A phenomenon reprised

Supergroove are enjoying playing classy joints for which people get dressed up. Photo: Paul Taylor

They’ve called it "The Phenomenon Tour", and with good reason. A phenomenon is undeniably what Supergroove were, back in the ’90s.

A group of Auckland boys who took the airwaves by storm with their infectious mix of hip-hop and funk.

Now almost two decades later, this is Supergroove’s victory tour. And it’s Supergroove on steroids, because on top of the original seven-piece lineup, they’ve roped musician friends King Kapisi, Troy Kingi and Ruby Du into the band. As well as delivering Supergroove’s hit-strewn back catalogue, the supergroup will be playing full-band versions of songs from each guest musician. Yes, that’s right — your chance to hear King Kapisi’s Screems from da Old Plantation with a live band.

Nick Atkinson, Supergroove’s saxophone player, says this is the first time the band has toured on their own terms. He says Supergroove is more accustomed to "Portaloo gigs" — outdoor half-hour sets, during the day, as part of a big festival. Atkinson says now people can finally experience the distinctive visual flavour of Supergroove — the retro, deliberately low-resolution artwork and branding are all their own.

"It celebrates the low-down dirty blues band that we came from, and the hip-hop pixelated glamour of the ’80s," he says.

This may be where their roots lie, but "The Phenomenon Tour" is a lavish affair.

"It feels like a real treat — now we’re at classy joints in the centre of town with proscenium arches, and people are getting dressed up," says Atkinson.

"And the crew are all such pros."

He’s reluctant to give too much away, but hints at the big-budget delights that await.

"King Kapisi gets rolled off the stage on a custom-made DJ table," he reveals.

Atkinson says lots of new, younger fans are showing up to the tour, as well as some "funny faces" from back in the day.

"There were some hardcore fans from Eketahuna who used to follow the band and knit us Eketahuna memorabilia," he says.

"Last week in Rotorua we saw two of them again."

The Supergroove origin story sees an early incarnation of the band forming while the members were still at high school in Auckland and obsessed with The Blues Brothers movie.

"We would even dress like them. There were no harmonicas in my briefcase though, just social studies books," Atkinson says.

He says in the early days of their burgeoning success, Supergroove had a "burning ambition" to be a world class, international band. They would often play three gigs a day without complaint. A school show first, with a huge set and full production; a smaller shorter set at a record store; then a proper evening gig at a venue.

Atkinson has some unforgettable memories of this era — being chased out of a West Coast venue by an audience wild for more, and the complete destruction of an Invercargill bar’s Grecco-Roman style balustrade.

"Luckily, the owner said he never liked it anyway," Atkinson says.

Supergroove managed to get a serious taste of the big time for which they were striving. Traction was Aotearoa’s No1 album for a month in June 1994 and on the back of this success they were signed to BGM. The record label made them an "international priority band" and whisked them away on an extensive international tour.

During this era the band’s hit singles, including Can’t Get Enough, Scorpio Girls, You Gotta Know and Sitting Inside my Head were ubiquitous on Aotearoa’s airwaves. With their funky brass and infectiously catchy choruses, they sounded remarkably slick for a Kiwi band at that time.

Platinum hit Can’t Get Enough thoroughly tickled listeners with the deadpan, newscaster-style line: "Having an abundance of platonic relationships, reminiscent of my man Mike Plato".

Atkinson finally puts to rest the long-running speculation around the cameo — it was delivered by TVNZ 2 announcer Warren Thomas. And in typically irreverent Supergroove style, they’ve simply given the philosopher Plato a made-up first name. After these halcyon days, the band fell apart in 1997. This was soon after they kicked out vocalist Che Fu and trumpet player Tim Stewart in an attempt to move away from their party-band sound. A remarkably honest press release accompanied their break-up, which stated that the band had forgotten how to have fun.

"We felt trapped by the band machine," Atkinson says.

"We weren’t cool or mature enough to prioritise relationships before the band."

But it’s obvious Supergroove are having fun again — the weight has been lifted from their shoulders.

Atkinson tells me they’ve been messing around with their fancy, neon Supergroove sign.

"You can turn the letters on and off to spell other funny words," he chuckles. But the band is still cutthroat about the important things, and it’s each man for himself at lunch time.

Atkinson, when pressed, concocts a band motto: "If you eat the pizza too slowly, you only get one slice!".

A motto which — when applied more broadly — is a recipe for success in the competitive music world, and might just explain why Supergroove are still the phenomenon they are.