May 17/18
Okay if you havn't been keeping up with this thread, now's the time to start.
This is gonna be a long one.
Shihad are arguably the best band to ever come out of New Zealand. Shihad consists of Jon Toogood, Tom Larkin, Phil Knight and Karl Kippenberger.
I'll start from the beginning. Shihad was 'officially' formed in 1988 by Jon and Tom. Tom, who is the drummer, was interested in starting a band and Jon happened to look like a good frontman, which was a considerable amount of forsight by Larkin, as Toogood didn't even know how to play a guitar at that stage. They were joined by Phil Knight on lead Guitar and initially Hamish Laing on Bass. They were playing in venues all around Wellington, in bars and clubs. When the Cops came in for inspections the sixteen-year-old rockers had to be hidden behind the bar.
The band really started to hit their stride in 1990, they released their first EP, "Devolve" which sold remakably well, considering how New Zealand music wasn't appreciated as much as it is now, and the fact that there was no radio plays, no video, and no press coverage - all word of mouth from some kick-arse shows.
Laing left the band in 1991 to be replaced by Karl Kippenberger, who's first gig with the band happened to be alongside legends AC/DC.
In 1993 Shihad had emerged to have their own distinctive sound, and released their first full-length album "Churn". At this stage Shihad's genre could be said to be 'Thrash Metal' or 'Industrial', and 'Churn' was an incredibly experimental album which was clearly on the cutting edge of modern rock. The follow up album "Killjoy" in 1994 scored them a tour of Europe where they managed to gather a large fanbase there.
Shihad spent the next few years touring extensivly and playing alongside some awesome international acts, including Rage Against the Machine, the Offspring and Soundgarden. They released their next album in 1998, (if memory serves, it may have been late 1997,) which wasn't at all their usual style and got them a whole different fanbase. Toogood dubbed it 'Cheeseball Rock' and vowed never to do it again, although the album, (self-titled,) did have a bunch of awesome songs on it, and included 'kiwi classic' "Home Again".
The next album, "The General Electric", (oddly named after the two reaccuring chords in the title track, G and E,) was a masterpiece and in my opinion their best to date, (although narrowly.) It started getting people talking, and a reaccuring line was 'If Shihad were American, they'd be huge." I tend to agree.
Shihad finally got to try their luck in America - the 'Holy Grail' for musicians. Unfortunatly, soon after they got there, the September 11 attacks occurred. This got sirens ringing for everyone at the Shihad camp. Before 9/11 few people even knew what a Jihad was, but apparently Shihad was just too damn similar. They were forced to change their name to 'Pacifier', a hit single of the last album. They made two CDs in America, the first being dubbed not market-worthy enough and scrapped, (I will never ever forgive whoever gave that order.)
Shihad got to work again and produced their second self-titled album. In New Zealand it was dubbed 'too generaic' and 'not
our Shihad. A lot of the songs wern't even written by the band. Toogood admitted that they didn't know what they were doing in such a commercial environment and just agreed with everything they were told.
In late 2004 however, a message was left on the bands website before they again left for Vancouver to record their next album. The news was that they were continuing how they had began - under the name Shihad. To quote the band:
"The events surrounding the name change and our choice to be known as Pacifier are well documented. As much as we believed in what we were doing, and the reasons for doing it at the time - the truth is we were wrong."
The release for the next album at the beginning of last New Zealand Music month, "Love is the new Hate," was unprecedented. May first. Aotea Square Auckland. Free Shihad gig.
It was a historic moment. I suppose you really have to be a Kiwi and know what this band is about, but it was intense. Wish I could have been there, but instead I watched it on C4 music TV.
Shihad's live act is legendary, especially living in their home town as I do, they always seem to step it up for the home crowd, and some Shihad gigs become things of legend. My sister's boyfriend remembers one time during a particularly energetic song, Toogood violently knocked over and broke the mic stand. Never halting he proceeded to writhe on the ground still singing into the Mic.
For the release of the Live album, (between "Pacifier" and "Love is the new Hate",) the live version of Home Again was put to footage of the band in action. It included Toogood climbing sideways over the historical plasterwork of the St James in Wellington hi-fiving the fans in the balcony before loosing grip and being surfed back to the stage. They havn't been allowed back there to perform since.
At the 2005 Big Day Out music festival Toogood proceeded to actually walk on the upraised hands of the seething fans to deliver "Run". in short, the guy's an amazing performer. Sure the stage banter may only be limited to "FOCK YEAH!" and "I WANNA SEE UVRYUONE FOCKIN' JUMPING!" but we like it anyway.
This is just an awesome picture.^
So before I write too much, (too late,) here are the songs I've chosen. It is impossible to pick one song that sums up the band, so I've taken one song from each album, except 'The General Electric' where I've taken three songs.
If you don't want to listen to all of them, (although I reckon you should,) I suggest. My Mind's Sedate, Pacifier, Run and Alive.
1)
"Stations" - Churn 1993: Not my first pick off this album, but copy protection limited me. Dosn't quite communicate the industrial metal of this stage as well as my first choice, but is still an excellent song.
2)
"You Again" - Killjoy 1994: Had to include this one. This is one of the most reckognisable riffs in rock, and blows you away when played live. Grunge Metal.
3)
"Home Again" - Shihad 1997, (or '98): Kiwi classic apparently. Not the best recording, which is the result of a bag of Amsterdam's finest, which also accounts for the weird rabbit noises heard in the background of the later tracks. I wanted to include the live version 'cause it's 100 times better, but the live CD has copy protection. Come's from the 'Cheeseball Rock' period.
4)
"My Mind's Sedate" - The General Electric 2000: As some of you may have noticed this is, (was,) my forum title. Had to include it. Incredibly energetic and kick-arse live. Almost died in the mosh pit.
5)
"The General Electric" - The General Electric 2000: I'm sure the band had fun experimenting with this one. Another distinctive Shihad riff, and sums up a lot of what the Shihad sound is.
6)
"Pacifier" - The General Electric 2000: Had to include a Shihad ballad. Well put together, excellent sounding - in a word, epic. Prooves Jon Toogood is a fucken amazing singer.
7)
"Run" - Pacifier 2002: From the Pacifier era. One of the decent Shihad-ian tracks of the CD. Very generic but very good. Also another one that prooves how amazing Toogood's vocals are.
8)
"Alive" - Love is the new Hate 2005: This one is the big fuck you to commercial rock. Completely new stuff, and completely different from the commercially viable rock of 'Pacifer'. They got their old name back and their old style. Sums up what Shihad is quite well, (to someone who has known the band for a while anyway,) with the hard fast verses to the chorus which just smacks you in the chest. Prooves how good Larkin's druming is, and is fucken amazing live.
I could add more, but I won't.
Play Loud!
Next time - May 19/20:
Steriogram.
