Deja Voodoo

Deja Voodoo began as the fictional house band for the New Zealand show ‘Back of the Y’.

The 15 seconds of mimed Rock n Roll these three posers produced at the start of each episode was enough to score them a nationwide orientation tour. But first they had to become a real band, so after a week of intensive song learning and writing the band were ready to roll.

Deja Voodoo weren’t good but they weren’t as bad as some had hoped. They bemused audiences from Dunedin to Auckland, the only saving grace being the finale where Matt smashed ten burning acoustic guitars over Chris’ head. The tour was featured in the now legendary TV special ‘Back of the Y goes to Hollywood’ with the band supplying the entire soundtrack.

On returning from the tour the band hit its first obstacle when drummer Phil ‘Spanners’ Watson Bruff quit the band and left for the UK. He was replaced by Matt’s girlfriend’s little brother; James and they were off again. This time they were determined to become the best band in Auckland.

After several practises they realised that this was an impossible dream. They settled for not being the worst and celebrated by building a massive Deja Voodoo sign and playing five sold out gigs around Auckland. Things were looking up for Deja Voodoo, but tragedy struck again when Chris and Matt sold their TV show to MTV and decided to head off to the UK. Luckily London turned out to be a stinking shit hole and they were back with in six months.

On arrival in New Zealand they signed a four figure record deal with Liberation and went into the studio to record their first and possible last studio album. The ominously titled Brown Sabbath. It was to be a beer drinking concept album of epic proportions.

The first single from the album is a song that can be best described as an introduction to the band; it’s called simply We are Deja Voodoo. A song as good as, We Are Deja Voodoo needs a kick arse couple of b-sides and amazingly The Voodoo have been able to supply them. The very scary Jack the Ripper (The Theme from ‘Back of the Y’) and a live number from a recent tour the sensitive ballad Feelings. These days Deja Voodoo claim to be New Zealand’s premiere Grunge rock band and few would bother to argue with them.