Interview: C.O.F.F.I.N's Australiana Top Six - NZ Summer Tour

Sydney rockers C.O.F.F.I.N are making their way to Aotearoa New Zealand for the very first time next week, tearing up our stages with eight headline dates nationwide, then capping it all off as special guests for Amyl and The Sniffers. In the interests of fostering trans-Tasman cultural exchange, the legendary John Baker quizzed C.O.F.F.I.N guitarist / backing vocalist Abijah Rado — who got us up to speed about contemporary Aussie fashion trends and rituals, having a punk PM, their favourite AC/DC anthem, fresh evolutions in Ocker slang, and more. Joined by all-killer local supports at every gig, don't miss them!

UnderTheRadar proudly presents...

C.O.F.F.I.N

Tuesday 4th February - Double Whammy, Tāmaki Makaurau with Dick Move, Bloodbags
Wednesday 5th February - Monkey Cabaret, Whitianga w/ Slumbug
Thursday 6th February – Under The Bridge, Tauranga w/ Eddie & The Dreamers (all ages)
Friday 7th February - Harbour View Hotel, Whāingaroa w/ Bloodbags, Critter, Illicit Wah Wahs
Saturday 8th February - The Crown, Ōtepoti w/ Shotgun Wedding, Vagina Dry
Sunday 9th February - Space Academy, Ōtautahi w/ Pieces of Molly, Clemintine
Tuesday 11th February - Waterfront Bar & Grill, Blenheim / Te Waiharakeke w/ Grip Tape, Clemintine
Wednesday 12th February - Valhalla, Pōneke w/ Bloodbags, No Sector
Friday 14th February - Meow Nui, Pōneke (sold out)*
Saturday 15th February - The Powerstation, Tāmaki Makaurau (sold out)*
Sunday 16th February - The Powerstation, Tāmaki Makaurau (sold out)*

Tickets on sale HERE via UTR
*supporting Amyl and The Sniffers

1. Are there any unique Australian fashion accessories at C.O.F.F.I.N gigs that are causing a stir at the moment and NZ fans could get tipped on? What's your personal fave Australian accessory?

There's always a wide range of fashion accessories floating about at our shows which I guess is kind of due to the broad spectrum of our crowds and that's great to see and be a part of. My personal favourite would be my belt with built in bottle opener though, never get caught off guard.

2. Is there an Australian tradition? Ritual? Act you witness at C.O.F.F.I.N shows likewise... we love language here, and it is changing every day — is there any new Australian slang / terminology / expression you care to share with us and elaborate on its origin?

Back in our earlier days there were definitely a ton of shoeys at our shows. We've had that crowd rowing thing go down a few times which is always a funny thing to watch. As far as slang goes, I'm not sure how much of it travels back and forth across the ditch but "Flog" is a pretty good one. Looking forward to learning the local lingo while we're over there.

3. When you perform in Tauranga — what would you do if local resident Phil Rudd turns up and wants to sit in on Riff Raff? The Schizophonics recently performed said song at their riotous Under The Bridge Show two weeks ago , but no Phil on this occasion. Have C.O.F..F.I.N. ever met a member of AC/DC ? And fave AC/DC tune right now that's not Riff Raff? Feel free to reach out to Phil...

We've had 'Riff Raff' as the only cover in our set for a while now because it has never stopped being insanely fun to play live and we can't think of anything worthy to replace it with. Best AC/DC riff in my opinion. Moss' (the other guitarist in the band) dad lived next to Bon in Adelaide back in the day. Ben and I also had a music teacher throughout high school who used to be in AC/DC, Ron Carpenter. We played alongside Mark Evans a few years back too.

Been running 'High Voltage' a fair bit lately so I'd probably go with that as being my favourite AC/DC track right now. If Phil wants to jump on the kit while we're in town he'd be more than welcome by us.

4. Is your punk Prime Minister a C.O.F.F.I.N fan? If not, why not?

To be honest I've got no idea if he's heard our stuff or not haha. He was at the last Radio Birdman show we went to see though, should've asked him.

5. Have you met Mr Inbetween Ray Shoesmith, or a real Ray Shoesmith? And if so what was he like?

Never met Mr Inbetween but have come across some similar characters in our travels. Usually late in a random pub. One thing they generally share in common is giving off the energy that it's best not to pry too much.

6. When you're touring outside Australia what's the most ridiculous question / query you get asked about Australia, or being Australian?

You always come across the standard spiders, snakes and sharks stuff, especially in the States. "Do you know Crocodile Dundee?" No, but I did go to school with his granddaughter. This one wasn't a question but we did once convince someone over there that when we were little we used to ride to school inside the pouches of kangaroos.

As much as we love having a great time in our travels and are very fortunate enough to do so, we do also encounter people around the world who aren't aware of the true history of Australia and encourage them to educate themselves. Sovereignty was never ceded by the First Nations people.

Thanks!!!

Ps. Why have I only just found out about quokkas — the happiest animals on earth? Have you met one?

When we were on tour with Amyl and The Sniffers in 2022 we had a day off in Perth and Ben and I got the ferry over to Rottnest Island with Amy and Amyl's FOH engineer Bonnie and spent the day over there hanging out with quokkas. They are ridiculously friendly.