VICTOR DIMISICH BAND - s/t LP

Out of print. SEALED.

Vinyl retrospective of perhaps the most elusive of all Christchurch ensembles.

The Victor Dimisich Band’s recordings (an original Flying Nun Records EP and the extremely lo-fi live document ‘Mekong Delta Blues‘ – a cassette only Xpressway release) are highly collectable and very hard to find. They show Cogle and Stapleton developing their dark and morbid style, which would resurface in Scorched Earth Policy and The Terminals. This is probably the birth of what would later be dubbed Christchurch’s ‘Southern Gothic‘ sound.

"I saw this band a few times back in pre 1981 times and the recollections are of being awestruck in a misty Old Testament way. The band didn’t so much rock as roll on primal rhythms and connect with the deeper notes. Singer and guitarist Steve Cogle had the presence of a prophet and a voice that predated religion. A man solidly built and fiercely bearded with a voice that demanded respect. A deep resonating baritone like no other I have ever heard. You took notice.

The Victor Dimisich Band were over by the time I had got started with Flying Nun but they thought they had something that was worth documenting so got back together in 1982 and recorded this EP. Five songs often inspired by the darker side of 1960’s music. Mostly 60’s garage bands from the dull awkward American mid-west that had one great song that few ever got to hear in anglophile New Zealand. These garage bands were usually distinguished by presence of a strong and unique vocalist who could really belt out that one regional hit they had in them. Peter Stapleton loved and collected this stuff." - Roger Shephard