KEY POINTS:
Don't talk to Dagz Merridian about the difficult second album - you'll end up with some missing teeth.
It has been six years between albums for Dagz and his three mates from rough and raw Auckland punk band Missing Teeth, but they've been busy.
Well, pretty busy. Plus, things like albums take a little longer when you're recording and funding them yourselves.
The bonus of that, however, is you can make the music as nasty as you like and the result is sophomore effort iLL gOTTEN gAINS.
"It's a weight off. It's been plaguing us for quite a long time," says Dagz.
To celebrate the release of the album, Missing Teeth play the Kings Arms tonight with support from friends the Shithawks, Army of Darkness and a few other bands.
Since the release of their self-titled debut in 2001 they have released the Disaster EP, as well as putting out two seven-inch singles and two compilation albums on their adorably named label, Puppy Killer Records.
However, the band ran into problems with the new album during some ill-fated recording sessions at their West Auckland studio, The Dank.
"When we first started recording it we kind of jumped the gun a bit and did it too soon and we realised we'd totally f***** it," explains Dagz, the band's drummer, backing vocalist and producer.
"The songs were just a little bit too young. We just weren't really happy with it and we thought, 'Well, why don't we just do it again?'."
So they did. And the 18 quick-fire tracks on iLL gOTTEN gAINS are beer-fuelled, loud and raging.
The album is all over in less than 27 minutes. There's the 42-second slap around of Spike the Punch, The Plague is a nose bleed of a song and there's also the band's raucous cover of the Danger Mouse theme.
"The young kids don't even know it and have absolutely no idea and the older ones think it's a punk rock song and then start listening and think, 'That sounds familiar'. Then they ask why we do it," he says.
"I don't know. 'Cos it's a good song."
The band, made up of Dagz, bass player/singer Ol Jonsey, guitarist/singer Kolya, and beautifully abrasive lead singer Lil Mootz, formed after finishing school in 1999.
"Yep, it's just the same four retards as its always been," says Dagz. "I often think about why we're still together because we all have our differences and there's often times you go, 'Why do we do this?' But the fact is there isn't really anyone coming along and doing what we do better so why the f*** not?" he says proudly. "As long as everyone's having fun, that's our motto."
He says the punk rock scene in New Zealand is healthy, with new bands forming all the time, but the big shame is most of them are lucky to ever release anything.
One reason they set up Puppy Killer was to enable them to get theirs and other like-minded underground bands' music onto record and out to the people.
"We push it ourselves from every angle to keep our momentum up whereas other bands rely on funding and shit like that. I just feel like if you're not recording it and putting it out, then it doesn't have any merit," he says.
Although Missing Teeth's live show is also a sight to behold and a noise you should hear, you'll deserve a merit certificate if you come through unscathed. Get into it.
Performance
* Who: Missing Teeth
* Line-up: Dagz Merridian (drums/vocals); Ol Jonsey (bass/vocals); Lil Mootz (vocals); and Kolya (guitar/vocals)
* What: Nasty, but fun, local punk band
* Where & when: Kings Arms, Newton, tonight
* See also: Missing Teeth - Missing Teeth (2001); Poisoners (side project) - The Poisoners (2006); Suicide Dogs - Breakin' Away (2006)
* New album: iLL gOTTEN gAINS, out now
