Southside of Bombay recently popped up in AKLD playing at Waitingi Day celebrations. Here's an interview with them from last century.
By Shaun Chait, NZ Musician, Vol. 8, No. 3 June/July 1999
If only all interviews could be like this. It’s a pleasant enough early May afternoon, I’m sitting in a Wellington cafe with Southside Of Bombay’s Kevin Hodges and manager Teresa McGregor, and the only reason I’m having difficulty getting questions out is because every time Hodges tells a story to punctuate his answer, we all fall about laughing.
Southside’s music has a warmth and welcoming vibe to it that puts the listener at ease, and it’s no real surprise that band co-founder Hodges shares these traits. So here I am, trying to lay off the giggles long enough to enquire about the Southside story.
The seven strong line-up of today is markedly different to that which won a Wellington band competition way back in 1990, less than a year after coming together. Original members Hodges (tenor sax), Joseph Fa’amaoni (guitar, lead vocals), and David Fiu (trumpet, lead vocals) have remained with the band throughout its 10 year career. A fourth original, Ranea Aperahama, has recently rejoined the band. Hodges says at least 20 musos have been part of the group since its inception, and usually Southside runs with an eight-strong ensemble.
The band debuted in 1990 to a full house at Wellington’s Paisley Park. Hodges reckons the music scene was quite different then: “In those days you could play three different places on three consecutive nights in Wellington, and guarantee full houses. It was good for the spirit and good for the pocket – it really urged us on as to where we could go next”.
They toured the North Island extensively and recorded two songs at Word Of Mouth as part of a band competition prize. One of those songs drew immediate attention.
“Shortly after that, Ian Morris heard us play at a varsity orientation gig”, Hodges explains. “He was blown away by the song and approached me and said ‘I wouldn’t mind recording that, but with a few conditions’.”
The reworked version, released on Trevor Reekie’s Pagan Records, was called What’s The Time Mr Wolf, and became their first single in 1991. Southside remained with Pagan until 1997, when they switched to Tangata Records.
Hodges has nothing but praise for Reekie: “He’s taught me a lot. He would fax us and say ‘maybe you should just shut your eyes and jump in with both feet’, and we did that a lot of the time.”
‘Live In Aotearoa’, Southside’s recently released debut double CD, produced by Nigel Stone (who Hodges describes as ‘the type’ of guy that every group craves’) features live versions of the band’s greatest hits and a shorter studio CD. It comes after five successful singles.
“Out of those five singles, in order, Mr Wolf went gold (staying on the charts for an astounding five months), All Across The World won something at the ’94 New Zealand music awards, Kia Mau took out two awards in ’96, Umbadada won as well, and Running … is still running,” boasts Hodges.
Mr Wolf has gone on to become a true New Zealand anthem, and although Hodges is rapt with the reaction, he has an amusing anecdote to tell: “We were blown away by what was happening with us then. A good way to describe it is ‘woooaaaahhhhh’. But the first time I saw it on TV I was pissed off. It was on the programme Marae, and somebody hadn’t locked the speed on properly, so it was slowing down and speeding up (gives graphic demonstration), and this is on national bloody TV! I was fuming. When it finished, our phone just went berserk and I said ‘I’m going outside to chop some wood’.”
Once I’ve stopped laughing, Hodges reveals the scars left by the episode: “It really dented my pride, really kicked me. I thought ‘how could professionals stuff it up so bad?’ That ruined it for me.”
Southside have practised twice a week at the same Kensington St location throughout their career, which given the size of the band, requires a ton of dedication and commitment. Hodges says it’s his passion for the music that has enabled him to stick it out over the past 10 years. When the topic of highlights comes up, he displays the same earthiness: “We were playing in a mall in Porirua in ’95, and kids from toddlers up were all totally getting into us. It really moved me to see that we are making an impression on their lives – that they were in awe of us. That made a huge impact on me. From then on I’ve realised that there are little wee ears coming up after us, and what we do now affects tomorrow.”
He also considers a time in Noumea with the band huddled round watching a giant cockroach a highlight.
“That’s where our music has taken us. We’ve had hard times, that helps bring the band together. If we can’t enjoy ourselves offstage, we aren’t going to onstage.”
To release a double CD, let alone a live one, as a first album is an unusual step. Hodges agrees, but says the live experience is what Southside is all about. The band already have songs ready for their next album which they hope to do next year, but until then there’s this one, a national tour and hopefully a trip to Europe at the end of the year. And the grand scheme?
“World domination,” Hodges states, half mockingly.
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