August 2009: David Dallas, Deja Voodoo, Dimmer, Erakah, Gemma Russell, Gin Wigmore

Ddot takes Manhattan, fun on the seesaw, good hair, life rhymes with hideous car wreck, and the hotel lobby.

Continue reading August 2009: David Dallas, Deja Voodoo, Dimmer, Erakah, Gemma Russell, Gin Wigmore

April 2009: Boh Runga, Cobra Khan, Cut Off Your Hands, Dei Hamo, Deja Voodoo

A rough ride, a band deconstructed, girls in grey and black, and a high school musical.

Continue reading April 2009: Boh Runga, Cobra Khan, Cut Off Your Hands, Dei Hamo, Deja Voodoo

February 2009: Deja Voodoo, Dictaphone Blues, Dimmer, Erakah, Fur Patrol, I Am Giant

A stupid-fun fate, the wireframe wilderness, a severed cord, cool in the club, and snowboarding stuff.
Continue reading February 2009: Deja Voodoo, Dictaphone Blues, Dimmer, Erakah, Fur Patrol, I Am Giant

August 2007: Charlie Ash, Collapsing Cities, Cornerstone Roots, Deja Voodoo, Grand Prix, Hollie Smith

3D thrills, slow explosions, an old television set, a portrait of the artist, and the world artistic roller skating champs.
Continue reading August 2007: Charlie Ash, Collapsing Cities, Cornerstone Roots, Deja Voodoo, Grand Prix, Hollie Smith

October 2006: Cut Off Your Hands, Cyphanetik, Deja Voodoo, Die! Die! Die!, Don McGlashan

The balloon room, hooning around the harbour bridge, an unhaunted house, and spooky lighting.
Continue reading October 2006: Cut Off Your Hands, Cyphanetik, Deja Voodoo, Die! Die! Die!, Don McGlashan

Deja Voodoo “Can’t Do (What I Wanna Do)”

2004-deja-voodoo-cant-doThis song tackles the subject of what it’s like being a 30-year-old man in love with a 14-year-old girl. Because, yeah, 14-year-old girls are totally hot for gross, hairy, sweaty old guys.

The video avoids showing the subject of the song. Instead it’s Deja Voodoo rocking out among sand dunes and some classic-era Deja Voodoo explosions. Sometimes they’re shown walking in slow-motion and smoking cigarettes, which reminds me of Supergroove’s “You Freak Me” video with its self-conscious “Look!!! We are smoking!!!!” teenage posing (and curiously enough, both videos were directed by Joe Lonie).

Perhaps all the explosions and fireballs symbolise the sexual frustration of a man who has vowed to wait until his 14-year-old girlfriend is 18 – two years past the age of consent – before they do it.

This was the first single of Deja Voodoo’s second album, Back in Brown, and both the song and the video feels stuck between the jokey tone of their first album and a totally legit rock band. Look at it one way, and it’s funny, but the other way and it’s kind of creepy.

But then, maybe the line “You weren’t even born in the ’80s!” is really the cry of a man annoyed that his teen girlfriend doesn’t get his hilarious Thundercats references.

Best bit: the “cool dudes walking in slow motion ignore big explosion” scene.

Director: Joe Lonie
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… an old building.

Deja Voodoo “Today, Tomorrow, Timaru”

2004-deja-voodoo-today-tomorrow-timaruUp until this point, Deja Voodoo had been the jokily rubbish house band of the chaotic televisual experience that was Back of the Y. But the lads got a bit more serious and hit the road with something resembling a proper band. Members Chris Stapp and Matt Heath had previously directed music videos for other artists (for example, Tim Finn), but Deja Voodoo was their first time in front of the camera. Their first two videos were glorious self-funded efforts – “We are Deja Voodoo” and “Beers” – before moving to a slightly higher budget for “Today, Tomorrow, Timaru”.

The song was a tribute to the music of Jordan Luck and the Exponents, a tale of thwarted love and rooted solidly in Timaru. And there’s something to be said for that. Most New Zealand songs ignore the geography, with everything happening in a no man’s land of emotion. Previously we’ve seen the Mutton Birds’ “Dominion Road” and the Peter Stuyvesant Hitlist’s “Ode to K Road”, but this is the first time that South Canterbury has been name checked. (Unless you count Jan Hellriegel’s “Geraldine”.)

The video is shot in and around Timaru, carefully illustrating all the places mentioned in the song. They’re even rocking out in front of the bird aviary, which – the internet tells me – has since been moved 200 metres from that site. There was also a planking controversy there in 2011.

The climax of the song is the shouted roll call of various small towns between Timaru and Christchurch. It manages to make places like Washdyke, Rolleston and Rakaia (“Rakaaaaaaia!”) seem really mythical, even when accompanies by a very ordinary clip of some local shops.

Much of the humour of the video comes from the site of a cool dude band dressed in black, striking many quality rock poses around Timaru. But despite all the lolz, Timaru comes across very well in the video. It’s shot on a cloudless day, with the band bathed in golden light from the setting sun. Awwww. It makes me wish more bands would get out of Auckland and Wellington when shooting their music videos.

Best bit: Deja Voodoo’s obnoxious van.

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… tour pics.