News

Bang Bang Eche's Hometown Destroyed By Earthquake

7th Sep 2010

The New Zealand band Bang Bang Eche was fortunate to make it through the 7.1 earthquake that hit its hometown of Christchurch Saturday, 4 September. Zach Doney (vocals) and James Sullivan (drums) were both asleep at home when the massive quake struck the region. Bassist T’Nealle Worsly and guitar player Charlie Ryder were overseas at the time, having remained in Europe after Bang Bang Eche’s recent three-month-long tour playing music festivals across the continent.

James, who lives in Central City in the middle of the devastation, has been unable to maintain regular contact with the outside world. Zach says, “Most of the buildings that have come down are businesses. If you drive down the street in any direction pretty soon you start seeing yellow Xs and 'NO' sprayed onto the doors of at-risk buildings and then you turn the corner and the two stories of the TV place and a restaurant are now one story and it's all spilled out onto the road.”

Even in the rumble, some residents are able to maintain a sense of humor. Where one house used to stand is now a sign that reads, “Tours: $1 for 5 minutes.”

Being from the second-largest city in New Zealand comes with as much pride as it does small-town animosity. Zach says, “They built Christchurch like it was an English city with bricks and chimneys and brick chimneys and now those chimneys are lying about in the street and everyone is going to get new brick pathways for their new tiered gardens.”

But until then, he continues, “A builder told my flatmates not to sleep in their room because the chimney next door looks like a late-game Jenga puzzle and it's going to come down through their window.”

Bang Bang Eche have two releases, Bang! Bang! Eche! in 2008 and Sonic Death Cuntttt in 2009. Both were lauded by tastemakers across the globe including NME, triple j, KEXP and many others. Presuming there is still a studio in which the band can record, Bang Bang Eche will commence work on a full-length album as soon as the rest of the band is able to return to Christchurch.