This article was first published by RNZ.
Once a “bad-taste” Christchurch covers band, Salmonella Dub is now a world-class drum and bass act whose distinctly Kiwi flavour is stronger than ever.
Founding member Andrew Penman chats to Music 101′s Charlotte Ryan about the band’s all-ages fanbase and new digi-album For All Things Alive, which features acclaimed Māori musician Whirimako Black.
For All Things Alive also features Nino Birch, who Penman calls the “Bob Dylan of Aotearoa New Wave”.
The founding member of Wellington’s ‘80s post-punk band Beat Rhythm Fashion first collaborated with Salmonella Dub back in 2017 after the band turned down the NZ Herald Legacy award out of respect to him.
“It was after an unfortunate incident where Beat Rhythm Fashion weren’t deemed credible enough to represent a track from [Salmonella Dub] at the potential induction of us into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame,” said Penman.
On For All Things Alive, Birch lends his voice to tracks that reflect the interconnectedness of all things, Penman said, including tidal and lunar cycles.
“We’ve got the great privilege of being on the beach here in Kaikōura. Our studio is literally 10 metres from the beach. We could actually catch kahawai from the mixing desk if we were in the mood. We’ve got the mountain landscape and sea views, and then the Hāpuku River right beside us.”
Salmonella Dub’s tenth studio album includes the words of psychedelics pioneer Albert Hofmann who Penman discovered via the book How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan.
The greats of New Zealand literature - who Penman studied at Canterbury University - continue to inspire the band’s sound, too.
“For me, it’s always been about creating a distinctive Aotearoa musical voice like so many of our writers in literature - Janet Frame, Frank Sargeson and others.”
The name Salmonella Dub - a “very much tongue in cheek” reference to the “bad taste” covers they once played, reflects a “DIY attitude” that’s been there from the start, Penman said.
While the band once played songs like ‘Larry Loves Barry’ by comedy musician Fred Dagg and Dr Hook’s ‘Silvia’s Mother’ to a rock-hungry audience, the live shows are “very civilised” these days, he said.
“We’ve got an age range from two through to 89-year-olds on the dance floor.
“And thankfully parents are very, very sensitive about their children’s ears. I’ve seen two or three-year-olds on dad’s shoulders. It’s so wonderful to see that there is that community.
“Coming from Christchurch at a time in the late ‘80s, early ‘90s, where it was really much a grunge rock scene, or, if you’re lucky, trance parties. We had to straddle both of those to make our way through to where we are now.”
Disc 1 of For All Things Alive is out now and Disc 2 will be out on 5 November 2024.
Salmonella Dub SoundSystem - “a stripped-down version of the band” - play shows in Lyttelton, Hokitika, Mapua and Auckland this November and December. Check out the tour details here.