Word spread fast about Batrider, the once-new kids on the Wellington rock n roll block. Their appeal is such that at their recent gig in a tiny Cuba Street bar, many punters who had tickets for The D4’s long-awaited return across the road were reluctant to leave!
Batrider is Sarah Chadwick, Julia Rouse, Tara Wilcox and Toby Morris. Sarah and Tara played together in a band, Teen Town Ace, while at Hamilton Girls High School. Julia – who attended the same school – had a band called Vixen.
All three moved to Wellington where Sarah and Julia flatted with Toby, and so, just over a year ago, Batrider was born. They began gigging in March and quickly became a capital must-see.
With songs ranging from the tortured loveliness of Vulture to the frantic paced Rich Man and swaggering torch song, Dirty, Batrider’s sound is defined by Sarah’s gravelly, intense vocals that achieve moments of great beauty. Combined with a solid rhythm section and interesting song structure, audiences are kept on their toes.
Toby’s turn behind the mic is always a crowd pleaser, the mild-mannered cartoonist by day transforming into a convulsing rock demon as he belts out his song, Ark de Triumph.
“Most of the time Julia or Sarah will have an idea for a song, either a musical idea or an idea about the structure. We’ll then jam with it and practice it until it feels right,” says Toby.
A nine-date national tour with Die! Die! Die!, introduced Batrider to audiences outside the capital and tested the band’s road-worthiness.
“It was good to play out of our comfort zone, in venues we were not familiar with and people we didn’t know. It was a good experience. There were a couple of really small gigs, which were good to do,” says Toby.
Meanwhile on the recorded front, a gorgeous acoustic version of Dirty features on the Volume CD (on Blink’s label Hum).
Batrider are:
Sarah Chadwick (vocals, guitar)
Julia Rouse (guitar)
Tara Wilcox (drums)
Toby Morris (bass)
