We may not be very familiar with Goodnight Nurse here in Oz, but over in New Zealand these four boys are revered and highly sought after. Their debut album Always and Never went gold only a week after it was released and spent six weeks in the Top 40 New Zealand album chart.
Their sophomore album Keep Me On Your Side has already proven to be another massive hit in their mother country with the single The Night becoming on of the most played songs on NZ radio, having remained in the top forty for a record ten weeks. So how does it feel knowing that you have such a loyal fan base behind you? “It’s been awesome. We weren’t expecting to go that far,” comments lead vocalist Joel Little in his slight Kiwi accent.
The band formed back in 2001, consisting originally as a three-piece. When former bass player Paul Taite decided to depart the band in early 2007, Little and his fellow band members decided to become a foursome when they added Sam McCarthy on guitar and Rowan Crowe on bass. “It was his [Taite’s] decision. As a band you live an up and down lifestyle, if your hearts not in it then you don’t stand a chance. He wanted a more regular lifestyle,” declares Little on Taite’s abrupt exit from the band.
Goodnight Nurse has fast become renowned for their jam-packed tours. In 2004, the boys embarked on the Boost Mobile NZ Schools Tour, performing 120 shows in only five months – making history in NZ. They also did a staggering 32 live shows across their homeland in 35 days when they toured with Steriogram and 48May in 2005.
Little comments on how hectic it was doing the record-breaking Boost Mobile tour. “It was insane! But you do what you gotta do when you’re in a band. You have to take what you can get cause you don’t know when you might stop getting gigs altogether, you know?”
Being a Kiwi band trying to make it in Australia, I wondered if the guys had ever been caught in the middle of the rivalry. However, Little assured me that while there is competitiveness between the two neighbouring countries, that it’s all just fun and games. “Everyone is just taking the piss,” he says with a chuckle.
One question that I just had to ask: why on earth would this punk rock band feel the need to do a cover of Kelis’ Milkshake? “We thought it would be fun to do something different. We did the cover four years ago and people are still discovering it on YouTube. At concerts people actually request us to play it. It’s kinda weird.”
If you like Blink 182, NOFX or No Use For A Name, then make sure you check out Goodnight Nurse when their album Keep Me On Your Side gets released in Australia on Saturday the 19th of July. Or better yet, catch them as they tour around Oz with The Getaway Plan. And for Adelaide fans who missed out on seeing the boys as they couldn’t make it to SA due to prior commitments, don’t fret, as Little assures that they will return to do a full Aussie tour hopefully very soon.
The Getaway Plan and Goodnight Nurse touch down at the following venues in coming weeks:
THURSDAY 10 JULY – The Venue, Canberra (ACT) Lic/AA
FRIDAY 11 JULY – Waves, Wollongong (NSW) U/18 Day 18+ Night
SATURDAY 12 JULY – The Annandale, Sydney (NSW) U/18 Day 18+ Night
WEDNESDAY 16 JULY – Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle (NSW) 18+
THURSDAY 17 JULY – Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour (NSW) 18+
FRIDAY 18 JULY – Sands Tavern, Maroochydore (QLD) 18+
SATURDAY 19 JULY – The Zoo, Brisbane (QLD) 18+
FRIDAY 25 JULY – Tanks Art Centre, Cairns (QLD) Lic/AA
FRIDAY 1 AUGUST – Republic Bar, Hobart (TAS) 18+
SATURDAY 2 AUGUST – Batman Fawkner, Launceston (TAS) 18+
SUNDAY 3 AUGUST – Batman Fawkner, Launceston (TAS) U/18
