Interview with Robbie Kay from Salad daze, Bygone era

Hi, my name is Robbie Kay. I played bass guitar in By Gone Era, Salad Daze amongst other side project bands between 1986 - 1992

How did you discover hardcore?

I didn’t discover hardcore as such it was more of a natural progression from punk to hardcore to post hc to grunge.. to ..... I started listening to punk in 1982 when my bro bought home from school from a friend Chris Chong The Clash 1st album, Sex Pistols amongst others and this music just... resonated. It was me, my generation, rather than that commercial sappy shit songs we were bombarded with on the radio, which I couldn’t relate to, and archaic dinosaur rock from the, ‘70s at that time. Punk was something new and exciting.

We, us Glenfield punks, couldn’t get enough of punk. Through fanzines and especially MRR, Maximum Rock n Roll, we were exposed to bands worldwide happening at that particular time. Their monthly fanzine was packed with scene reports, interviews, record reviews and most importantly their 'classified ads' section which you could contact like-minded people from around the world to trade and buy music. It’s important to say MRR was the epicentre of Worldwide punk/hc. It exposed us to music and gave us all a worldwide perspective of what was happening AT that time.

I have to also mention as well as MRR, Flipside, Suburban Voice magazines there were the fanzines, which were basically fan made produced street-level photocopied a4 booklets which had interviews with more of the local not so popular bands and write-ups on political, social issues. These fanzines were just as important as the more commercial magazines. We also sourced news & releases, especially what was happening in the UK scene, from The NME & Sounds weekly music publications, which gave us a report of what was happening from their local pop/alt music perspective. We picked these up, or read in-store, from record stores in the city, although though they were 3-6 months out of date....

In the mid-1980s there was a radio show on Student radio 91.8fm, before it changed its name to BFM, which was called The Resurrection Punk Show, Thursday Nights 7.00pm, Yes, punk rock got good time slots on BFM back then. The show was run by Neil Cartwright. For us, his show was a bible to being introduced to new bands from around the world. He played punk, hc from all over. Neil was the main man in Auckland, at least who was on to it as far as worldwide hardcore / punk goes. He played so many new bands and exposed us to so much stuff. People dont give this guy enough credit on how much the influenced the local punk / hc scene back then!

He, and friends, ran a fanzine called 'One World' which interviewed the overseas/local punk and hc bands. He was passionate as hc as you are now Gareth and what I was back in the day. He was also associated closely with Armatrak, who back in the mid 1980's, were the only, what now you'd call American Hardcore, band at the time, ie heavily influenced only by the American punk bands 7-seconds, Minor Threat, Black Flag, DK's etc. I saw Armatrak a few times and being a punk the first thing which struck was that these guys were playing punk/fast music and wearing jeans, sneakers etc.. unlike us who were still totally influenced by the UK 2nd 3rd wave punk bands.

Now, from our perspective, this may differ from other peoples view of the scene at the time, in the1980's punk and hardcore were the same. If you were into bands like DK's Minor Threat etc, that music STILL came under the 'Punk' category whatever your look was. There was no difference ! There was no Punk or Hardcore separate genres, we were all under the PUNK category. If you were termed /classed as 'hardcore' it meant you were decked out with spikes, mohawk, boots and leather jackets which took on that UK punk image. It was only until the late 1980's that hardcore took on its own definition - thrash beats, punk on speed with a more jeans, sneakers, tee shirts look rather than that of boots and spikey hair black clothing.

Salad Daze & By Gone Era were a big influence in the early 1990's hardcore scene. Can you share some memories on this?

1987- I quit work at 19yrs old and went to the UK and USA for 6-weeks Jun/July 1987. When I left I was heavily into that UK early 1980's punk & Anarcho scene. I had left to go for a holiday. If we saw any bands it would’ve been a bonus. So, by chance one of my favorite bands were advertised to play - Anarcho band Conflict. The show was in a polytechnic south London. We arrived at the venue and It could have been the Auckland University Cafe - similar size, same looking, sounding people. I was expecting to be blown away, but no, it was all too stale and gloomy, doomy .... it didn’t do anything for me ........ Was Punk dead !?

The week before we saw The Stupids, a UK hc band who were Boston, DC hardcore influenced and so different to the punk bands who I was used to. These guys were skater dudes…. cough cough, shorts tees and sneakers so fresh, fun & positive. Ed Shred on stage was the Elastic man - jumping, bending, full on guitar freak. Tommy Stupids’ frenetic fast style of drumming reinforced my 'Punk ain’t dead reckoning'! These guys hadn't 'moved' me since seeing the Fold Windsor Hotel Thurs Night 1984 ! ! ... This new sound was me! We left that show to go home doing hc 'guitar' jumps down the Manor House London Tube walkways.

Aug.1987 - Back in NZ I went back through my music back catalogues and rediscovered the Minor Threats, 7-seconds, Dag Nastys'. These bands were always there but seemed so much more relevant now. For me, that whole UK old punk sound scene had died and now it was to delve into something more positive and progressive.

I was still playing in BGE and came back with fresh ideas and scope. I hooked Rowan and Richard on to how we need to sound and started writing new songs. Rowan & I were the drivers of the band and thought this how we needed to sound. Along with our old songs, which were still relevant, I wrote new, what you'd call' hardcore songs. The first one being as rowans lyrics ' NY Murder'.....More hc songs followed which we incorporated into our existing set. Exciting times.

So, with BGE splitting in 1989 Simon, Luke and I started up a band – Salad Daze. I still had the energy to keep on going with something musically, so many ideas. We finally found a singer Kieran.C. who was recommended to us by ???? who was some Akld Town Hall skater kid living in a Mount St squalor who liked Misfits and Glen Danzig !!!! We soon put him right! So here we were, 4-kids in jeans tees and sneakers playing fast hardcore music. I had written 4-songs and someone said 'can you play my 21st?' Ummm ok - no pressure’. Miles Gillette replaced Luke on drums in 1991

My Top 5 records - Too many to mention but here goes:

The Stupids - all their stuff

Government Issue - You

Dag Nasty - Can I Say

Quicksand - Slip

MDC- 1st Album

Any others stories ?

When i went to London on holiday in 1987. Rob, my mate, & I went to see a few bands during our time there inc The Stupids at The Sir George Robey. It was a small venue similar to Kings Arms where many bands/overseas bands played. When we walked in I recognised straight away one of my favourite bands bass player, Dwayne from Flesh D Vice.... Here we are on the other side of the world in this small punk venue and there was someone I recognised from back home. I just had to go to speak to him. Being nervous I went up to him and introduced myself to him. He wasn’t the scary bass player guy from the FDV videos, he was the friendliest guy. We had a great chat. When I went back to London for a more permanent stay in 1988 I bumped into him again at gigs. He still remembered me.

My last weekend in London I left London in 1988 a new DC band was advertised play George Robey - Fugazi... oh well...

The 'scene' today:

I hear people saying 'the scene isn’t liked it used to be'.. BULLSHIT !, Its there just like it was back in our day and will always be, you just have to SEARCH for it.

If there was one NZ band you wish you could have seen live who would it be and why?

I wish I could’ve seen The Enemy playing in the late 1970's. Chris Knox in his youthful prime, obnoxious, his energy on stage.... jeez, that would’ve been an event!