Formed in Christchurch in 1981, original New Zealand punks Desperate Measures only left behind a 7” single and a split cassette album during their original tenure, so there was always a feeling of unfinished business hanging over the band. Rebooted for the new millennium, they’re back and picking up right where they left off, and with no signs of slowing down, have rendered themselves a contemporary force, and one not content to rest upon past glories. With much mayhem planned for the coming year, we had to catch up with vocalist Eugene Butcher and drummer James Sherry to get the latest news.
It has been 10 years since the band returned from hiatus. That’s a good time to stop, briefly look back at the past decade. Are you happy with what you’ve achieved in that time?
James: Definitely, I’m really happy with what we achieved. We made a really good album, played with so many great bands and groups we all love, and toured all around the country. It’s been amazing.
Eugene: Yes, in 2016, we reformed the band in London. It’s been a blast. We did a tour with The Professionals, then The Cosmic Psychos in Australia, played some big stages and festivals. We couldn’t have asked for more. It’s gone very well.
James: When I joined, it was just playing the material from when the band was based in New Zealand during their original incarnation, then we had a guitarist called Gaff who joined us, and that was when we started writing a lot more new stuff, recording the album and started to push the band forward into the sound that we have now.
Eugene: Gaff and I wrote a lot of the songs during the Covid lockdown. We lived together and put the album [Sublime Destruction] together, which we are really pleased with. We did a lot of gigs with Gaff, and he made a great contribution to the group; we wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for his input.
James: For many bands, lockdown was an absolute disaster, but for us, it was the one thing we were allowed to do. We couldn’t play any gigs, but we could get together to write and rehearse, so we focused on that. So, when things opened up again, we were raring to go and went straight out on the road, and we had all these new songs to play, and that tour with The Professionals really made us as a band; 15 shows in a row and by the end of that, we were really tight.
Eugene: There were a few punch-ups, lots of arguments, lots of alcohol abuse…it was everything a proper tour should be!
Since that tour with The Professionals, you’ve had a few changes in the lineup. How do you feel this new lineup gels?
James: Phil ‘Roadkill’ Able is now on bass, and he’s been with us for 18 months. There was an episode in Finland which resulted in our former bassist leaving the band: we played a big festival that went really well, but there was some stuff that went on that made us think we should part ways. Phil’s been in lots of bands; Stereo Juggernaut, Generation Graveyard, and he brings a glam, rock ‘n’ roll vibe. We have an interim guitarist who we are going to be playing with tonight, but we have a new guitarist going forward, and we have a bunch of new songs lined up and ready to go.
Band chemistry is a fine art, and it’s hard to get that mixture right, but it sounds like you’ve struck lucky again.
James: All the people who’ve been in the band, we are friends with. In 10 years, people are always going to come and go: Gaff wanted to do his own thing; he was always more of an indie kid; he wanted to do something more in that style.
Eugene: We’ve got big hopes for this lineup. There’s a new EP planned, pencilled in for May, and a vinyl release of all the original material coming out on Radiation Records. There’s quite a lot going on, so we want to jump on the back of that and get touring.
Musically, you all have diverse backgrounds, so how do you bring them together into a cohesive sound?
James: We all love rock ‘n’ roll at the end of the day, and the band is fun, that’s the main thing, we have a laugh all the time.
Eugene: It’s also a lot of hard work, we still take it pretty seriously, but with regards to the sound coming together, it’s a garage rock ‘n’ roll punk thing: The Stooges, early The Damned, Dead Boys, that’s the thing we all love, and which unites us.
You have classic influences with a contemporary sound. How so?
James: Somehow, when we play it, it just ends up sounding like us; it all goes through the “Measures Mangle”!
Eugene: We are lucky enough to work with a guy called Andy Brook, who has produced some really big bands, and he’s added a lot of spice to our recordings and given us a really modern sound. We haven’t been afraid to try a few different things, and while we might all bring different things to the table, cohesively it all sounds like one band. There are a lot of different strands in there, which I think made Sublime Destruction an interesting record.
James: We try to make each song unique: different dynamics, tempos, and moods going in and out to keep it interesting.
Desperate Measures existed before the internet and was reborn in the digital age. How have you adapted to the world of downloads and file sharing?
James: Both Eugene and I work in media, so it feels kind of natural. It’s a big part of our world now; it’s how you build your audience, share your information, publicise your gigs and get your music out there.
Eugene: You’ve really got to push your band, and the internet does help you with that.
It’s now so easy to disseminate music that there’s a kind of “hum”. So, how have you elevated the band to make sure you’re heard above the rest?
James: You just have to get out there and play. The internet only backs up what you are doing in real life. There are some artists who only put out music online and wonder why they don’t have an audience. You have to get on the road and play as many gigs as possible; that’s what it is all about. I don’t think the internet has changed that at all, especially in rock music.
Physical product seems very important to you.
Eugene: Absolutely, we’ll release the EP on CD and the album on vinyl. It helps keep us going on the road, sell a few records and that pays for a hotel. We are totally D.I.Y, and we never had aspirations to be much more than that, but whatever happens, we’ll take it.
James: That really helps. If people come to a gig and they like the band, they want to support them, then they buy a CD or a piece of vinyl, and that’s how you help the band. It’s all about the experience for us, playing with the bands we love, creating things and forging friendships.
Eugene: Far too many bands try to do it professionally when they are only on a medium level, they’re not really enjoying it on the way up, they are trying to aspire to something, and they lose the fun of the whole experience.
You keep a lot of things “in-house” in terms of artwork and music production, so how do you put a distance between yourself and your work and judge things impartially before they are released?
James: With the album, we recorded it with Andy Brook, who worked with Francis Rossi, Bonnie Tyler, Wonk Unit, he was in a band with Gaff called Rich Ragany & The Digressions, that’s how we met him, he’s incredible and made the album come to life, so he gave us the distance on it.
Eugene: We spent a lot of time working with Andy; he was encouraging; we put our 50 cents in, and we got a lot back. We are working with someone else on the new EP, so that’s exciting. The sound is going to be a little different; there might be a few surprises there, so we’re trying to keep pushing it forward, but not being precious and taking advice is how we get that creative distance.
Although your songs veer towards the raucous, they are very well crafted and give the impression that they could be broken down and played acoustically.
Eugene: Well, the songs were written sitting on my couch with Gaff and an acoustic guitar, then we took them to James and the boys and made them electric, so acoustic was their natural state.
And you’ve performed them live acoustically at small shows. How was that?
James: It was really good. They’re classic songs, so they work well stripped down.
You mentioned the sound is moving in a new direction on the next EP?
Eugene: Slightly. It’s still coming from the same place, but I think it might sound a bit like The Lords Of The New Church meets Iggy, as some of the old stuff did anyway, there’ll probably be a cover version on there, and we might even do an anniversary version of ‘1984’, which is an old Desperate Measures song we did back in the day. We might do a 2026 version, because it’s all about Soviet Russia and the Cold War, but it’s more relevant now than ever.
As a band, there’s still a lot to be angry about. Do you draw lyrical inspiration from current events?
Eugene: Yes, along with broken relationships! ‘Scars & Memories’ was about a mate who was messed up on smack, but I think we’ve got quite a political background, and we still stick to that; we can’t help it because there’s so much bullshit going on.
James: If you listen to the old punk stuff from the 1980’s, especially anarcho, those lyrics could have been written now, nothing’s changed, which is horribly depressing.
Eugene: With the richer getting richer and the poorer getting poorer, it is worse now than ever. It’s very irritating, but if you can bring it to people’s attention, why not?
I especially feel sorry for the younger generation. Life is so hard.
James: Definitely. We played with the Subhumans last week, and it was great to see so many young people in the audience. I think they really related to the words, the energy and the anger, and maybe bands from their generation aren’t expressing things in the same way. The thing with those 1980’s bands was that they were so direct, you knew exactly what they were saying, and it wasn’t dressed up as anything else. That gig with the Subhumans at the 100 Club was amazing; there were so many kids there.
Your sound has a crossover appeal; it’s hard enough to please metalheads, and tracks like ‘Flowers At Your Door’ could sate fans of goth. Have you considered branching out and playing Download and Whitby Goth Weekend?
Eugene: I wouldn’t put any shackles on us; we’ll play whatever comes up. We’ve played with all sorts of bands, and one thing I will say about Desperate Measures is that we play with balls, and I think that if you play with conviction, then you can convert anyone.
James: We’ve played with as many rock bands as we have punk.
Do you think that comes from having a punk background, that ethos and attitude?
Eugene: Yes, you just get out there and do it. It’s like fighting in the trenches. We’ll lose a limb for rock ‘n’ roll.
What does the future hold? What’s your next mountain to climb?
James: It’s just keeping things in motion. Keeping a band going is hard.
Eugene: Financially, it’s hard; if you are in this for riches, you’re in the wrong game, but as long as the four of us can get together and enjoy it, that’s the reward. We had a practice yesterday with our new guitarist, and he brought a lot to the table, so we’re enthusiastic again. So, if anyone is out there thinking of starting a band, then do it from your heart and have fun with it.
Finally, as a London-based band, you are flying the flag for the capital’s scene. What’s your verdict on the contemporary scene in London?
James: It’s healthy. There’s stuff you can go to every night, not just London but the whole country.
Eugene: There are a lot of young kids getting into the music, I think it’s because times are so hard, they want an outlet for their anger: take tonight; it’s sold out. There are still a lot of great venues, and it’s an honour to play places like The Hope And Anchor, where so many great bands have played.
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Interview and Photos By Pete Dennis