabe: Vox, Gats, Lyrics & Music
- Dragan Stojanovic: Vox, Gats, Lyrics & Music
- Stu Kawowski: Drums, Photography, Promotion
- William Daymond: Bass (see also https://
terrorofthedeepnz.bandcamp. com/
Many thanks to Steve for sending these responses, and check out the links below to learn more about the group’s activities, past and present.
Five Questions
1. What is your desert island disc (the one album you couldn’t live without?)
Plastic Ono Band (Plastic Ono Band)
2. How did the band members meet?
Myself and Bob Brannigan met in the late 70s, we were in a comic publishing group and lived in different towns about 8 hours bus drive away. We played gigs as a two-piece under various names and eventually ended up doing a support gig for a band Stu Kawowski (drummer) was playing with (Above Ground, with Bill Direen and Maryrose Crook) and he pretty much latched onto us from there on in.
3. What is the underground music scene like in your home country?
I live in a tiny town of about 1000 people, not much of a “scene” here, but plenty of stuff happening in the cities (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin), bands sprouting and splitting all the time.
4. What are some of your biggest influences outside of music?
Alcohol, US politics, Carl Sagan, recipes, girls
5. Tell us about your favorite show you ever played.
Hmm, a lot of great ones, hard to pick a fave but one we did the other nite was pretty good – Hell Fire Club in Lyttelton (on outskirts of Christchurch). Pleased with current lineup, quite a tight outfit at the moment. Also Union Pool in Brooklyn, NYC, 2009 was particularly memorable, and SnailClamps (Skeptics venue/studio in Palmerston North) in the 1980s…
Download: Cock In My Mouth (Live at the Hell Fire Club) – The Axemen
Download: Steal A Yub Nub Horse (Live at the Hell Fire Club) – The Axemen
