October 20, 2024 • 7 mins
Auckland rockers Villainy released their debut album twelve years ago, their singer Neill called up to reflect on the journey they've been on and took us back to the start, the multiple flights to to Australia, the connections to Shihad and Crowded House, and what's still to come for the band.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to Radio hodar Keys Off the Record podcast with Greg.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Let's have a chat with Villainy cured to Neilda.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
How are you doing?
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Yeah, really well. Thanks. You're in Auckland and you guys
are about to celebrate the anniversary of your debut album
this Saturday.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
We are.
Speaker 4 (00:20):
I'm not really sure what a Villainy album celebration party
looks like just yet, but maybe we'll have some cake,
hang out and chairs. I think twelve years of the record,
it was crazy.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
And reminisce about twelve years ago when you were putting
the thing out. But even before that, just making the
album was quite an endeavor.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
Eh, yeah, you know what I think, getting on the
plane and heading over to Melbourne for the first time
to record Alligator Skin was a pretty pivotal moment.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
You know.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
We were just so excited and we didn't know what
we were going to walk away with. And I remember
at the end of that trip it was like four
or five days and sitting on the plane and the
way home just listening to you know, a really rough
mix and going like, man, this could be really fun.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
And you recorded it with the involvement of Tom Larkin,
the drummer from she had is also a music producer.
Was that the first time you had met him.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
We met him previously, So we did a whole bunch
of pre production sessions with them, the songs that we
want to record, the ones that we thought we might record,
and the ones that you know, we didn't end up recording.
So it's a heap of works that went into ahead
of time, and we had a pretty good feel for
what we were trying to achieve.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
But I guess it doesn't really come to life until
you're in the studio.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
And he obviously has a lot of money. The guy
behind the skins on she had was that intimidating, It.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
Was it was you know, I think we'd all grown
up being she had fans, and you had a lot
of respect for what that band had done and what
he had done within it. And he'd produced a bunch
of other bands around that time as well. So we look,
we didn't we didn't really know what we were doing, right,
So we were just like Tom teach us and he's
a great teacher and a great mentor.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
And so you went over that first session, you made
Alligator Skin just the one song that time.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
Yeah, we went over, cranked out that song and then
set about trying to get the rest of the record.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Done, recording the drums at Roundhead Studios, going to Melbourne
to make the rest of the thing. These are some
pretty big things you were doing back then.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
Yeah, they were, and and like I said, we were
pretty fresh to it. I think, you know, we've done
an EP and a few of the songs previously, but
this was this was kind of our go at doing
something big, production professional.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
We were funding it all.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
Ourselves, so I like us selling like collectible records and stuff,
so I had some additional money to throw into the
band kiddies. So yeah, it was there was a lot
of risk, but we were like, you know, screw it's,
let's go all in and make this the best we could.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Did you do any other fundraising things like fundraising shows
or car washes or.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
I mean, we should have just started baking cupcakes and stuff.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Then.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
I actually so I had this, like this is super geeky,
but I had this seven inch box set of smashing
pumpkins that was signed by half the band, and I
let that thing go and maybe like six months ago,
I was like, I wonder where that went. I emailed
the guy on and He's like, yeah, yeah, I've still
got it. I'm quite keen to hold on to that.
And he's like, by the way, are you Neil from Villain?
(03:05):
And I was like, yeah, I sold it to pay
for the record.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Well, now he's got an extra story to go with.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Those, I guess. I mean, if he's listening, I'd still
like to buy it back off them.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
I could sense that you really want to get those
things back. What other collectible things do you have at home? Ah?
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Oh, good question, Greg. What have I got?
Speaker 1 (03:26):
No?
Speaker 4 (03:27):
I mean, like I've always been a really big record collector.
I've got dozens, if not hundreds of them. I like
guitars and just geeky instrument things. I was actually in
the States a few months ago and I've got this
pedal that it is like this limited edition Jack White
herd Man pedal that just sounds like the coolest fuzzs
you've ever heard in the world, so that I'm pretty
struck with that.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
I remember hearing about those and I thought, well, that's
great for Americans, but no one in New Zealand's going
to manage to get one of those. But you did.
That's awesome.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
I'm looking at right now it's called a bumble buzz.
It has a switch and no no knobs at all,
so just makes one sound.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
But yeah, it's like it's like that Jack White sound
is sick.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
It's the White Stripe sound. Does it make you sound
like those records?
Speaker 4 (04:08):
I mean yeah, I'm just gonna start playing Seven Nation
Army on repeat every show.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Anyway, back to modeset clear, I thought we'd play the
opening track. That's the one that you flew to Australia
to go and make with Tom and with the band,
your first overseas adventure. It was a real moment for
you guys, for anyone who hasn't heard the track before.
What are we in for?
Speaker 3 (04:32):
What are we in for?
Speaker 4 (04:33):
It opens with this kind of super super super distorted
bass noise.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
I think James a Bassic player.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
I just kind of threw that in there initially because
we need something to start the song, but it became
really iconic, which you know, I think we thought was
kind of cool, a little bit proggy. You know, I
grew up listening to a lot of like tall and
mus bolder and stuff, so you know, I like things
which are like a little bit bent and different, which
is why, you know, when we took it to radio,
we were like, I think anyone's going to play this
and I think Hodducky were the first station to play,
(05:03):
which was wicked.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
You're bad. Well let's plat again, shall we.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
This is Neil from Villainy and this is our debut
single Alligator Skin from twenty eleven off the record Modeset
clear on Radio Hodarchy.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
It's rady a Hodarchy. That's Villainy with Alligator Skin, which
was the debut single of the band back in twenty eleven.
And we're lucky enough to have their singer Neil on
a zoom with us now cured and Neil, thanks for
bringing us that tune again.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Yeah, no worries, Greg.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
It's really cool listening to it again and remembering making
it all those years ago.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
And the anniversary of your debut album is this Saturday.
You mentioned that you might get together with the fellas
and have some cake and reminisce about the good times
have gone over to Australia and making it and doing
the drums at Roundhead and Neil Finn's studios and you know,
putting a lot of resource and money and time and
effort and your whole lives for. How long did it
(06:24):
take you to make that album?
Speaker 4 (06:26):
I think, all told, it was probably about eighteen months.
I couldn't tell you how many trips we made to Melbourne,
but there was a lot and many many, many many
hours in the studio put piecing it all together.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
And in the meantime you still had day jobs.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Yeah we did.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
Yeah, somehow our various employers tolerated us taking all that
time off, so many thank you to them as well.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Are you going to need to call in favors with
them again anytime soon?
Speaker 4 (06:50):
Trying to pull together the next sort of iteration of Villainy,
we've been the studio. We have a couple of new
tracks ready to go. We're really important to getting those
out so people can hear them if.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
We want to go back over modeset Clear or just
wait with Beta Breath for the new material. Where's the
best place to find information about you guys?
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Instagram?
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Just look up Villainy Music and Facebook Villainy Music as well.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
And are any of your albums on vinyl?
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Still?
Speaker 4 (07:16):
They are?
Speaker 3 (07:16):
I think we've sold out of all of them.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
There might be some copies of mozet Clear, Actually we
don't have any, but I think gbhipway do so hit
them up. They did a special edition on clear vinyl.
That's pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Neil from Villainy thanks for your time on hodak in.
Happy anniversary, No worries mate, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Radio hold Aches off the Record podcast. Why not subscribe
so they download automatically and don't forget to rate us
five stars?
Speaker 2 (07:42):
Thanks mate.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Find out more about this podcast and the people who
make it at hodache dot co dot mz
Welcome to Radio hodar Keys Off the Record podcast with Greg.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Let's have a chat with Villainy cured to Neilda.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
How are you doing?
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Yeah, really well. Thanks. You're in Auckland and you guys
are about to celebrate the anniversary of your debut album
this Saturday.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
We are.
Speaker 4 (00:20):
I'm not really sure what a Villainy album celebration party
looks like just yet, but maybe we'll have some cake,
hang out and chairs. I think twelve years of the record,
it was crazy.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
And reminisce about twelve years ago when you were putting
the thing out. But even before that, just making the
album was quite an endeavor.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
Eh, yeah, you know what I think, getting on the
plane and heading over to Melbourne for the first time
to record Alligator Skin was a pretty pivotal moment.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
You know.
Speaker 4 (00:46):
We were just so excited and we didn't know what
we were going to walk away with. And I remember
at the end of that trip it was like four
or five days and sitting on the plane and the
way home just listening to you know, a really rough
mix and going like, man, this could be really fun.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
And you recorded it with the involvement of Tom Larkin,
the drummer from she had is also a music producer.
Was that the first time you had met him.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
We met him previously, So we did a whole bunch
of pre production sessions with them, the songs that we
want to record, the ones that we thought we might record,
and the ones that you know, we didn't end up recording.
So it's a heap of works that went into ahead
of time, and we had a pretty good feel for
what we were trying to achieve.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
But I guess it doesn't really come to life until
you're in the studio.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
And he obviously has a lot of money. The guy
behind the skins on she had was that intimidating, It.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
Was it was you know, I think we'd all grown
up being she had fans, and you had a lot
of respect for what that band had done and what
he had done within it. And he'd produced a bunch
of other bands around that time as well. So we look,
we didn't we didn't really know what we were doing, right,
So we were just like Tom teach us and he's
a great teacher and a great mentor.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
And so you went over that first session, you made
Alligator Skin just the one song that time.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
Yeah, we went over, cranked out that song and then
set about trying to get the rest of the record.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Done, recording the drums at Roundhead Studios, going to Melbourne
to make the rest of the thing. These are some
pretty big things you were doing back then.
Speaker 4 (02:12):
Yeah, they were, and and like I said, we were
pretty fresh to it. I think, you know, we've done
an EP and a few of the songs previously, but
this was this was kind of our go at doing
something big, production professional.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
We were funding it all.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
Ourselves, so I like us selling like collectible records and stuff,
so I had some additional money to throw into the
band kiddies. So yeah, it was there was a lot
of risk, but we were like, you know, screw it's,
let's go all in and make this the best we could.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Did you do any other fundraising things like fundraising shows
or car washes or.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
I mean, we should have just started baking cupcakes and stuff.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Then.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
I actually so I had this, like this is super geeky,
but I had this seven inch box set of smashing
pumpkins that was signed by half the band, and I
let that thing go and maybe like six months ago,
I was like, I wonder where that went. I emailed
the guy on and He's like, yeah, yeah, I've still
got it. I'm quite keen to hold on to that.
And he's like, by the way, are you Neil from Villain?
(03:05):
And I was like, yeah, I sold it to pay
for the record.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
Well, now he's got an extra story to go with.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Those, I guess. I mean, if he's listening, I'd still
like to buy it back off them.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
I could sense that you really want to get those
things back. What other collectible things do you have at home? Ah?
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Oh, good question, Greg. What have I got?
Speaker 1 (03:26):
No?
Speaker 4 (03:27):
I mean, like I've always been a really big record collector.
I've got dozens, if not hundreds of them. I like
guitars and just geeky instrument things. I was actually in
the States a few months ago and I've got this
pedal that it is like this limited edition Jack White
herd Man pedal that just sounds like the coolest fuzzs
you've ever heard in the world, so that I'm pretty
struck with that.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
I remember hearing about those and I thought, well, that's
great for Americans, but no one in New Zealand's going
to manage to get one of those. But you did.
That's awesome.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
I'm looking at right now it's called a bumble buzz.
It has a switch and no no knobs at all,
so just makes one sound.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
But yeah, it's like it's like that Jack White sound
is sick.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
It's the White Stripe sound. Does it make you sound
like those records?
Speaker 4 (04:08):
I mean yeah, I'm just gonna start playing Seven Nation
Army on repeat every show.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Anyway, back to modeset clear, I thought we'd play the
opening track. That's the one that you flew to Australia
to go and make with Tom and with the band,
your first overseas adventure. It was a real moment for
you guys, for anyone who hasn't heard the track before.
What are we in for?
Speaker 3 (04:32):
What are we in for?
Speaker 4 (04:33):
It opens with this kind of super super super distorted
bass noise.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
I think James a Bassic player.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
I just kind of threw that in there initially because
we need something to start the song, but it became
really iconic, which you know, I think we thought was
kind of cool, a little bit proggy. You know, I
grew up listening to a lot of like tall and
mus bolder and stuff, so you know, I like things
which are like a little bit bent and different, which
is why, you know, when we took it to radio,
we were like, I think anyone's going to play this
and I think Hodducky were the first station to play,
(05:03):
which was wicked.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
You're bad. Well let's plat again, shall we.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
This is Neil from Villainy and this is our debut
single Alligator Skin from twenty eleven off the record Modeset
clear on Radio Hodarchy.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
It's rady a Hodarchy. That's Villainy with Alligator Skin, which
was the debut single of the band back in twenty eleven.
And we're lucky enough to have their singer Neil on
a zoom with us now cured and Neil, thanks for
bringing us that tune again.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Yeah, no worries, Greg.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
It's really cool listening to it again and remembering making
it all those years ago.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
And the anniversary of your debut album is this Saturday.
You mentioned that you might get together with the fellas
and have some cake and reminisce about the good times
have gone over to Australia and making it and doing
the drums at Roundhead and Neil Finn's studios and you know,
putting a lot of resource and money and time and
effort and your whole lives for. How long did it
(06:24):
take you to make that album?
Speaker 4 (06:26):
I think, all told, it was probably about eighteen months.
I couldn't tell you how many trips we made to Melbourne,
but there was a lot and many many, many many
hours in the studio put piecing it all together.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
And in the meantime you still had day jobs.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Yeah we did.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
Yeah, somehow our various employers tolerated us taking all that
time off, so many thank you to them as well.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Are you going to need to call in favors with
them again anytime soon?
Speaker 4 (06:50):
Trying to pull together the next sort of iteration of Villainy,
we've been the studio. We have a couple of new
tracks ready to go. We're really important to getting those
out so people can hear them if.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
We want to go back over modeset Clear or just
wait with Beta Breath for the new material. Where's the
best place to find information about you guys?
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Instagram?
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Just look up Villainy Music and Facebook Villainy Music as well.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
And are any of your albums on vinyl?
Speaker 3 (07:15):
Still?
Speaker 4 (07:16):
They are?
Speaker 3 (07:16):
I think we've sold out of all of them.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
There might be some copies of mozet Clear, Actually we
don't have any, but I think gbhipway do so hit
them up. They did a special edition on clear vinyl.
That's pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Neil from Villainy thanks for your time on hodak in.
Happy anniversary, No worries mate, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Radio hold Aches off the Record podcast. Why not subscribe
so they download automatically and don't forget to rate us
five stars?
Speaker 2 (07:42):
Thanks mate.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Find out more about this podcast and the people who
make it at hodache dot co dot mz
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