When is a boy band not a boy band? When they rock our and make own damn music, like Kiwi band Zed. "We're as far as you get from the Backstreet Boys," says bassist Ben Cambpell. "We're 100% creatively in control."
Youthful as they are (zed's average age is 22), the quartet have quickly become NZ's pride and joy. Nathan King (guitar and vocals), Adrian Palmer(drums) and Campbell (bass and vocals), formed in 1996 at Cashmere High School in Christchurch. Andy Lynch voted "New Zealand Guitarist of the Year" at the World Series Guitar Festival in Wellington, joined in April of 2000. Their debut album Silencer entered the NZ charts in August at #1, soon surpassed triple platinum sales, and hasn't left the charts since. Zed swept up Album of the Year, Top Group and Top Male Vocalist at last year's New Zealand Music Awards, and now have six top 20 singles under their belts, including 'Renegade Fighter' which you've probably heard blasting out of a rado on this side of the Tasman.
Silencer is out now in Australia and Zed will tour alongside Coldplay in August. Zed's favoured Australian gig so far was the Universal Appeal concert with Bon Jovi in March, held at Colonial Stadium in front of 20,000 people. "It was cool, man," Campbell reflects, grinnng. Bon Jovi "rolled up in his limo, played in his gold pants, and left" without meeting Zed, but the boys were unfazed. "It was an awesome production - a bit of a dream come true," said Campbell. The response from Aussies has been positive he adds. "The radio DJs are already talking about adopting us."
Zed were one of only three international bands
signed last December to US giant Interscope Records, who represent U2,
Marilyn Manson and Eminem. "People are calling [Andy] wee Bob Marley,"
laughs Campbell, quickly waving it off - "Don't put that in, actually -
that sounds arrogant." No worries, Campbell - that's one comparrison the
boy bands will never hear.
- there was also a pic to go with it, but
Andy's eyes are half closed, Ben's head looks too big and Age is half in
shadow, it wasn't a good pic.
Do you know how we keep warm in Russia?
I can guess, baby.
I guessed wrong.