oh yeah..and i think its cool that they're touring with the shakedown. The Datsuns have had friends support them whenever they've come here, they've given many of their friends from back in the day good slots, why shouldn't they "hook a brother up" so to speak. I think they've paid their dues to almost every other band they played with before they went overseas.

They come over here for a good time and to see family, why should they play with some "popular" band, just cause they're popular. I'd want to spend some time with family and give a band a leg up.

who would you suggest for supports?

I like the boxcar guitars, but I thought the same thing as rocker_chick about ES. I've only seen them once; it's not so much that they're 'too similar' - just they're really not very good. I'd go so far as to say appalling, actually. I've seen quite a few bands start out bad and improve drastically in a short time so I could probably give them the benefit of the doubt as far as their performance goes, but their songs are really drab as well - nothing near as hooky as the datsuns (or any rocknroll bands that have had any degree of success in the last couple of years).

It's just an opinion; I'm not complaining about the choice of support - just I think rocker_chick is right - if they weren't related, they certainly wouldn't be playing support.

Ha, true that! Actually, I heard that the Shallows have improved dramatically since their stint last year with...the Datsuns...

Ha, I'm sure your boycott will cripple their ticket sales. That'll learn 'em!

it's arrogant considering how boring their live act has become.

the last time i payed to see them they were $10 with about 4 other good bands - they rocked the mofo, people were jumping off the fucking bar! however that was before they wrote any new songs. their new songs are just plain boring, last time i saw them most of the crowd just stood and watched. yawn.

its not worth $42 to me either... i think thats too much

Yep, I think $42 is a bit steep. But not particularly outrageous for a band with a reasonable profile both here and overseas. And of course this doesn't all go to the Datsuns ... it is the promoter who sets the cost. And putting on a gig such as this costs money which needs to be recovered if the promoter is to make a profit and continue in business to promote other, possibly more worthy, performers.

For mine, I have no interest in going to see the Datsuns. I found their first album to be mind-numbingly repetitive. Which is probably the result of having an 18 year old play it ad infinitum for several months. A couple of good songs on it, familiarity surely did breed contempt.

I have even less interest in Electric Shakedown having heard the tail end of a performance they gave at the Kings Arms some time ago. That was enough to convince me that they have nothing to offer beyond a mediocre facsimile of older brother's band.

I cannot comment on Boxcar Guitars capabilities as I have never heard them play, but based on what I have been told about their music it certainly seems a strange selection.

And rockerchick ... I would be interested to hear who you think should support ... and please don't say The Checks ... why substitute one band that is all style and no substance for another.

As a total side note:
//Di you know that Steriogram were charging almost $60NZ for shows in Japan

As a fourteen year old kitchen hand in Japan I was making $30NZ an hour, so that's not heaps eh.

Give up the mag and rock'n roll lifestyle and go work as a hostess in One Eyed Jacks in Tokyo. You know you want to.

hey i understand the logistics of it all - still the datsuns are not worth $42 dollars. who thinks they are?

Actually Big Stu, I was going to suggest the band currently known as Devil Gate Drive :)

// $5 will get you a bollocks PA and Lights set up,

$10,000 debt and a venue filled with cunts who don't actually like the band, they're just coming cause its cheap.

When the Datsuns played the KA earlier in the year it was only $22. Although I must say, the ticket price must have something to do with the fact it is an all ages venue. I know heaps of my brothers friends who would otherwise never get to see them live (well for a good few years anyway)

It's being put on by the promotor, not by VUWSA.

I think the reference is to the venue for the upcoming Auckland show. I know I had to read that a couple of times.

Argh. Yes that post was a little confusing reading it back. Although sometimes I do wonder if the KA is turning into an all ages venues what with all the young girls. I mean the girls who are "like so totally 18!"

I dunno ... there didn't seem to be an awful lot of space left in the place. And I guess that international success is all relative to what you want. Travelling the world and playing your music to appreciative fans and not going broke doing it would seem to be pretty successful to me.

I certainly wouldn't suggest that the Datsuns are anywhere near an international success, yet.

I agree that $42 is a bit on the steep side, but probably not outrageous. I have no idea how much the venues are costing the promoter, what sort of pa/lighting is going in (though I would hope it is top line) and all the other ancillary costs.

I guess part of the problem is that bands in NZ tend to undervalue themselves. I think all the $5 shows do more harm than good in the long run. $5 to go and see, say, three live bands sweat their guts out ... that is less than one over-priced bottle of "trendy" beer. Way too cheap in my opinion ...

Maybe the problem is less the fact that bands charge too much than cheap-arse punters who claim to support NZ music and then fail to put their hands in their pockets to actually provide practical support for bands trying to make a go of things. And I definitely include you out in that statement Mr Hum ...

And then of course when a band such as the Datsuns "makes it" (and I'm not so sure they have in financial terms) the knockers come out swinging ... $42 for a Datsuns show ... I remember when they played for free to 3 people back in the day ... bunch of big heads ... I'm not gonna pay that ... maybe there is also a little bit of resentment over the fact that the Datsuns have had some success, and we can't have that in lil ole NZ ...

Anyhoo ... I'm not going ... I'm not a fan, though I admire what they have managed to do for themselves.

And I still think they could have got a better supprt band ... but that is another matter.

I'd happily pay $42 to see them if they weren't playing over the bridge, and if it weren't for the Phoenix Foundation / Disasteradio / Voom gig the same night.

if my memory serves me correctly, which it often doesn't..didn't the rainy days support The White Stripes?

Weren't the rainy days on one of those nzonair indie hit disks for radio play aaaages ago? Im sure they were. I like the rainy days more live, than from what small amounts I've heard on radio and whatnot.

i mean..... re: christian leaders

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// how much was the kings arms show before the BDO this year? 15, 18. 20 bucks i can't

the fact they would ofbeen paid handsomely by BDO to come over here would have immediately subsidised that show. you can't really compare the two.