Blindspott phlex their talent

Back from the heady life of rock idols in Indonesia, Blindspott tell REBECCA BARRY they plan to do a New Zealand summer tour - then it's Australia and the States


Sit in an Auckland bar with West Auckland rock band Blindspott and you won't get much more than discreet glances, perhaps a couple of friendly hellos. Do the same in certain parts of Southeast Asia and you might as well hit the fire alarm.

The band have enjoyed quite a year getting to know their international fans, but plan to spend the next few months back home.

"We don't want people to think we're neglecting our country," says drummer Shelton Woolright. "Especially because it's summer. It'll be so cool to go round all the beaches."

The band are about to embark on a coastal tour from Auckland to Christchurch, but have become used to scenery of a different kind this year.

After they became one of the most requested acts on MTV in Indonesia, the music channel invited them over, confident they would pull a crowd. They were right. Blindspott's first international gig drew 45,000, almost twice as many as expected.

There was terrorism to think about, however, and the band nearly went home after the bombing at nearby Marriott Hotel.

"I remember seeing a lot of guns," says Woolright. "It was so full-on over there. We didn't really understand how big it was. We had personal bodyguards. If we were in a bar I'd have one guy standing there, another one over there watching. If I got up to go to the toilet they'd follow me. We didn't understand it. We were like, [expletive] this.

"That's annoying when you can't even go anywhere and have a beer. So we'd just hang out in our hotel room, drinking a box of Bintang."

Woolright snuck out of his hotel room one night and was met by a throng of fans camping out in the lobby. He managed to escape but got a stern telling-off from security.

"They were like, 'You can't do that!' They're really easily excited. We didn't learn until later that if a fan got hold of you they were quite freaky, man. They were like, 'Raaagghhh!' and grabbing at you. I guess for them we were like a massive American band. They didn't have any bands there since about 1994 because Metallica toured and there were riots, so they didn't want any more rock bands through."

Things only got crazier. A trip to a shopping mall was cut short when an announcement came over the loudspeakers the band were in the building. Another time they were on their tour bus when a woman scrambled inside, hurled herself at the turntablist Karl Vilisini and clung on so tight she drew blood from his arms.

"She was screaming and crying. We were freaked out cos this chick was just going nuts," says Woolright.

As well as the two trips to Indonesia, they also made promotional stops in Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore, doing daily press conferences - "Just like you see on TV," he enthuses.

But despite their monumental fame, Blindspott say they can can't live off their music career alone - most of the guys work part-time, Woolright as a freelance photographer. He estimates 500,000 to 600,000 sales of their album in Indonesia were pirated copies, with no more than about 20,000 legitimate sales. Still, now they have a story, says Woolright. That should help break them into Australia and eventually the States. For now the band are using merchandise to tide them over, selling Blindspott T-shirts, wallets, belts and caps.

Back home they've done well, too, getting nominated for an Apra songwriting award for their mellowest single, Phlex, also their gold single.

"Being a heavy metal band people don't really recognise that style, they think it's just 'Rarara!' even though Phlex is not like that," says Woolright. "You go to the awards and there's all these musicians who have been around for years in all these different genres of music and you go, 'Wow, this is cool - all these people are famous'.

"It's quite freaky cos you're like, 'Shit, they know who we are as well'."

Blindspott

Tour dates: London Shed, Pakuranga Thurs Dec 18; Poenamo, Fri Dec 19; Control Room, Sat Dec 20; Duke of Marlborough, Russell, Sat Dec 27; Mangawhai Tavern, Sun Dec 28; Coroglen Tavern, Coroglen, Mon Dec 29; Brewers Bar, Mt Maunganui, Tue Dec 30; Reef Hotel, New Plymouth, Fri Jan 2; Taupo Events Centre, Taupo, Sat Jan 3; Shed 2, Napier, Sun Jan 4.