New York art-rock absurdist King Missile is on its first tour of New Zealand this week, and next Thursday it makes a stop at Chick's Hotel.
The band, formed in 1986, has essentially been a long-standing vehicle for the off-kilter hilarious monologue poetry of John S. Hall. Now in its fourth incarnation, Hall still leads the project, and retains the knowing and intelligent satire that saw the band score a surprise, and controversial, hit in 1992 with their song Detachable Penis.
''The King Missile name is one that people recognise, more than, say my name,'' Hall says, interviewed while waiting for a flight to Los Angeles from New York.
''The name signals to people that they can expect to hear Detachable or Jesus Was Way Cool or Take Stuff From Work.
So it lessens ambiguity for people, and hopefully draws them in. Adding 'IV' to the name shows that this is a different incarnation, because I wouldn't want people to expect to see old bandmates [such as Dogbowl, Dave Rick, Bradford Reed or Sasha Forte] and be disappointed.
''I enjoy performing old stuff that people like. I'm glad that I have new stuff too, because I know that not everyone wants to hear old stuff. In the past couple of months, I saw three of my favorite performers: Patti Smith, Jonathan Richman and Robin Hitchcock. They have all used the same name for longer than I have, and they all played old and new stuff, and they didn't seem limited. And I don't either. They were all fantastic, by the way.''
The current line-up of King Missile includes the band LoveyDove, performers Dan West and noted avant-singer/songwriter Azalia Snail, who will also perform at the show, alongside a West solo set, and Dunedin's own A.J. Sharma.
''I've wanted to tour New Zealand ever since I first learned that Detachable was popular there,'' Hall says.
''I like to go where I'm wanted. I'm not sure I'm wanted anymore, but when Azalia Snail and Dan West told me there was a label [Powertool] that wanted to bring us over, I figured it was worth finding out. It's not every day that you get invited to the other side of the world. In fact, this is the first time for me. So, here I come!''
TASTE MERCHANTS 2015 LAUNCH
Having already hosted Australians The Little Stevies, and a super-packed show from Hollie Fullbrook (Tiny Ruins) and Hamish Kilgour (The Clean) in January, Taste Merchants tonight hosts the launch of its 2015 calendar.
It's set to be a big one according to the venue, so they're having a party.
Radio One's resident DJ Potassium Vision aka Tommy Tremewan, playing records sourced from near and far, will provide the soundtrack.
