Coolies Release New Collection 'South Auckland Girls In The Garage'
The impact of Coolies on Aotearoa's contemporary DIY / punk music community can't be overstated. Formed as a teen riot grrrl-inspired band in late 90s South Auckland, Coolies paved the way for a legion of noise-loving local acts with their killer live shows and furiously catchy anthems, revealed over a procession of increasingly sonically fearless releases. The core team of Tina Pihema and Sjionel Timu are still charging hard with current drummer Stefan Neville (Pumice), and have just made available South Auckland Girls In The Garage, a vinyl-only retrospective collection of material written and recorded from 1998 to 2010, curated by none other than Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and strictly limited to 500 copies. Originally snuck out earlier this year as part of as part of JNR’s White label series and now nearly sold out, a handful of these crucial sonic documents have finally made their way to NZ, and can be copped directly from the Coolies' Bandcamp page and / or from this weekend's shows with buds Die! Die! Die! in Auckland and Hamilton. Featured tunes include such mega-classics as 'yr so 1960's', 'we suck' and 'throwaway' – here's Thurston Moore's unabridged words on South Auckland Girls In The Garage...
"The Coolies are the best band in the world! Well there's a lotta best bands in the world but for right now for my brain and heart and soul The Coolies are THEE BEST. Only because I just saw them come to town (that being London town on the wild island of the United Kingdom) and they totally sandblasted the place with sweet and strange guitar and bass action. I was not prepared! I actually went to see some other band who were on the bill but I did know that an old chum from New Zealand, Stefan Neville, was playing in this band The Coolies and that they were maybe putting a record out with another cat I know from Western Massachusetts and Stefan's always come hard with killer weirdo music but WHOA, The Coolies were a trio, two women, bass and guitar, and Stefan at the kit. Whoever, whatever they were all I can say is what I heard that eve was the most engaging, in-the-moment punk no-wave sonic heartstring buzzing clatter rock n roll I'd not come across for AGES. I went nutso and bought all the recordings I could find, which weren't too many but they were all choice and charmed (even the offshoot discs - check out the Piece War LP - it is killer diller (I need the lathe cut 10" (edition of 30 copies!!)(!))) so when Joyful Noise asked if I had any ideas for a special artist ("me") curated release I immediately told them to cut a path straight to South Auckland New Zealand where The Coolies reside and rule. This LP is early jams and is as boss as anything they've unleashed ain't no doubt about it and it is SERIOUSly the JAM! Tina Pihema and Sjionel Timu are great great song lights resonating the beauty of Maori awesomeness and you will thank the gods of rock n' roll when you enter their sonic universe. Love is the key --- Thur s ton Moore, London two thousand and nineteen"
Check out the Tom Buckley-directed clip for 'throwaway', from 2010's Master...
'South Auckland Girls In The Garage' is available on limited edition vinyl LP via the Coolies' Bandcamp page here. Copies will be available at Coolies shows this weekend with Die! Die! Die! – at Hamilton's Nivara Lounge on Friday 13th December, and at Auckland's Raynam Park on Saturday 14th December.
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