It is probably hard for anyone outside Aotearoa to realise just how important Shihad have been to the NZ music scene, but they have had five #1 albums, including the most recent, 2014’s FVEY, and hold the record for the most Top 40 singles entries by a local band. The first time I saw them play was at Western Springs supporting AC/DC, and the way the crowd reacted and sang along to all the words was one heck of an experience, and now at long last they are back with their tenth studio album. Old Gods is out at the end of August, but until then we can satiate our appetite by playing Tear Down Those Names on repeat. They may have had a few bassists in their time, but Karl Kippenberger has been in that role for 30 years, while Tom Larkin (drums), Phil Knight (lead guitar, synth, backing vocals) and Jon Toogood (vocals, guitar) have been there since the very beginning, 1988.
They may have been going for a while, but the band are showing no sign of slowing down and here we have Jon full of aggression and anger, as he looks at life through a different lens. He recently converted to Islam, married a Sudanese woman, and has become a father, and all of this has had an impact and changed his perspectives on life. Add in COVID and Black Lives Matter, and he has been looking inwards, and then venting outwards against the inequities and injustices he sees. The single talks about the tumbling of cultural norms and references the statue of slave trader Edward Colston which was thrown into the Avon in Bristol, “There’s been a change in the weather/We’re witnessing history/Throwing thieves in the river/We’re banishing bigotry”. The only way to have the lyrics make sense is with a violent downtuned riff which drills deep into the psyche, from a band who show they are just as angry and upset as they have always been. The video sees a DJ playing this in a club, and the whole crowd going crazy to the song – the cutaways and changes in speed make for quite interesting vid, but this is all about the song which is going to be regarded as another Shihad classic. I can’t wait for the full album.
Rating: 10/10
