Approximate time period
- 1984
Originally performed as Art and Duty, a name borrowed from
Wellington
band Beat Rhythm Fashion's song of the same name.
The band comprised of Drums/Bass - Andrew Naylor,
Drums/Bass - Rob Kitson (Clients) Guitarist - Rob Mayes
(Dolphin,
Throw, Springloader) Vocals and Guitar - Rick Tindall
(Johnnies) Drums - David Scales (Clients).
This band played live only once, at The Gladstone, where
their
Accident
Compilation track was recorded - a Battle Of The
Bands
contest which included performances by The Expendables
and Not Really
Anything amongst others.
A sort of transitional project for Rob Mayes, the band
featured 14
songs with music written by Rob and lyrics improvised by
Rick.
The band followed on from a previous line-up featuring
Mayes, Naylor
and Kitson dubiously called the Perk-U-Laters, a punk pop
outfit put
together by Fred Bertram, Christchurch's self styled Malcolm
McLaren
figure. Fred managed a number of bands including Desperate
Measures
and The Clients and fostered Mayes' songwriting talents
by
manufacturing a band including the sneering vocals of Robert
Blackmore, Mayes on guitar, Naylor on bass and Kitson on
drums (also
bassist with the Clients).
The Perk-U-Laters played 3 shows, the first at the illustrious
Star
and Garter where the predominantly punk audience enjoyed
5 raucous
numbers including Psycho Fred, a thrashing torrent of
cheek directed
at manager Bertram, who was mixing the band at the time.
Yelling for
more the audience were informed 'they don't know anymore'.
One University gig and one Hillsborough Tavern gig later
and the band
disbanded, dropping singer Blackmore and eventually enlisting
Tindall
on vocals for the pretentiously named Art and Duty.
AD featured a new batch of Mayes compositions and included
a twin
drummer line-up, mainly due to the band rehearsing at The
Clients'
Armagh street practice room, a house owned by Naylor and
then
girlfriend Kirsty Lay ("Face Of The Eighties" winner).
This house was
a notorious punk party venue and had the good fortune to
have a good
selection of band gear to thrash away on, including 2 drum
kits.
AD performed their songs once before Mayes decided to write
a whole
new batch of songs with other musicians, moving on to work
with Steve Birss, and eventually into Dolphin.
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