Between the four bandmates, they share an impressive history in classic bands of the ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s such as Bored Games, The Rip, The Weeds, Death By Silo, Tin Soldiers, and more recently The Broken Heartbreakers.
If you really wanted to you could probably call them a supergroup.
"It was basically something I’d wanted to do," explains Jeff Harford, the man responsible for bringing the group together. He’s also the drummer.
"John [John Guy Howell] said he wanted to have a life outside of The Broken Heartbreakers, so it gives him an opportunity to be purely a guitarist, which he’s enjoying, and then it was just a case of putting the word out and recruiting.
"I put up a Neu! track on Facebook and was like ‘Does anyone like this stuff? I want to form a band around this kind of sound’."
The post appealed to Karen McClean, who joined as the bassist and Alex Gilks was added soon after to augment the instrumental jams with synths and samples. They considered adding a vocalist, but decided if the need for vocal elements arose, any one of them could contribute.
Now, I’m no expert in German but I think I know what "Die Musikband" means. According to Jeff, it’s a "nodding wink to the krautrock essence", but also makes clear the subject: Musik, not musicians. There are no egos in Die Musikband and nobody in charge of songwriting either.
For Jeff, it’s a different way of working. He recalls playing in bands where there was a leader with a goal, intent on guiding the band towards it.
"That’s never been me. I’ve enjoyed being part of some great bands, but I have a life outside of that as well. So to enjoy music and to stay in music for the length of time I have now, its gotta be on a level where it’s predominantly enjoyment first.
"When you don’t have a particular agenda to record, release, become something, it’s incredibly freeing. It actually lets you enjoy the experience.
"What happens now is I come up with a couple of riffs or rhythms, other members do the same, and we work it up in traditional jam fashion. We’re kind of taking it from the point of view that the music is being created in the practice room."
Because of this improvisational approach, the band is prepared for the music to change over time.
"It has never been a case of thinking much beyond trying to get like-minded people in the room to see what could happen with not a great deal of expectation."
Tonight, they’ll be joined by spume-rockers Seafog and avant-folk harbinger A. J. Sharma.
"I’m really pleased with how it’s going, and I think people who like to nurse a pint and kind of lock into a shuffling groove, which is kind of a Dunedin thing, will really enjoy it."
- For more from Fraser Thompson go to dunedinsound.com.
The gig
• Seafog/Die Musikband/AJ Sharma, The Crown, 8.30pm tonight.
