Brain Slaves were a band from
Auckland,
New Zealand, formerly called The Coshercot Honeys. They were acclaimed for their unique sound, which combines
neo-psychedelia with
garage rock
Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...
,
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
hooks, and syncopated grooves.
History
After forming in late 2005 through The Coshercot Honeys performed shows throughout Auckland, and following some personnel changes in 2006 (the addition of second guitar and a new keyboardist, though still without a bass guitar
[), the band began to gain wider attention with high energy live shows and more experimental song writing. Reviewer Joanna Hunkin compared them with Franz Ferdinand.]
In April 2007 the song "We're All Lions" was played on Auckland student radio station 95bfm
95bFM is a New Zealand student radio station. It operates in Auckland on a Schedule 7 (educational purposes) semi-commercial licence. The station is based in the Student Union Building at the University of Auckland, is owned by a trust on behalf o ...
and other student radio throughout the country. The song rose to #1 on the 95bFM Top Ten chart and was nominated for three bNet awards including "Best Song" and "Best Pop Song
To follow up the single they released an E.P. of the same name distributed by Rhythm Method, which rose to #18 in th
Independent New Zealand Charts
They released
video
to accompany the single shot by Trophy Wife Production
In 2008 the band played a number of support slots including The Veils
The Veils are an English/New Zealand indie rock band fronted by singer and songwriter Finn Andrews.
History Early years, ''The Runaway Found'' (2001–2004)
Finn Andrews was born in London but spent his teenage years at high school in Auc ...
, Matt Costa
Matthew Albert Costa (born June 16, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter from Huntington Beach, California, United States. He has 13 independent releases: 7 self-recorded EPs, 6 complete LPs, 4 of which are released via Brushfire Records. H ...
and a national tour with Collapsing Cities. They also played alongside The Mint Chicks and The Checks
"The Checks" is the 141st episode of the sitcom ''Seinfeld''. This was the seventh episode for the eighth season, originally airing on NBC on November 7, 1996. In this episode, the last to feature the writing team of Tom Gammill and Max Pross, El ...
at Vodafone Homegrown on the Wellington Waterfront.
The band played at the Rhythm and Vines
Rhythm and Vines (commonly known as R&V, RnV or Rhythm) is an annual music festival held at Waiohika Estate vineyard, northwest of Gisborne, New Zealand. The festival began in 2003 and was held for the one day of New Year's Eve until 2008 whe ...
festival on 30 December 2008 alongside Franz Ferdinand, Late of the Pier
Late of the Pier was an English four-piece dance-punk band from Castle Donington, England, signed to Parlophone. Their debut album ''Fantasy Black Channel'', produced by Erol Alkan was released on 11 August 2008 by Parlophone.
History Forma ...
, Santogold, and Public Enemy, and played again at the Vodafone Homegrown festival in March 200
Name change
On 12 November 2008, New Zealand indie music website Cheese on Toast revealed the band had officially changed their name to Brain Slave
This was confirmed on the band'
myspace page
Brain Slaves explained they had been thinking about a name change for some time. About the same time as this occurred, new material in the form of small song snippets and videos appeared on Myspace an
Youtube
Breakup
On 10 February 2010, the band announced that they had broken up, saying "The five of us have been the tightest crew, but we feel now that it is time to cut loose and experience life as individuals, not as five parts of one personality."[Brain Slaves' Final Blog](_blank)
. ''Myspace''. 10 February 2010. Retrieved 4 March 2010. The news was broken by a blogger o
, although the Brain Slaves asked him to withhold this information. They went on to say "Brainslaves were a band, but always will be five silly f***ers who love music and mayhem." They will release a free download pack with all their songs, the two music videos they made, and other footage.
References
{{reflist
External links
Brain Slaves' MySpace page
New Zealand garage rock groups