19 Apr 2009 // A review by miss nz
The last time I saw The Datsuns play in the Tron was when they tore it up at The Yellow Submarine in mid 2008, drawing in one of the most energetic and dare I say, messy crowds I’d ever seen down there. We’re talking arms and legs batting others over the head, crowd surfing, yelling and a whole lot of jumping up and down, making it one of my most memorable gigs to date.
Since then the rockers have performed their way round some of the most talked about venues in the UK, and now they’ve come home to tour our country once more.

They’ve got a massive following and as soon as I saw their Hamilton date, it was penned into my diary and covered in hi-lighter so I could be part of the action at The Altitude on Thursday night. Who cares about work the next day, this is one band that can’t be passed up for anything - even with the risk of feeling pretty shitty the morning after. I don’t think the lads would have it any other way, really…

Opening their electric set with Yeah, Yeah, Just Another Mistake, Sittin’ Pretty and Little Bruise, I was surprised to see a somewhat tame crowd tapping their feet delicately to the heavy tunes. But as soon as they started System Overload off 2006 release, Smoke & Mirrors the mass was whipped into the frenzy I remember so lovingly. Pushing, shoving and long hair comin’ at ya’ from all directions were the treats on offer, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at some of the people getting involved. I think my favourite was seeing this girl and guy flip each other the bird before starting a yelling match. That chick was fierce. Tyra would have loved her!

Playing off the energy from the munters in the crowd, the lads pulled out their trademark rock n’ roll moves, stretching back and whipping their guitars effortlessly into the air while they enjoyed the view off stage. Watching front-man Dolfe de Borst scream into the mic during songs like Stuck Here For Days and Hong Kong Fury was a devilish delight that had me and many others gagging for more which of course we received throughout the show.

It can’t go without mention how envious I am of these guys’ stamina and skill. Rocking an impressive 19 song set, not tiring once, only to come back on stage to give us three more tunes including radio hit, High school Hoodlums. They’re not the type of lads to bust out a smile mid-song, but it’s obvious that they love what they do, and are quietly excited with the reactions from the crowds they pull. I’d have to say the songs of the show that will stay locked in my memory box are Who Are You Stamping Your Foot For?, Mother Fucker From Hell and Harmonic Generator. Each performed to the dirty Datsuns perfection we know so well. Catch them while you can!

Amanda Ratcliffe

Although six months earlier people were telling New Zealand's Datsuns to give up, by mid-2002 London's music press was hailing them as "genius." By then the Datsuns had already been playing their brand of garage rock for six years, ever since they met at school in Cambridge and formed a band called Trinket.

Back in 1997, as Trinket, they won the local radio station's Battle of the Bands. The following year, now called The Datsuns, they won again. In the years that followed the group released only a handful of singles, all on vinyl and all on their own record label, Hell Squad Records. While beloved of student radio and known for their live Who-like performances, they were a relatively unknown group even at home.

Things started to look up in March 2001, when a tour of Australia caused a bit of a stir, especially in Melbourne. Encouraged, the Datsuns made plans to take on London.

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for The Datsuns

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