Ed Knowles and Sven Pettersen of ex-The Checks fame want to return a bit of grit to the local music scene and say audiences are in for a thrilling live show from their band Racing when they kick off a national tour this month.
“You used to go out and see a band regardless of the evening’s destruction on the following day. These days, people are so immersed in technology that we’ve lost a strong sense of being out and social,” says Sven.
“Auckland bars used to be packed with people and up to 12 bands could play in a single night,” says Ed. “Seeing the level of mayhem that would go down with bands like The Datsuns and The Mint Chicks made such a huge impression growing up. Most young people today aren’t used to seeing a good live band like that, which actually works in our favour now.”
The long-time friends and collaborators have been sneaking out to rock’n’roll gigs together since they met at Takapuna Grammar, where they formed four-piece rock band The Checks.
This was a high-school success story, with the band reaching the finals of Smokefree Rockquest, recording three albums, winning two Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards, and touring with the likes of Oasis, REM, The Hives, AC/DC, The Killers and Muse.
The band split in 2012 after 10 years together, with Ed spending time overseas discovering new dance sounds in Berlin nightclubs and Sven staying in Auckland to study a degree in classical music.
There was no cut-off point musically between the pair, who kept writing and sending demos to each other. Their talents Ed on lead vocals and Sven on lead guitar officially resurfaced to form Racing in 2015, along with Izaak Houston of Space Creeps and Daniel Barrett from Sherpa.
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Advertise with NZME.The band’s first self-titled EP was different from anything they’d done in The Checks, says Ed. “It was full of powerful music we had been starved of in Checks. We really wanted to smash it.”
Filled with rock anthems drenched in hypnotic dance music, Racing garnered the attention of the local indie scene and they became regular fixtures at The King’s Arms and Whammy Bar before filling stages at Rhythm and Vines, Auckland City Limits and Splore.
“With our early Checks fans, it was a bit like when the kids have to meet the new wife and they’re not that welcoming at first,” says Ed. “We’ve eventually brought them around and built an eclectic following on top of that. We have everyone from farmers to hipsters at our gigs.”
Following another synth-heavy EP, The Bass in 2017, Racing’s first full-length album Real Dancing was released last Friday and will tour the provinces, starting in Wellington.
Ed is known for oozing charisma as an entertainer onstage Jim Morrison and Mick Jagger are frontmen he admires and says most of Racing’s songs are created with a live venue in mind. “At a festival in one of those massive indoor tents, where it’s really sweaty, loud and dark . . . That’s how I see it every time.”
OUR FAVOURITE THINGS
1 Hat
Sven: I thought it was a cowboy hat with red tassels when I got this, and I was later informed it was an ANZAC trench diggers hat from WWII. Whilst I can't claim I lead it through a war, I have had it on my head for numerous margaritas, expeditions and gigs. Either which way it has had at least two interesting lives one of combat and the other venues, pubs and late-night driving. It bears mention as it approaches the fritz.
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2 Mini Amp
Sven: I was given this amp on my 21st birthday when The Checks were on tour with Jet at Sydney's Enmore Theatre. There was this surly Glasgow tour manager called Alex who was always ready to give someone a good screaming. The joy I felt when I discovered you can clip the amp to your belt was beyond description. I plugged in my guitar and waltzed into Alex's office shredding Slash style into his face.
3 Shared Guitars
Sven: I saved to buy this Gibson Les Paul guitar in LA when I was 14 and has been with me ever since. Its been all over the world and taken many tumbles. There is a nostalgia about it but it's the same nostalgia you might feel about your legs. You may look down and think I can't believe those have walked and ran me all over the world, but it is short lived when you realise you need them to continue to do that. Whilst it is a material item at this point feels like another limb.
Ed: I fell for this guitar at first sight when the host at a friend’s party said he was selling it. I paid him then and there. I walked off into the night carrying it, without a case, into a gig on K Rd by The Beths, receiving a few strange looks. I believe it was made by a company called Kaye sometime in the 1950s.
4 Eion Steven's Painting
Ed: This painting has been hanging in the background of my life since I was a child. It belonged to my parents and has ended up living at my house. When people come over, they often notice it and pause for a second. I think that's quite an artistic achievement in this day and age.
5 Green Cocktail Glasses
Ed: These glasses belonged to my Grandmother and they remind me of her bustling dinner parties I witnessed as a little boy. I'm afraid their new home with me is not quite as glamorous as what they were once accustomed to. Cold red wine and coke are perhaps a new experience for them.
