Shihad “Deb’s Night Out”

1995-shihad-debs-night-outAnd what a night out it is. Jon Shihad starts out sitting in the back of a car with a middle-aged couple. Those two are having a jolly old time, laughing and getting pissed on wine, while Jon sulks like a teen who’s being forced to attend his dumb uncle’s dumb 50th birthday. He doesn’t want to go; there’ll only be old people there.

The car drives around the streets of what I think is Wellington. It’s dark and I can’t quite pick any familiar landmarks, but it feels like Wellington. And if it is the capital, there was a lot more neon and less street lighting back in the ’90s.

Finally the car arrives at a hall in the suburbs where a party is in progress. “And I pray for a rain to wash you far away,” Jon sings. Steady on, Jon! It’s just some oldies having a knees-up.

At the hall, everyone is having a good time. The oldies are enjoying tasty wedges, and young ‘uns are rock-and-roll dancing. Finally old misery guts gets up on the dance floor and has a good old kanikani, with the rest of Shihad enjoying themselves.

This is the first Shihad video that features Shihad not playing as a band. It suits the mellower, more atmospheric song. I’m sure the suburban shindig setting was used to be edgy and ironic, but 16 years on, it’s a lot easier to believe Shihad enjoying themselves at such an event.

Best bit: the platecam capturing the look of glee as the oldies grab the wedges.



Director: Chris Mauger
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

4 thoughts on “Shihad “Deb’s Night Out””

  1. Definitely Wellington. The carpark at the start with the neon Steinlager sign is where the Reading complex is now; where it backed on to Courtenay Place there was a pie cart and (the late) Kenny the busker had his patch before his amp was impounded. At about 0:55 is James Smith’s Corner on Manners and Cuba Streets as it was then, and I’m pretty sure I can pick out lower Cuba Street, Lambton Quay and Frank Kitts park in the background of other shots as well. I have a higher res copy of this on video somewhere, and the locations are a bit easier to pick on that 🙂

    1. That’s brilliant info – thanks! Now what I watched it again, it starts to make sense. The James Smith corner looks totally different, all wired up with neon.

  2. Just wanted to listen to Debs Night Out again and saw these comments – as one of the oldies it brought back wonderful memories. Brilliant night for us oldies with Shihad as our very special Guests.
    Thanks for the memory- and having recently seen Jon at The Waterfront performing a brilliant one-man concert you can see we knew talent when we saw it all those years ago.

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