Head Like A Hole swagger towards New Year's Eve

Head Like A Hole. Photo / Supplied

"Our lyrics are questionable," says Head Like A Hole's Booga Beazley.

The frontman may or may not believe this statement, but regardless, it wasn't him that said it. I'd enquired as to whether NZ On Air had given any feedback when they declined video grant funding for the band - twice.

This was off the back of the much anticipated NZ On Air music funding programme review that was released yesterday (download the full 158 page report here), Beazley saw it on last night's news. Naturally, it came up in conversation.

The "questionable" line could have all been a misunderstanding. It turns out Nigel Regan (guitarist) sent NZ On Air two songs by accident, and they may have listened to the wrong one.

"[In the song] I say 'you like bottles in a bag, and I like girly slice', as in a piece of cake," Beazley explains.

"But everyone in the band thought I said 'girly slut', so I think they may have heard that."

Even if that were true, by Head Like A Hole standards that would be tame. The band (who formed in the early nineties, broke-up in 2000, reforming two years ago) had a reputation for raucous, sweaty and debauched (sometimes naked) shows.

As a teenager, I recall actually being a little scared of bumping into them off-stage.

Funding rejections, however, haven't made them sulk off with their tails (or anything else for that matter) between their legs.

They're hoping to finish off a new album, for release around April.

"We've been saving up money, and we found an interested party that wanted to help us with a little bit of money, so at the end of the day we're going to own that sucker."

Come New Year's Eve, you may get to hear some of the new offerings. They're playing Auckland's Kings Arms Tavern with a heavy line-up including Lugar Boa, and sonic terrorists Cairo Knife Fight.

Head Like A Hole on New Year's Eve? There must be some stories.

"Oh yeah baby, " confirms Beazley.

"Gisborne. Tegel Chicken from the Psycho Daisies was drowning, I took off my clothes and did a Baywatch and saved him.

How's that debauched?

"I was tripping and had drunk a bottle of Canadian Club."

LOWDOWN

Who: Head Like A Hole, joined by Luger Boa, Cairo Knife Fight, The Dirty Sweets, Double Barrelled and Gundry Blues

Where: Kings Arms Tavern, Auckland

When: New Years's Eve form 3pm till late

Tickets: From the Kings Arms, Real Groovy Records, or eventfinder.co.nz

Anything else?: Yes, listen to Swagger of Thieves here.