Difference between revisions of "The Datsuns"

Latest revision as of 15:31, 17 February 2021

Christian and Dolf

The Datsuns are a rock band originally from Cambridge. In 1995, while still at school, Dolf de Borst, Phil Buscke Somervell and Matt Osment formed a band under the name Trinket. Christian Livingstone joined the band in 1997. Recording and releasing material on cassette tapes, Trinket built up a solid following around Hamilton due to goofy yet irresistible songs like Girly Gumshoe and a tendency to play raucous, highly energetic, equipment-smashing live sets. De Borst and Livingstone attended Waikato University in Hamilton.

On the cover of Salient, 2002 - pic by Toby Morris

In 1998 they entered the Contact 89FM Battle of the Bands, eventually losing out to Trucker (for whom Dolf played bass also). The following year the group were victorious.

Renaming themselves 'The Datsuns', in August 2000 they released their first single, Super Gyration! on seven inch vinyl only, with a show at Ward Lane. In July 2002, after featuring several times on John Peel's programme on the UK's BBC Radio 1 and being hailed as "the future of rock" by the British music press, the band signed with the V2 record label.

Page one of the story of the Datsuns, as imagined by cartoonist Toby Morris in Salient & Nexus 2002 (313kb)

By the time of their next gig in Hamilton, the band were huge. They sold out Diggers back bar as well as other venues across NZ with ease. Within a year, they were able to charge $25 and fill a venue as large as Altitude - two years prior, they struggled to fill Ward Lane while charging only $2.

In 2003 the band played on the mainstage at Ozzfest, alongside the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Marilyn Manson and Korn. They played the main stage of the 2004 Big Day Out festival and opened for Metallica in their Australian tour in the same year, and toured with The White Stripes. Their second album Outta Sight, Outta Mind, released in 2004, was produced by Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones.

In 2006 they released their third album, Smoke and Mirrors. Near the end of the year, founding member Matt Osment left the band, replaced by Ben Cole (formerly of Pugnaut).

In 2007 The Datsuns moved to Gütersloh, Germany to record their 4th record; however, the recordings were to become demos, and the band traveled to Gothenburg, Sweden, to record at a studio owned by Swedish band Soundtrack of Our Lives, with long time live engineer Scott Newth at the controls. The resulting album, Head Stunts, was released in 2008.

The Datsuns fifth album, Death Rattle Boogie was released in 2012. Half the album was recorded in Stockholm, Sweden under the watchful eye of The Hellacopters singer Nicke Andersson, while the rest of the album was produced in Auckland at Roundhead studios. They returned to Roundhead to complete sixth album, Deep Sleep, in October 2014.

In 2016 The Datsuns began working on their seventh studio album, with the bulk of the tracking completed at Roundhead Studios in Auckland with the remainder of the songs to be completed in Stockholm with a possible 2017 release date.

The Datsuns headlined 2018's Future City Festival with the closing slot at The Meteor. Dolf called it "the first time we've played together in a couple of years".

The band now live in separate cities; de Borst in Stockholm, Livingstone in London, Buscke Somervell in Auckland, and Cole in Wellington.

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They have been managed throughout their career by Tom Dalton

Singles and EPs[edit]

"The Datsuns", circa 2007

• Super Gyration!, 2000
• Fink for the Man, 2001
• Lady, 2001
• In Love, 2002
• Sittin' Pretty, 2002
• Harmonic Generator, 2003
• MF from Hell, 2003
• Blacken my Thumb, 2004
• Girl's Best Friend, 2004
• Sky is Falling, 2006
• Stuck Here for Days, 2006
• System Overload, 2006
• High School Hoodlums, 2008 (available at performances only)
• Human Error, 2008
• So Long, 2009
• Gold Halo, 2012
• Bad Taste, 2014

Albums[edit]

• The Datsuns, 2002
• Outta Sight, Outta Mind, 2004
• Smoke and Mirrors, 2006
• Head Stunts, 2008
• Death Rattle Boogie, 2012
• Deep Sleep, 2014

Video[edit]

• Supergyration
• Harmonic Generator
• Stuck Here For Days
• System Overload
• Waiting For Your Time To Come
• Human Error
• So Long
• Blacken My Thumb
• Girl's Best Friend
• In Love - live on Top of the Pops

Other Releases[edit]

• The Datsuns appear on the 2005 John Peel tribute single Ever Fallen in Love (with Someone you Shouldn't've)
  
• Dolf de Datsun contributes to the track I'll Take You Down on the 2005 Fantastic Four Soundtrack
  

Commercial Compilation Releases

• Supergyration appears on the 2001 compilation Year Zero
  
• All I want for Christmas appears on the 2001 compilation Christmas On The Rocks: A New Zealand Rock 'N' Roll Christmas
  
• Super Gyration appears on the 2001 compilation 91FM New Music Sampler
  
• Motherfucker From Hell appears on the 2002 compilation New Blood - The New Rock N Roll Vol 2
  
• Motherfucker From Hell appears on the 2002 compilation The Best Tracks From The Best Albums
  
• Little Bruise appears on the 2002 compilation The New Rock Revolution
  
• Sittin' Pretty appears on the 2003 compilation Samsonic Festival Volume 2
  
• Lady appears on the 2003 The Locals soundtrack
  
• In Love appears on the 2003 compilation Big Day Out 03
  
• Harmonic Generator appears on the 2003 compilation The X List
  
• Fink for the Man appears on the 2004 compilation Rock'n'Roll Disease
  
• MF from Hell appears on the 2004 compilation Big Day Out 04
  
• In Love appears on the 2004 compilation Fabriclive 07
  
• I Ain't Got Time For Love appears on the 2004 compilation St. Valentines Killers
  
• Motherfucker From Hell appears on the 2004 compilation Get a Haircut
  
• Blacken My Thumb appears on the 2004 compilation State of the Nation
  
• Blacken My Thumb appears on the 2005 compilation Viva la Bands
  
• In Love appears on the 2005 DVD compilation Later...Louder
  
• Messin' Around apperas on the 2005 compilation Razzmatazz 04
  
• Harmonic Generator appears on the 2006 compilation More Nature
  
• MF From Hell appears on the 2006 compilation Jackass Number 2 Soundtrack
  
• All Aboard appears on the 2007 compilation Outrageous Fortune
  
• Harmonic Generator appears on the 2008 compilation Melodies, Moshpits and Mullets

NB: all of the above compilation releases can be found on other releases except All I want for Christmas on the 2001 compilation Christmas On The Rocks: A New Zealand Rock 'N' Roll Christmas

Datsuns NME cover, 5 October 2002

Promotional Compilation Releases

• MF From Hell appears on the 2003 promo CD NZ on Air Indie Hit Disc 24
  
• Harmonic Generator appears on the 2003 promo CD Kiwi Hit Disc 58
  
• In Love appears on the promo only compilation The Tuis New Zealand Music Awards, 2003
  
• Blacken My Thumb appears on the 2004 promo CD Kiwi Hit Disc 66
  
• Girls Best Friend appears on the 2004 promo CD Kiwi Hit Disc 68
  
• In Love appears on the 2002 promo CD Kiwi Hit Disc 56
  
• Stuck Here for Days appears on the 2006 promo CD Kiwi Hit Disc 84
  
• System Overload appears on the 2006 promo CD Kiwi Hit Disc 87
  
• Waiting for your time to come appears on the 2007 promo CD Kiwi Hit Disc 90
  
• Stuck Here for Days appears on the 2007 promo CD New Zealand Music V
  
• Highschool Hoodlums appears on the 2008 promo CD Kiwi Hit Disc 102
  
• Cruel Cruel Fate appears on the 2008 promo CD Kiwi Hit Disc 108
  
• So Long appears on the 2008 promo CD Kiwi Hit Disc 111
• Gold Halo appears on the 2012 promo CD Kiwi Hit Disc 152
• Bullseye appears on the 2013 promo CD Kiwi Hit Disc 162
  

Significant Published Articles[edit]

• The Datsuns: A Rock'n'Roll Fairytale, New Zealand Herald, 29 September 2002
• The Datsuns, NME, 5 October 2002 (on cover)
• The Datsuns, Rip it Up 312 (Aug/Sep 2006), P60-61

External links[edit]

• The Datsuns' official website
• The Datsuns' MySpace page
• The Datsuns Lyrics
• Interview with Dolf from 2000, from Clinton
• Hellsquad Records Site