Big gigs for little bands

By ELIZABETH BINNING

When cover-band Contagious takes the brightly lit stage at a crowded Whangamata park they feel like rock-stars hitting the bigtime.

It is New Year's Eve, and they are playing to thousands of singing, dancing, moshing revellers in a park next to a beach and a surfclub.

The gig is every small band's dream come true - a good audience, a good venue and they pump out almost everything from Ricky Martin to Tom Jones for an estimated 25,000 people - about 5000 of them directly in front of the stage - going for it right up to the big countdown.

Playing for such a huge crowd is a buzz - the five-member Auckland based-band gigs mostly in bars and for corporate groups.

Lead singer Gray Kirkbride, in tight red pants and a tight muscle top sings dozens of cover songs that everyone knows and enjoys singing along to.

"It was an experience I will never, ever forget," says Kirkbride, whose band colleagues are Brent (B2) Dickenson, Brett Robertson, Greg McDuff Drums and Terrence Guillard.

None of them are original members of the band, formed about seven years ago, and its old image - black jeans and black T-shirts - has given way to a more modern look and a sound that's more pop than rock.

The New Year crowd - the biggest Contagious has ever entertained - allows the five musicians only the briefest break after their first set. They were called back on stage early to pacify the energetic and hyped up crowd.

Kirkbride says the band will never forget this New Year's Eve.

"To have a couple of thousand people moshing in front of the stage, crowd surfing and getting into it, it was cool. We all just felt like rock stars."

Any pre-performance butterflies were more about the technique side of things than the crowd.

"We knew all our stuff so it was just a matter of relaxing and trying not to get too nervous."

Now, Contagious is embarking on a permanent gig, playing two or three times a week, at the Rose and Crown, a bar in Auckland. They are booked to play there New Year's Eve 2003, so Whangamata will have to find another crowd pleaser.

One option could be regional rock band InnerVoice, a group of Thames boys who play a mix of covers and original music.

InnerVoice was a huge hit with the 600-strong New Year's Eve crowd at the Whangamata Hotel, on the outskirts of town.

Lead singer Neil Chell describes the group's music as "high velocity rock'n'roll ... with driving rhythms and powerful guitar riffs."

He says the music is "fuelled by high-energy live performance and catchy lyrics that have a message."

The band's other members are Gareth Scott, guitar and backing vocals, Jeremy Elliott, bass guitar, and Kevin Forsman drums and backing vocals.

Like many small regional bands trying to make it big, the boys juggle music with part-time jobs to supplement their income.

They started out, about three years ago, trying to get a name with original songs.

But InnerVoice quickly discovered the difficulties of trying to build a fan base when you are not known.

They added covers, the likes of Exponents, Buckcherry and Nickleback, to their list and started getting gigs in pubs around the country.

Last year, InnerVoice played alongside Goodshirt, in Thames, to help raise funds for victims of the major floods which destroyed dozens of homes.

New Year's performance was, however, given before one of the biggest audiences the young group has encountered.

"It's definitely one of our highlights. Whangamata Hotel on New Years Eve. We are stoked," says Chell.

"It was pretty electric. There were good vibes and we were sort of feeding off the good energy of the people who wanted to have a good time."

The group would love to play at a big concert like The Big Day Out. They would also like to make it big playing their own music, but know they have to persevere with covers to build their reputation.

"To get our band out there we have to do covers with other bands in pubs until we can get radio play. Doing covers now is a means to an end," Chell says.

InnerVoice knows the difficulties of being a small regional band competing with hundreds of others for funding and recognition.

They have performed on The Good Morning Show, got "Sexy Bitch", a single, on The Rock's soundcheck, and have compiled an eight-track MP, but have not yet found a label which will fund them.

That might change this year, which promises to be a busy one for the up-and-coming rock stars.

They have a recording session in February and aim to get a video clip together for one of the songs they recorded last year.

Until then, the boys will be working the beach circuit, playing at hotels and pubs in holiday venues such as Whitianga, Whangamata and Great Barrier Island.

"It's all good experience," Chell says.



"We love getting out there and playing to people who want to have a good time and listen to some sounds."

"It's a passion. It's hard work breaking into the industry, but you have to have faith. Keep rocking."