THE CAVEMEN (NZ) Nuke Auckland’s Whammy Bar w/ New LP Drop, 'Ca​$​h 4 Scrap'

Published by 13th Floor Magazine

The Cavemen came storming back to Auckland’s Whammy Bar and The 13th Floor’s Aaron Christiansen was there with his camera and his pen.

“Hey ho, it’s Friday night at a packed Whammy Bar, and The Cavemen are back in town, bringing their uninhibited form of rock ‘n’ roll with them. With able assistance from the surf-rock echoes of The Cthulus to the frenetic power of Bloodbags, let’s go!”

The Cthulus

First up were the Auckland-based surf-rockers, The Cthulus. The lovers of Lovecraft set the scene for the night with their instrumental guitar rock rippling through the audience. The set was varied, with certain songs incorporating the influence of spaghetti western maestro Ennio Morricone. As is standard with this type of instrumental surf-rock, vocals and banter were kept to a minimum, a brief ‘thanks’ ending the set. And so, The Cthulus had set the scene for what was to come.

Bloodbags

Bloodbags lurched onto the stage, smashing it straight out of the gate with big power riffs and hollering lyrics. The energy and intensity were maintained throughout their entire set. Frontman Andrew Tolley’s veins looked like they were going to burst as he powered through. The Bloodbags provided a powerhouse second set, but would The Cavemen be able to deliver?

The Cavemen stumbled onto the stage, quite literally. Frontman Paul Froggatt was sporting a crutch, which he’d use to propel his body around the stage, brace against the ceiling, and fling about in a rapidly growing mosh pit. With secondary support from the mic-stand, he lifted himself off the floor whenever he ended up there. The band veered through the opener, “Tonight I’m Going to Rock It,” upping the excitement in the packed-out Whammy Bar.

The Cavemen lived up to their reputation for down-and-dirty rock ‘n’ roll. When drinks were finished on stage, they were ably supplied with shots and beers from members of the audience. At various points in the night, the set appeared to descend into shambles, with bassist Nick Armstrong’s bass falling victim to the night’s chaos, and Jack Beesley forgetting the opening chords to the catchy new single Without You. All these added to the rock ‘n’ roll allure of the night. The Cavemen provided a cocky, assured show. At the end, Jack addressed the audience: “If you like our music, buy an album. If you don’t, buy a T-shirt.” I’ll take an album, thanks.

The Cavemen have announced a full-scale assault on local stages this December. Raising a glass to their forthcoming new album "of pure imbecilic, high energy rock ‘n’ roll" CA$H 4 SCRAP, the sonically depraved four-piece (featuring two members of Sin City) will be busting out their party-igniting riff fury alongside a bevy of local buds

Make no bones about it, don't you dare miss The Cavemen bringing the pre-Xmas summer heat nationwide, their stagecraft sharpened to unholy levels by a prior run of headline gigs across the ditch in Australia...

"Lookout earthlings!! Ya favourite beer-swilling cro-magnon crew THE CAVEMEN are back in the saddle with a brand new vinyl record! With 13 tracks of pure imbecilic, high-energy rock ‘n’ roll ‘CA$H 4 SCRAP’ puts to bed any rumours that these knuckledraggers have gone through any sort of musical or emotional evolution in the 4 years since their last release. No way! They're dumber and more juvenile than ever! So to celebrate they’re gassing up the war-wagon, huffing the fumes and rolling into a town near you… So pinch ya grandma’s purse and get ready to fork it over 'cause these are gonna be the most brain-melting rock 'n' roll shows of the summer!"

ORDER THE CAVEMEN - 'CA$H 4 SCRAP' now!

The Cavemen 'CA$H 4 SCRAP' Tour

Friday 8th December - Whammy Bar, Auckland w/ Bloodbags, Cthulus
Saturday 9th December - Yot Club, Raglan w/Bloodbags, Cthulus
Thursday 14th December - Welsh Dragon, Wellington w/ Cherry Punch
Friday 15th December - Space Academy, Christchurch w/ The Wendys
Saturday 16th December - Crown Hotel, Dunedin w/ The Moonrakers, Ivy

Tickets available HERE via UTR