ANGELO MUNRO of BLEEDERS: The Big Celebration
An interview by Tim Gruar.
Fans are ecstatic that Tāmaki Makarau noise-meisters, Bleeders are returning to the stage this May to mark 20 years since the release of their groundbreaking e.p. ’A Bleeding Heart’. On this national tour they will perform all 7 songs from the debut, front to back, followed by a selection of songs from their other albums and a few choice covers from the bands that’ve had a huge influence on the band.
I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to chat with the band’s front man Angelo Munro recently about going back to move forward.
So, here we go. Let’s jump back to 2003. The Prime Minister is Helen Clark. Our population reached four million. Tom Cruise made a big noise in ‘The Last Samurai’, which was filmed in Taranaki. Canterbury finally lost the Ranfurly Shield (to Auckland) after 23 consecutive wins. Tails between their legs, the All Blacks lost to Aussie and had to make do with third place, in the World Cup. Alinghi, skippered by the treacherous Russell Coutts, annihilated Team New Zealand 5–0 to win the America’s Cup. ‘Album of the Year’ (and ‘Breakthrough Artists’) is The Datsuns’ self-titled debut and ‘Single of the Year’ is Goodshirt’s ‘Sophie’. And beavering away in a small, dingy rehearsal space is a new band, called Bleeders (vocalist Angelo Munro; guitarists Ian King and Hadleigh Donald – later Aaron Goddard; bassist Gareth Stack and drummer George Clark), born from the embers of previous punk/hardcore bands such as DSM, Evil Priest, Smooth Jimmies, Kid Nuisance and AOV.
Munro tells me that the band began around late 2002/early 2003, inspired by melodic West Coast Hardcore and East Coast rock. They started small, playing smaller venues but soon grew to support bands such as Avenged Sevenfold, AFI and Good Charlotte. They’ve also supported big names like Mötorhead, Alexisonfire and the Finnish ‘love metallers’, HIM.
“We’ve always loved punk, hardcore and that – since we were teenagers.” Munro says he was weaned on live acts like Nothing at All, Sticky Filth and Kistch. “We all played in heaps of other bands and I was doing stuff with other hardcore bands around the time we got started (as Bleeders). But as far as we knew, nobody had done any West Coast hardcore punk crossover at that time. It was all harder edge material. I was keen to do music that was more melodic – not sing along but, you know? Like AFI and Good Riddance or Strung Out. That made some kind of sense to me.”
Recorded at the legendary York Street Studios in Parnell, and produced by Steve Roberts, their debut e.p. ‘A Bleeding Heart’ was the perfect showcase for this new style, says Munro. “What we were doing was kinda ‘pre- Emo’. Those bands hadn’t really taken hold yet. So, we had that ‘space’ to ourselves.”
The release was a severe seven song selection of ‘pure aggression, emotion, and everything in between’, which twenty years later is now an alt-music collector’s essential favourite.
The e.p. proved to be ground breaking for the genre, racking up thousands of units, selling out shows and making a name for independent label elevenfiftyseven. It also paved the way for the band to sign up with big hitters, Universal Records, who then backed them for 2 albums.
In 2005, Bleeders were recording at Big Blue Meenie Recording Studios in New Jersey with renowned producer Sal Villanueva (Thursday, Taking Back Sunday, Skarhead). “His skill, if you call it that,” Munro acknowledges, “is to work with the band and help get that crossover sound, helps reach a wider audience.”
“It was a good time for us. ‘As Sweet As Sin’ made “Gold” status and won us ‘Breakthrough Artist’ and ‘Best Rock album’ at the 2006 NZ Music Awards.” It also debuted at No.2 on the top 40 charts. It looked like they were really going somewhere. And other Bands like Shihad and Blindspott were also getting attention. It was a good time for harder Rock. Radio was starting to notice, too. “I thought that maybe we can take this music somewhere and have a crack.“
In 2007 they released their self-titled sophomore effort, this time remaining at home, back at York St. Clint Murphy on production. It was also a chance to bring back the raw aggression of their live shows. “That was the formula – in the past it worked for us. I’m not saying the big production was wrong for us, because it wasn’t. It was just different. As we evolve, we are trying different stuff, sounds, combinations. It had rock crossover, as we love classic rock’n’roll, and the radio seemed to play it, which was a bonus.“
“I think we really got this right.” The album, which spawned crowd pleasers like ‘She Screamed She Loved Me’ meant they could hold onto their loyal fans and still reach new ears. “It’s still one of our proudest efforts to date.”
Munro glosses over the band’s time in Toronto, during 2009, where they were based for a year, so they could concentrate on playing to the Canadian and the North American market. “It was good. But it eventfully fizzled out (the grind got the better of them and they disbanded in Dec 2009). We needed to grow up and get day jobs. We are all with family and commitments now. As a band, most of us are still in Auckland, or around there – except for George, who’s in Aussie.”
There were a couple of reunions – in 2012 and again in 2016 for sold-out shows at Auckland’s legendary Kings Arms (RIP). “That let us know we weren’t forgotten and that’s a really cool thing. When we rehearse, it’s all muscle memory. A few re-caps and then we’re are off! I think my singing has got better. George’s drumming these days is insane.”
In 2019 the band reformed. They released a song called “Darkness Falls”. “This was us going back to our garage punk roots. We got together again with the original record company (elevenfiftyseven).” The song was a taster to the ‘Delusions’ e.p. Alongside digital versions there was a limited edition 12 inch Vinyl with the b-side being a re-mastered version of the ‘A Bleeding Heart’ e.p.
Being independent has its advantages. “We’ve had the chance to do big production and independent releases. Today it’s about doing what we want. We fund it but are not under the pressures of a big studio. Sure, it’s not the toys, the producers, the budget. But we have creative freedoms, too. Both have their upsides. For us, now, we’ve enjoyed getting back to that.” He means the spirit of ‘punk DIY’ that the original e.p. was created in.
“We were set to go off on a triumphant tour,” he laughs. 2019/20 was their ‘Delusions’ tour where they played a string of shows throughout the motu until they were halted by the dreaded virus.
So, this year is a refresher and a celebration, Munro says. “What we want to focus on is this is a celebration of the 20 years of ep. There are some songs (like ‘Bleeding Heart’ and ‘All That Glitters’) that are in our sets all the time. But then there are some we haven’t done for ages (like ‘Channelling’, ‘Cast In The Shadows’, ‘Sellout’).”
Munro admits that everyone is going retro/nostalgia lately. As we get older, we look back on our earlier works with some fondness. “But why now? It’s 20 years since that e.p. came out. That will be just like the early days. But we’ve not done the whole thing as it was recorded, straight through. And there will be some favourite from other albums and a bit of a homage to our influences with some our favourite songs by other bands, too.” “The whole show,” he says, “will be a big celebration!”
So, once they’ve toured, then what? “Well,” says Munro, “We’re excited that we’ve been invited to take part in Waiata Anthems, recording at Roundhead Studios.” Rounding out a cross-genre representation of some of our most inspirational music makers, Waiata Anthems Week will kick off in September this year. Previous artists include Rob Ruha, Ladi6, Drax Project, Don McGlashan, Holly Smith, Stan Walker, and Ria Hall to name just a few. Last year’s series focused on fifty years after the Māori Language Petition (30,000 signatures calling for active recognition of te reo Māori). That then will continue this year, with recorded music and documentaries telling stories of those brave enough to re-record their songs in te reo.
“I’m looking forward to that process. We work with a translator, who gets the themes, the language and the intent of the lyrics and the music right. It’s approved and we re-record in te reo. That’s so exciting. And, yes, it also gives some legitimacy and acceptance to what we’ve been doing.” Plus, te reo played heavy totally rocks! Anyone who’s been to an Alien Weaponry show will be able to confirm. “Yeah!”
Bleeders kick off their A Bleeding Heart 20th Anniversary celebration tour next week in Dunedin on the 5th May, before hitting Christchurch, Auckland and Hamilton before finishing up in Mount Maunganui on the 14th May. Tickets to all shows are still available here but get in quick as they’re selling fast!
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