LONG-RUNNING HARD-ONS OFFSHOOT, OUT TODAY
THE ORIGINAL LINE-UP – RAY & BLACKIE FROM THE HARD-ONS, PETER ALLEN FROM MASSAPPEAL AND SINGER JAMES MCCANN OF JJ MCCANN TRANSMISSION – SET TO LAUNCH NUNCHUKKA SUPERFLY 95 WITH SHOWS IN JULY & AUGUST
Formed in by Ray Ahn and Peter Black after the initial Hard-Ons split in ’93 with Massappeal drummer Peter Allen, the new group eventually found the frontman they were looking for in former Harpoon frontman and future Drones co-founder (and now JJ McCann Transmission mainman) James McCann. The group recorded an album in 1995, but cracks were showing and after one last show at the Big Day Out in 1996, the line-up called it quits, with Ray and Blackie going on to form another line-up. The album remained unreleased. With James recently unearthing a copy of the master, and all involved giving it a good listen for the first time in decades and giving it the thumbs up, that album now finally sees the light of day as Nunchukka Superfly 95.
To mark the album’s release, the original ’95 line up – Ray, Blackie, Peter and James – will reform for a number of album launches in July and August.
NUNCHUKKA SUPERFLY (1995 LINE-UP) LAUNCH
NUNCHUKKA SUPERFLY 95
Fri July 19 @ Marrickville Bowlo, Sydney w/ LOJETZ + STRIKE-OUTS
Sat July 27 @ Bearded Lady, Brisbane w/ FAT + GLYCEREENS
Fri Aug 2 @ The Tote, Melbourne w/ DEAD + RIVER OF SNAKES
Sat Aug 3 @ ONI, Castlemaine w/ DEAD
Take yourself back, 30 years ago, give or take a year or so.
It was 1993, The Hard-Ons had called it a day after touring Europe and America for almost half the year, it just wasn’t working anymore.
Prog-hardcore outfit Massappeal also folded around 1994.
Peter Allen, Peter Black and Ray Ahn found themselves starting a new band – Nunchukka Superfly. They tried out singers for almost a year before Harpoon’s James (aka JJ) McCann came along; luckily this time it clicked.
They hit the ground running with high profile supports and festivals due to the reputations of their previous bands. This beast was something different though and some punters pushed back as it wasn’t what they were expecting. This spurned the band on to give 110% and push their musicality to a new level.
They were a powerhouse who often blew other bands off stage.
In 1995, the cracks began showing as the band started to “not get on so well”.
The album Nunchukka Superfly 95 was recorded in one day; considering the hostility, the recording went exceptionally well. The band described the day and the music as “you can hear that tension”, “volatile”, “intense”, a moment in time, captured on a master and if you tried to create it again, you couldn’t.
This line up of the band played one last show at the Big Day Out in 1996, Blackie describes the show as “we hadn’t even spoken, let alone rehearsed for fuck knows how long and I wasn’t even sure the other guys were gonna show up ha! But… 10 mins before we were meant to go on stage there we were. We kinda grunted at each other and took the stage. FUCKEN HELL it was something!!! I’ll never forget that gig!”
Nunchukka Superfly continued with Ray and Blackie, the album was shelved and that was it. Until a couple of years ago when James found a copy of the master CD.
The years had passed, and peace had been made between the four musicians, listening back to the recordings they knew this album had to see the light of day. So, for its first ever release, Cheersquad Records & Tapes present to you Nunchukka Superfly 95 – as James describes it, “raw and straight from the gates of hell”.
Nunchukka Superfly 95 is out now on vinyl and digital formats through Cheersquad Records & Tapes.
https://cheersquadrecordstapes.bandcamp.com/album/nunchukka-superfly-95
nunchukkasuperfly.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/hardons
hard-ons1.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/p/JJ-McCann-Transmission
https://jamesmccann.bandcamp.com
