Terrorways

One of the New Zealand punk scene's most notorious bands, the Terrorways emerged from the legendary Auckland club Zwines in 1978. Originally dubbed Rooter, the group initially comprised vocalist John "No-One" Hunter, guitarist Peter "Mesmer" Hoffman, bassist Jonathan "Jamrag" Griffiths and drummer Kerry "Eddie Clanger" Buchanan; in many ways, they were the ultimate Zwines band, fueled purely by energy and adrenaline and with only a bare minimum of musical skill. Drunken and often incoherent, Rooter was nevertheless charismatic, enjoying a love/hate relationship with clubgoers; Jamrag left their ranks after just three months, and after a series of fill-ins, bass duties were finally taken over by Zwines regular Chris Orange. Arrests were common at Rooter gigs, and over time their reputation became so bad they were forced to adopt a new identity, rechristening themselves the Terrorways in early 1979. The change did little to help, as they soon emerged as a favorite group of the notoriously violent skinheads known as Boot Boys; the Boots' behavior grew so destructive that several clubs were forced to shut down as a result of their "patronage," and because it was well known that they followed the Terrorways fervently, the band was often blocked from playing live. Eddie Clanger was later replaced by drummer Gary Hunt, and with the change the group's musical aptitude greatly increased; their reputation continued to precede them, however, and on December 1, 1979 a frustrated Terrorways played their final gig. A pair of tracks recorded for the seminal AK-79 collection, "She's a Mod" and "Never Been to Borstal," remain their legacy. ~ Jason Ankeny