SHEERLUX

Rip It Up, Issue 21, 1 April 1979, Page 9

SHEERLUX

John Malloy

Sheerlux have their roots in the early 78 p**k scene in Auckland when bassist Roland Killeen and drummer Graham Schnell played in a band called the Stimulators, holding the residency at Zwines after the Scavengers left. They became Sheerlux when they teamed up with singer Marlon Hart and guitarist Jim Juricevic, taking their name from a brand of satin sheets advertised in an early 60’s cheesecake magazine. Their early repetoire included covers of the Sex Pistols, Ultravox, Flaming Groovies, and Iggy Pop. Late in 1978, Marlon Hart left for greener pastures overseas, leaving the band at a hiatus. The gap was filled in early 79 by singer Paul Robinson, and guitarist Steve Roach, both recently retired from Berlin (now defunct). Prior, to that, Paul had been around in Biggies, a pub band with heavy leanings toward British music. The band had been together only four weeks when they played at Nambassa, turning in a high energy set that won them a mention in Rip It Up, if nothing else. Subsequently they have become the band with the fastest growing following in Auckland, playing most anywheres from the Windsor to the Island to Zwines and back again. They cut out 39 other bands to win a grand in the ANZ-Radio Hauraki Youth Expo 79 gig, a trick which also got them recording time at Mandrill in April, to record a demo for Polygram Records. The band have been writing, and while Jim and Steve come up with most of the hooks and chords, Paul does most of the lyrics, and the whole band gets a say in how it sounds. They plan to get down three tracks, "Fat Boy", “If This Is Tragedy", and “I’m Concerned".

A further result of their dedication is a Radio With Pictures spot in April, and a South Island tour of the major centres set for mid-May through to early July. Before they leave they play the charity concert at His Majesties for Year of the Child, along with a few other notables such as Citizen Band, Hello Sailor, and Golden Harvest. While some of their current influences include Talking Heads and XTC, they are concentrating on their own material in an attempt to break out of the copy-band bracket. They believe in thier music and their performance. Steve Roach says, "We’re trying to stimulate, rather than just play music.” You can make a living at popular music in this country. Sheerlux have been pushing harder than most and it will be interesting to see how far they can take it. Already Bob Yates, manager of Mi-Sex, and John Hopkins (Split Enz) have shown interest in the. But then, as Paul Robinson says, "There’s room for politeness in rock'n’roll." Uh huh.