The Velvet Regime
Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand | INDIE
Music
Press
Post-punk with a early '80s sound and influence. While the general feel of the vocals and melodies is melancholic, it's saved from being a downer by the high energy and mid to fast tempos. I can here elements of Evermore in the Regime's sound. There are some interesting guitar sonics, noticeably evident in 'There Is A Light'. Certainly worth checking out. - Rip it Up NZ
Velvet Regime consists of four high school guys from Wellington who have been getting quite a bit of press lately, (partly as a result of being in the Smokefree Rockquest final this year), and rightly so. There are only four songs here and it’s just not enough, the band’s energy is enormous. Opener Untitled (Joel‘s Song) is by far the stand out, indie music at its finest, with a bit of extra swagger. The rest of the EP follows suit, with fine performances from each of the band members on each track. The guitars are explosive, bass lines catchy and the vocal melodies are cleverly done – each of the instruments allowed plenty of attention – and almost the entire production process was handled by the band; recording, mixing and mastering. Laudable, but of anything here the production does let them down. I don’t think this will be a problem though, with all the attention they’re getting at the moment they’ll be in the studio in no time, churning out their first velvet hit album. - NZ Musician
"There is a Light: A Gig for Christchurch, held at Wellington youth venue Zeal last weekend, was organised by members of Naenae alternative/indie band The Velvet Regime. “We planned this a few days after the quake started,” says Jeffrey Dorresteyn, The Velvet Regime’s manager (16). Wellington regional bands and solo artists from a range of musical genres performed."
- Angie Mills - Newswire.co.nz
"A four piece indie-alt band from Naenae College and Hutt Valley High School won the 2011 Smokefreerockquest Wellington regional final at the Wellington Town Hall on Saturday night. Velvet Regime vocalist Nigel Martinez said two of the group had learnt from previous attempts. ''We realised stage presence, style and image are a big part of the performance and you need to have the whole package.'' As well as standing out in black outfits they also had a style is more focussed on guitar and bass rather than vocals."
- Hank Schouten - The Dominion Post
Discography
thevelvetregime.bandcamp.com
Photos
Bio
The Velvet Regime are an indie alternative 4 piece from Wellington, New Zealand consisting of (L-R) Stefan Poad, Jason Reder, Nigel Martinez and Joel Averes. They formed in 2009 with a different line up. At a national high school battle of the bands competition, the Smokefree Rockquest, in 2010 they took their music a step further. They placed in the Top 20 nationwide.
Soon after, the original drummer and guitarist left the band, due to personal reasons. Shortly they performed as an acoustic duo; but it wasn’t long until, Stefan Poad (guitars/vocals) and Jason Reder (drums) joined founding members Joel Averes (bass) and Nigel Martinez (vocals/guitars) to write and record what would be their independently recorded and released debut EP. Inspired by classic bands such as The Doors and The Beatles, and contemporary artists like The Strokes, Interpol and Arctic Monkeys, their EP received warm praise from their growing fan base and the press.
Their unique sound helped them take out the 2011 SFRQ Wellington regionals, and get chosen as one of the Top 6 Finalists. They won the Lowdown Best Song award and recorded their first single at Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studios in Auckland mid-October. They also appeared on national television for the SFRQ show, and the Erin Simpson Show. For the rest of the year they played at several events around Wellington including at the Rugby World Cup Fanzone Stage where they opened for The Phoenix Foundation, the Youth Pride Awards, and many more.
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Their winning song "There Is A Light" was released on iTunes, Amazon and other digital retailers on February 24, 2012. An independently funded music video was shot for 'There Is A Light' later on, and was released online last May. The song and the band were featured on Cardinal Playlists (Hypemachine blog), The Underground Roar (podcast), The Hutt News, Dominion Post, Upper Hutt Leader (newspapers), et al. And the song also received moderate airplay on community radio stations around Wellington. This increased exposure led to their signing with independent publishing company Southern Collective Music, found by Welsh musician Jack Grabham who was originally based in London.
For the rest of the year, they plan on getting a grant from NZ On Air for a new single/video, playing more shows around the country, and performing at various music festivals. Their dedication and passion for the art has drives them to continue to perform, write more songs, and spread their music.
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