During the first weekend of July, Auckland punk band CCTV released their debut album before playing their final show. Whether intentional or not, ‘Empire’ stood as the sole, full length release from one of the most exciting, community driven bands Tāmaki Makaurau has seen this side of the decade.
Where tracks like ‘End of History’ and ‘You Will Find What You’re Looking For’ showcased new levels of tenderness and vulnerability not yet seen from a typically rowdy quintet, that emotional depth rang true without sacrificing a shroud of chaos in the six-minute opener ‘Noose from Heaven’ and the rousing penultimate ‘Moment of Impact’. The dissolution of the band, caused not by animosity but rather a creative explosion from several band members taking on their own projects, unfortunately means that the lack of an album release tour will see the record fall under the radar.
If you’ve been sitting around, waiting for more good Auckland punk to come to you, take this as a sign and give ‘Empire’ a listen. You can still get your live fix from their vocalists new bands Boxer Priest and Gnaw (the latter of which consists of Slow Rage members and debuts on the 16th of September at Public Bar with Scream By Tulips and Stamp Fair).
If you want an idea of what you’re in for, take a look at our live session with CCTV from last September. This premiered as part of the DIY concert film ‘Live at the Void’ on the 27th of April, with a crowd at the Capitol Cinema and various people bugging me about when I’d upload it since.
In tribute to CCTV’s conclusion, we thought we’d share their set with you all first. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel (christ) to keep posted when we upload the sets from Neither Do I, Park Flyers, and 花溪 Flowerstream.
We’ll also post it like this via newsletter. If this ended up in your spam, let me know.