Victor Dimisich Band ‎– Mekong Delta Blues (1988)

The Victor Dimisich Band was without a doubt a Christchurch band. 1980 and 1981 were the years of greatest activity. They played a number of 'gigs' at a pub called "The Gladstone", often over a three-night stint, with two other bands on the bill. The 'headlining' spot being rotated each night. Steven Cogle, Allen Meek, Tony O'Grady and Peter Stapleton would generally set up on the stage unassumingly, but once in gear the sound was like a runaway rollercoaster - rushing dips and fragile peaks, but somehow following a chosen direction on the night. Their sole studio legacy was a 5-track EP which came out in 1982 on Flying Nun. This recording demonstrates (with rare aural clarity) the genuine songwriting prowess of Steven Cogle and Peter Stapleton. The Victor Dimisich Band’s recordings (an original Flying Nun EP and the extremely lo-fi live document Mekong Delta Blues – a cassette only Xpressway release) are highly collectable and very hard to find (despite being reissued with bonus tracks in 1997 on the Medication label), and show Cogle and Stapleton just developing their dark and morbid style (after spending time with Bill Direen‘s many bands).

Music here