Two Songs

‘Fall From Grace’ then completes a perfect coup d’etat by trumping ‘Outsider’ as a vibrant, elegantly lush eight minutes of pure aural delight. Founded on a swirling sequencer pattern and gently thudding bassline, it’s a beautiful piece of music, complemented by Russell’s baritone vocals with the thin white dude lazily intoning, “Is this the last time I’ll ever see those eyes?” More new wave than new romantic, both songs reveal a fondness for the drama of love, with Russell’s mournful lyrics and voice evoking Joy Division’s Ian Curtis and New Order’s Bernard Sumner.

But we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves, jumping into the fast lane before we’ve gone through the band’s early steps. They formed as an Auckland-based duo in October 1982, with Post Office technician and Stranger Upstairs band member David Bulog joining former Danse Macabre vocalist (also ex-Spelling Mistakes bassist) Nigel Russell on synthesizers and guitar. The band arrived when the local music scene was in the thrall of post-punk British music like Psychedelic Furs, Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Cure, and the aforementioned two Factory Records bands, Joy Division and New Order.

Another musician, Nicholas Jenkins, did play on Car Crash Set’s first release, a demo version of ‘Toys’ featured on the Propeller Records compilation We'll Do Our Best in early 1983. It was one of three tracks demoed at Progressive Studios (the others were ‘Heart of Stone’ and ‘Another Day’, both included on German label Anna Logue’s compilation Join The Car Crash Set), though Jenkins left for London before recording of the ‘Two Songs’ 12-inch began.

Reminiscent of a darker Depeche Mode or Mute Records founder Daniel Miller’s band The Normal’s J.G. Ballard-inspired single ‘Warm Leatherette’ (later covered to great acclaim by Grace Jones), ‘Toys’ is an embryonic, mildly successful attempt to craft emotion from synthetic elements. Like the German compilation, the band’s name is actually taken from the last line of Miller’s lyrics for ‘Warm Leatherette’: “Join the car crash set.” Many subsequently did, with the band’s line-up swelling to at least seven members later in the decade.

‘Imagination’ remains a tricky proposition to track down, making the 12-inch single highly sought after.

Following the release of the ‘Two Songs’ 12-inch, which also featured Trevor Reekie on synths and guitar and resulted in a TVNZ video for ‘Outsider’, Car Crash Set soon unveiled their second 12-inch single, the much-loved ‘Imagination’ backed with ‘Those Days’. Jaunty and nicely sung by Russell, with a subtle The The inflection to the beats and rhythm, ‘Those Days’ swells to a catchy, breathy chorus, featuring the backing vocals of Sharon Tuapawa. The song was included on the band’s debut album No Accident, while ‘Imagination’ remains a tricky proposition to track down, making the 12-inch single highly sought after. Like any Car Crash Set vinyl, prices easily edge into triple figures for mint copies.

Underwhelmed by the idea of playing live, Car Crash Set took to the stage just five times in 1984, with their live debut only occurring at the end of 1983 at Mix It Up, a fashion and video event at Queen Street’s Mainstreet Cabaret.

Car Crash Set shows were a mixed bag. Highly anticipated because of their rarity, they often featured a light show by Harry Ratbag (aka Russell’s brother Harry the Bastard), live drummer, backing tapes, slides and white boys swaying to the beat on stage, with Reekie’s blonde Kajagoogoo hairdo and Russell’s office worker clothes giving them a peculiarly English look.

Things could be a little sterile, depending on the crowd or the reliability of the equipment, but the band certainly offered locals a unique live experience, only bested by touring international synth bands like Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (supported by Car Crash Set at Logan Campbell Centre in 1985) and New Order’s shows at Mainstreet in 1982, Logan Campbell Centre in 1985 (with Car Crash Set performing at the Quays nightclub afterparty) and the Galaxy (now the Powerstation) in 1987.

“We’re not putting on airs and graces when we get on stage,” declared Russell at the time. “I think we’ll probably loosen up on stage the more [shows] we do.” A worthy document of the band’s live show was filmed at Quays for broadcast on music TV stalwart Radio With Pictures, presented by Karyn Hay, with Marginal Era also in on the act.

No Accident was a mild triumph for Car Crash Set. Lushly housed in a piece of whimsical modern art by Roger Guise, its eight songs represent 80s electronica filtered through the discerning eyes and ears of three funky white guys and bass player Ryan Monga, from South Auckland R&B outfit Ardijah. Produced by Reekie and the “play it loud crew”, engineered by frequent collaborator Tim Field and recorded at Mandrill Studios, sessions involved numerous members of the “Car Crash Corporation” – a loose collective of musicians who worked regularly in the studio and on stage with Bulog, Russell, Reekie and Monga. Additionally, Pat Roxburgh (bass), Rick Robertson (sax) and Bruce Aitken (trumpet) often joined the band live.