Unleashing the Indicator Dogs

It's a scenario all bands would dread: you've signed a record deal, you're in the studio working on your debut album, but one of the band members isn't working out.

Changing a musician would be a difficult but not insurmountable obstacle. However, Auckland band Indicator Dogs were faced with replacing their lead singer Tom Henry part way through recording their album Anschluss.

"Our singer started having some commitment issues, to the point where it was really starting to affect us," bass player Val Hunting says.

"At that stage we had the deal, and we made a call that it was the time to do it. We'd had repeated chats with him about his commitment and how it wasn't up to scratch and nothing changed. We figure we either do it now and delay the release, or we do it later when it's really hard."

Replacing Henry was a big risk, guitarist Dan Young adds.

Indicator Dogs had to weigh up whether they could afford to rework everything they had done to that date, or whether they could afford not to take a drastic step in the future interests of the band.

"We had to be really ready to trust ourselves and be willing to lose a little time to get it right. We had to think about what was best in terms of taking the band forward," Young explains.

That, they decided, was to ask Henry to leave. While he is no longer an Indicator Dog, Hunting and Young say they did not want to downplay Henry's contribution to the band. Hence, his vocals remain on seven of Anschluss' 12 tracks .

The three remaining Indicator Dogs - Hunting, Young and drummer Aaron Reilly - then auditioned several singers, unaware Anschluss producer Malcolm Wellsford had the answer to their problems sitting on his desk.

A singer had independently sent him a tape of his own material for consideration, and after hearing it, Wellsford put new vocalist Wolf and the Dogs together.

"There were people with good voices that weren't that creative and people with good voices who didn't have the right look, and then Wolf had the voice, the attitude, the look and the creativity," Young says.

"We got Wolf on five tracks of the 12 to set up the second album so there was a flow between the two - it's not one with one vocalist and one with another. We wanted Wolf to feel part of the material he's got to deliver every night on tour. And, it freshened up some of the old songs, brought his feel to them, and suddenly they were new again."

Young could also add that Wolf has a huge stage presence to match his big voice.

"I'm just basically making the songs sound as good as I can, as they are, and looking forward to the next batch," says Wolf, whose off-stage demeanour is much quieter and much friendlier.

"They're starting to come through now and are sounding awesome. I had no worries about it. I'm happy to be playing those songs because they're great songs."

Influences fly in from all directions, with Head Like A Hole, Killjoy-era Shihad, Fugazi, Refused and American Headcharge being a few names which come up in discussion.

The Indicator Dogs are undeniably heavy, but with a more subtle approach to rhythm and a stronger sense of melody than many harder-edged bands. Their habitual use of unusual time signatures all adds to the atmosphere.

"That's what you get when you cross someone who is more of a mathematical freak, like myself, with someone who is grounded in classical music and melody [Hunting] and put a good drummer and singer on top," Young laughs.

"We were always trying to do something a bit different. We never aspired to fit into a genre - a riff just comes out and we try to make it sound like one of our songs."

Song writing is a priority for Indicator Dogs right now, with the band wanting to have the pre-production on an all Wolf-sung second album finished by the end of the year.

After that - fittingly enough for a band in a hurry to catch up to their original schedule, Indicator Dogs are in a hurry to see the rest of the world.

"We'll be touring Australia if we get a deal to put the album out there," Young says.

"Germany and Europe, we have contacts there and have been over there. Japan is a wildcard which could be good.

"The States is the mecca, the goal, but you can't just walk in there.

"For a band like us I think we'll have to do something like what The Datsuns and D4 did and take the music over there rather than putting our hands up over here and waiting to be found."

Performance

* Who: Indicator Dogs, with The Mint Chicks, Stardrunk and Inertia

* Where: Northcote Club, Auckland

* When: Tomorrow night

* Also: Debut album Anschluss is out now.

- NZPA