Photospace - 1st floor 37 Courtenay Place Wellington, NZ
  • Photospace Gallery
  • Passport, visa & ID photos
  • Photography services
  • Photocourse NZ - Photography courses & workshops
  • Studio hire - Courtenay Studios
  • Personal projects
  • Art & design
  • Social media & blogs
  • Photospace Gallery
  • Passport, visa & ID photos
  • Photography services
  • Photocourse NZ - Photography courses & workshops
  • Studio hire - Courtenay Studios
  • Personal projects
  • Art & design
  • Social media & blogs
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

The Hipper Critters - 2010-2013 band archive site

Picture
4 of the 5 Critters plotting the overthrow of capitalism at Fred's, 2011
Formed in 2010, The Hipper Critters are a four-piece plus vocals band playing original music in Wellington, New Zealand.

Possibly the only true jazz-punk band in the world, The Hipper Critters comprises members of former early-mid 80s post-punk bands from Dunedin and Wellington and younger musicians who weren't even born when that shit was going down. The line-up features vocals, sax, keyboards, drums and a Warr guitarist - John Costa.

The Warr guitar is a hand-built, eleven-stringed beast that combines the functions of bass guitar (played by tapping the strings with with the left hand) and a six-string or lead guitar (tapped with the right hand).

Bruce Mahalski
's sometimes spontaneous lyrics are full of attitude and plenty of cutting humour. Newest Critters recruits Katie Morton (keyboards) and Michael Hall (saxaphones) bring a high level of musicality to the band - jazzy but with a hard edge. Hall's power-sax playing is an amalgam of free jazz style and hard riffing.

Drummer James Gilberd is a veteran of the Wellington early 80s post-punk scene, bands like The Neoteric Tribesmen and Condemned Sector, and has more recently grown a beard and played in jazz and country bands. He brings various aspects of this experience to Critters' performances, depending on how he's feeling.

The original songs change every time they're played, with each musician working both inside and outside the script, totally in the moment. Anything can happen at a Hipper Critters gig, and it frequently does....
The Hipper Critters, jazz punk funk rock band Wellington New Zealand
THC 2013 - James Gilberd? Katie Morton? John Costa? Mahalski? Michael Hall?

Recordings - original songs


  • 7 LIVE TRACKS recorded at Photospace Gallery, August 2012

  • Digital - aka The Virtual Elf, live at Happy, Wellington, 28 April 2011

  • Carl's place - live at Happy, Wellington, 28/4/2011

  • Sex with humans - live at Happy, Wellington, 28 April 2011

  • Crime - at Fred's, Wellington, December 2011, Bridget Kelly on sax

  • Kill - at Fred's, Wellington, Dec. 2011, Bridget Kelly on sax
            (Written by Bruce Mahalski & Robin Murphy)

  • Work - at Fred's, Wellington, December 2011, Bridget Kelly on sax.

Links to videos - original songs

  • Sex With Humans - live at Photospace, 30/9/2012
  • Lucy - live at Photospace, 30/9/2012
  • Work - live at Photospace, 30/9/2012
  • Dr Verbosity (the moose masseuse) - raw footage (Videos above shot by Craig Cross & Michael Hall)
  • Crime - at Medusa, 28/10/2011, footage by Loren Squires
  • Change - at Medusa, 6/3/2012
Picture
Michael & Bruce preparing to film Photospace gig

Posters & merch

Contact

The band is not currently active, but still, try James Gilberd on j.gilberd at xtra.co.nz You never know..

Links (some now defunkt)

  • mahalski.org - Bruce Mahalski, artist

  • www.mahalski.com - Bruce Mahalski, as above
         
  • Kosmonought.weebly.com - Kosmonaut, (the drummer's other band)

  • www.photospacegallery.com - Photospace Gallery, Wellington

  • www.strange-occurrences.com - Strange Occurrences - Paranormal Investigators

  • www.upthepunks.co.nz - History of Wellington punk music
     
  • www.nautiluscreativespace.org.nz - Nautilus Creative Space - studios in Owhiro Bay, Wellington
  • www.inverlochy.org.nz - Inverlochy Art School, Wellington

Facebook pages

  • The Hipper Critters
  • April Fish music - Katie & John's other band
  • Nautilus creative Space

  • Strange Occurrences - the public face of Wellington's paranormal fraternity

Venues we like/d

  • www.soundexplorers.co.nz - The Sound and Light Exploration Society

  • www.barmedusa.co.nz - Bar Medusa, Vivian St, Wellington (now Valhalla)

  • happythebar.blogspot.com - Happy, cnr Tory & Vivian Sts, Wellington (defunkt)

  • www.myspace.com/mightymightybar - Mighty Mighty, Cuba Mall, Wellington
  • welovcemeow.co.nz  - Meow - Wellington 
  • www.moonbar - Moon bar - Newtown, Wgtn
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.