! placed third in last year’s Smokefree Rockquest.
Their song ‘Apex Predator’, which rallies against misogyny and sexual harassment, was profiled by Rolling Stone
“The Rolling Stone article compared us to a band called Dick Move from Auckland. That band has opened for Foo Fighters in the past,” Hughes says.
“I reckon seeing a young emerging Riot grrl band that was compared to a band that [Foo Fighters front-man] Dave Grohl personally likes, is probably how we got the show.”
Hughes is currently reading the memoir of one of her heroes, Riot grrl pioneer Bikini Kill and Le Tigre singer Kathleen Hanna, which references Grohl during his time in Nirvana.
The title of Nirvana’s biggest hit ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ was inspired by a phrase written by Hanna.
“This has been a big discussion of ours,” Hughes says.
“…. I’m very proud and very excited to see what comes next.”
SEEK HELP!, comprised of four Queen’s High School students, was one several young bands from the city’s bubbling music underground that played festivities at the Octagon on New Years’ Eve.
The event’s entertainment programme received a mixed reception. A community survey recorded over 60 percent of dissatisfaction among respondents who attended.
Councillor Brent Weatherall says he had heard the entertainment missed the mark.
“How about great entertainment that can play dance classics, to get the crowd shaking their bits. Supported by the bagpipes and new year countdown.
Fellow councillor Cherry Lucas says there is “a time and place”.
Dunedin band objected to by councillors Checkpoint
“As the family-friendly event wrapped up, to hear a band playing with bad language was not the environment we wanted to come to. There can be a balance and a time to celebrate our young bands but the mix might need to be adjusted.”
However, councillor Steve Walker says he received a barrage of positive feedback over the bands, noting the survey was unlikely to capture the views of the city’s younger demographic.
Another high school band, Deaf Raccoon, who played the New Years Eve event, came to the defence of bands on the night.
Dunedin band, Deaf Raccoon.
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Drummer Jaime Bradfield says Dunedin has long been synonymous with underground music and there needs to be more support for young bands.
“There is undoubtedly a new wave of musicians and music coming through Dunedin,” he says.
“Personal preference probably comes down to the comments from some of the councillors. We’re just doing what we’re doing and we’re representing what Dunedin has to offer.”
SEEK Help! and Deaf Raccoon have only been paid recently for their respective New Year’s Eve performances, after members spent several weeks chasing the city council for their fees.
Fingers were initially pointed at the council, including by the bands themselves.
But the event’s music curator Alan Ned Gray, hired by the council, says there have been some administrative headaches with invoices getting paid.
“It’s a little bit my fault,” he says.
Although SEEK HELP! is thrilled to be supporting the Foo Fighters, the band wonders how receptive their staunch feminist views would go over with most fans of the rockers.
“It’s definitely a thought going into this. Not sure if their crowd will like us as much, but I guess that’s not really the point,” Hughes says.
“Whether they like us or not, we will push our messaging and what we feel.”
Dunedin band objected to by councillors Checkpoint
