Bitter Defeat
Bitter Defeat began as a lo-fi solo recording project of Rob Shirlow. They took their name from a song by Brisbane band Kitchen's Floor (who played in Hamilton in soon after, in July 2016). The initial recording by Bitter Defeat, called Superior Avoidance Tactics, appeared on BandCamp in June 2016. Subsequent songs appeared on the website sporadically, with Better released in January 2017 and Hummer in July 2017.
A live band was initiated in early 2018, which went through several line-up changes before settling on Shirlow (vocals), Julian White (also of The Scones, Kitchenette; bass), Sam Brockelsby (ex-Ancient Tapes, Elephant Facelift; guitar), Ben Manning (guitar), Ian Duggan (ex-Spatula Death; casiotone) and Kathryn Thompson (drums).
Their debut performance was on 17 August 2018, supporting Landlords and Auckland band Swallow the Rat at Nivara Lounge. The recordings from the gig were released on BandCamp on 19 August as Live Beneath a Gravel Streak. The following week, the band played Circle Jerk 2018 at The Meteor, with their full performance being uploaded to YouTube. Following this time, other early gigs included the 3rd Annual HUP Xmas Party in December 2018, and support for Hamish Kilgour in February 2019.
After a hiatus of several months due to an injury to their drummer, during which time Brockelsby left the band, Bitter Defeat returned to the stage on 27 June 2019 to support John Davis (ex-Folk Implosion) at Nivara Lounge, with Dean Ballinger filling in on drums. With this lineup they also played Nivara Lounge with Repairs (from Auckland), First Move (Palmerston North) and Flogging a Dead One Horse Town (Tauranga) on 16 August, and with The Wilberforce's and Swallow the Rat at The Wine Cellar in Auckland on 17 August.
Following the return of Thompson to the band, they supported The Bats with Matthew Bannister at Nivara Lounge on 6 March 2020. In early April 2020, the band were booked to record their debut EP, but the session was cancelled due to the nationwide lock-down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, the early demo for Superior Avoidance Tactics was released on the compilation No Sound: A Nivara Lounge Fundraiser, organised by Shirlow. They eventually made it into The Porch Studio on 1-2 August, and released their debut single Light that Shines on 31 August 2020. The song charted at #9 on Dunedin's Radio One countdown, and was played on BBC Radio Wales. On 23 October, Long Lash was released with a video made by Kat Waswo.
On 7 November 2020, the band played at the release of In Thrust We Trust, an album to support their former drummer Dean Ballinger; they released the song Street Light on the album. Late in the year they played gigs with Nuggiz (4 December), Princess Chelsea (5 December) and at the 4th Annual HUP Xmas Party. On 22 December, their second video (and third song) as a band was released; a re-recording of 2017s Better.
The band started 2021 by releasing their debut EP Minor Victory. A release gig was held Nivara Lounge that night, also featuring The Scones, The Changing Same and Sam Kimber-Bell (all bands featuring members of the Lumee Spuds cricket team). Gigs in 2021 included support for Francisca Griffin (ex-Look Blue Go Purple) on 24 April and support slots for The Chills in Gisborne, Mount Maunganui and Raglan in May.
In December 2022, the band released the song 'Sugar Blind', as a teaser to the EP Terrific Effort, which was released in March 2023. On 23 December 2022, they played at Last Place, supporting Grok with Broadcast State. In 2023, they have played again at Last Place, and Auckland venue UFO with The Fuzzies.
Published Articles[edit]
- Bitter Defeat Interview, Hamilton Underground Press, 20 August 2017 [1]
- Bitter Defeat Interview, Hamilton Underground Press, 6 February 2019 [2]
- I Cant Believe it's Gotten this Far, Hamilton Underground Press, 11 September 2020 [3]
- Freaky eyelash an inspiration for Hamilton alternative band Bitter Defeat by Mike Mather, Stuff (23 Oct) and Waikato Times (27 Oct 2020) [4]
- The Victor Shall Drink Champagne, Gisborne Herald, 5 May 2021 [5]
Releases[edit]
- Minor Victory EP, 2021
- Superior Avoidance Tactics appears on the 2020 compilation No Sound: A Nivara Lounge Fundraiser
- Street Light appears on the 2020 compilation In Thrust We Trust
