NARCS we know

Rip It Up, Issue 60, 1 July 1982, Page 2

NARCS we know

Ann Louise Martin

The Narcs have been around for about two years, becoming nationally known on the D.D. Smash Cool Bananas tour. Supporting Smash enabled the band to play at venues and in places they'd never been before.

How did it go? "D.D. Smash consistently tried to put their best across, and we did too. One nighters for six weeks may not be a lot by international standards but for New Zealand it was probably one of the most extensive tours ever done. It was very hard physically, but it really disciplined the band's attitude," says drummer Steve Clarkson. After the tour the Narcs played five gigs, then took a short break in Australia. They didn't actually play, choosing instead to see a variety of Oz acts. Agents 'over there' are aware of the Narcs, and feedback has been healthy. With a south-Sydney-sider on guitar, one who grew up with the Angels and Chisel, the band can't help but reflect that Australian edge and showmanship. A lot of the hard, fast tunes in the Narcs repertoire were written when former drummer Bob Ogilvie was with the band, and aimed directly at making people dance. Since Steve joined the band last year, material has become

more diverse. Writing songs is tough. "To have a song you've got to be confident enough with the riff or chord you're using to put some lyrics over the top and you've got to have lyrics in mind," Andy explains. Have the Narcs got something to say? "Just everyday things," Andy continues. "We're not into politics yet. Life's not that much of a hassle that we'd want to be so blatant about it. We like things that interest us. "I think we've learnt to keep things simple, and although my guitar style is very Australian, it's never reached the stage of total, fast heavy metal licks. I've started to learn more, I learnt from Dave Dobbyn on the tour, from the simplicity of their songs, and the feel." Recording a single is very close. But they'll think very carefully about what they record before taking the plunge. They've learnt from their last EP, and have resisted pressure so far to get something down. When they do they want it to be a hit, and are convinced there is just no point unless airplay is assured. On the Narcs' future, manager Peter comments: "We're not worried. We're going to be around somewhere in two years. We're all good friends." Andy has the final say: "The longer you stay together the better you'll be. A lot of bands appear out of the blue and disappear back into it. I'm all for staying together as long as we can, your development takes its own course then. I remember when Cold Chisel had been around for four years and were still playing Led Zeppelin covers. It was five or six years before they gained recognition.