Competition is heating up for the 2010 third annual Battle of the Ad Bands as the lineup is announced and rockers get ready to, erm, rock.
99 and its band, Account Dracula, are strangely absent from the list, along with their legendary tutus. (See pic of the lineup picking, below.)
DraftFCB, HainesAttract, Skull ‘n Bones and ColensAIM are notable debutantes this year.
Curiously, two agencies still haven’t announced their band names and still appear as TBC on the list. Is TBC the new TBWA?
Happily, speaking of TBWA, the agency has embraced its punctuation and labelled its band Backslash. Even better than last year’s “Bitchiker”. (Or is that Bitchhiker? This’ll keep MC Grammar up all night.)
The only other agency to compete for name kudos is ColensAIM with The College Thrills (geddit?).
So far, insider smack talk has been around CAANZ’s new rule – the wild card song.
Each agency has been assigned a song to play, finding out which song with just a few weeks to the big night.
While Account Dracula has been retired, two old stalwarts are back for the bash. Ogilvy’s doing double time with The Hathaways and Barnes, Catmur & Friends are pulling out Friends Electric once more.
Their strengths? The Hathaways has already had a bit of practice and some good publicity on The Ad Show. Friends Electric has matching shirts.
Ogilvy’s even gone to the trouble of changing their names by deed poll. (Ahem. Stretching the truth there slightly.) They’re now Desmond Hathaway (the vocalist formerly known as Damon O’Leary, creative director); Maurice Hathaway (Nich Cunningham on guitar); Jimmy Hathaway (PR muffin Brendan Boughen on bass); John Keith aka JK (Gary Horne on drums) and Nancy Hathaway (Bex Riley, receptionist extraordinaire, on keys and BVs).
Jimmy Hathaway told NBR the change of name is to demonstrate how committed the band really is to BOTAB.
Jimmy reckons the band is happy with the Kiwi song they’ve been assigned to play.
“We know what everyone else has been assigned, and while we’re happy, I wonder what some of the others think about theirs!
“It’s going to be an extra interesting gig this year because of the wild card rule.”
Jimmy revealed The Hathaways had a jam on Saturday, where they formulated a message for their competitors:
“Bring it.”
99 had a wry dig at the band after lead vocalist Desmond made comments about Account Dracula’s 2009 tutus recently. It had the honour of designing this year’s poster, and thus included a caricature of Desmond wearing a tutu and a Hathaways T-shirt and coming to a strangulated end.
As for BC&F and Friends Electric? Word has it that immediately following the Friends’ last epic performance at the Battle of the Ad Bands in 2009, British pop rock outfit The Verve declared they would no longer make music. Frontman Barnesy reckons it’s not a coincidence.
The band has had a chance to find themselves since their last performance almost 12 months ago.
"Usually on other people’s floors in puddles of Chartreuse,” chimes in singer Ruthanasia.
Thankfully, they've masterfully avoided the common rock hazards of plane crashes, mansion addictions, and improving through relentless gigging.
"Practicing, and learning an instrument generally, gets in the way of your spontaneous artistic expression,” Barnesy said. “So we avoid it."
Insiders say this approach gives the band’s current set a “jazz-like” quality.
The band has seen some changes during the past year. Bassist Brad “Stratomaster” Stratton took some time out to record a solo project of bubblegum pop classics with a Mongolian nose flute orchestra.
"Our PR person said I should do an interesting ethnic side project," said The Master. "And it was easy because they’re actually based in Mt Roskill."
In other Friends Electric news, preparations for next Thursday’s gig have included thawing lead guitarist Skip Shredder out of a giant block of ice.
“I had a dream I was in a giant block of ice,” he muses, while restringing his impressive instrument on a pile of Siberian tiger skins.
A time machine was also used to bring Barnesy back from the distant future - which, according to him, will be just like the early 1970s.
"Either that or it was that beer I spilt on the control panel.”
So has excessive fame and adoration changed the Friends much?
Manager Paul “The Cat” Catmur said no.
"Look, you get to a point in this business where the band was losing touch with the fans. It's great to be back playing the smaller clubs again, with everyone traveling together with the gear in the back of an old Bedford van," Catmur said, as he waved to the band from an enormous, blonde-filled limousine.
Cowbell-iste Franz Schuberth, back for another round, agrees.
"We’re worshipped for a reason and I think if you want to see how it hasn’t gone to our head you should come to the show and see how f****** awesome we still are.”
As for DDB’s epic entry, Smartbomb? Its pole-dancing days might be well and truly over.
DDB ECD Toby Rockamuffin Talbot told NBR that work has gotten in the way of a Smartbomb reappearance.
“In the three years I’ve been in the ages, we’ve never been so busy. Work gets in the way of everything. Jack is a dull boy here at the moment.”
However, all is not lost, especially with the recent arrival of managing director Justin Mowday.
“Mowday’s here now and his first day here I said can you help us have fun, because we’ve forgotten how to.”
There’s hope yet.
Meanwhile, industry folk have noticed an ad by Marsden Inch recruitment in last week’s Fastline (see pic) asking for a junior suit, no experience, must play drums.
This year the judges will be John Campbell (mahhhvellous), Karyn Hay and Andrew Fagan. Rock and roll.
It’s not long until the gig on August 19, so get your skates on if you want tix. Contact Lauren at CAANZ to get sorted, $35.