The Androidss
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The Androidss |
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The Androidss were basically "a party that hit the road" according to founder-member Mark Wilson. Like so many other bands of the era - Toy Love, The Gordons, The Bats and The Playthings, The Androidss trace back to The Basket Cases (aka the Detroit Hemroids), the band formed by Englishman Olly Scott, and an outfit that helped shape much of the famous Flying Nun Records label. |
 The Androidss - Super-active in Christchurch circa 1981 |
 The Androidss - Live at Canterbury University Stud Ass 1981 |
 The Androidss - Live at the DB Gladstone 1981 |
Mark Wilson was part of a gang of friends living in Lincoln Road in Addington, Christchurch, who would go and watch The Basket Cases play at the Gresham, the gang continued to attend after Mark joined the band, and when the Basket Cases split in 1978, Mark went back to Lincoln Road to live, inducing the formation of The Androidss |
 The Androidss - at the Christchurch Arts Centre circa 83 |
 The Androidss - at the Christchurch Arts Centre circa 83 |
 The Androidss - at the Christchurch Arts Centre circa 83 |
 ... at the Christchurch Gasworks, Moorhouse Avenue |
 ... at the old Canterbury University site, Worcester Street |
 ... alive in Auckland |
Mark worked on music with a flatmate, Frank Steentjes, on bass. Eventually the other flatmates joined one by one. First was Eric Marsden (an English import to NZ), who had no musical experience, but wanted to play drums, so Mark taught him the basics, and Eric graduated from cardboard boxes to a real drumkit, developing a manic, hard-hitting style as he did so. Eric's identical twin Steve was the next to join, with a guitar he'd bought from Olly Scott. Wilson's school friend Neil "Nelly" Spence came in as a third guitarist, followed by Neil's brother Mark - a classically trained pianist, on keyboards. Eventually they arrived at a name, after toying with The Lincoln Road Loonies and The Criminals, they became The Androids. Their first public performance was an all-instrumental set in support of Hello Sailor at the Dux De Lux. |
 Androidss - Poster |
 Getting Jumpy RIP 020 Side 1 |
 Getting Jumpy Sleeve |
 Auckland Tonight RIP 020 Side 2 |
 Androidss - Poster |
The first song the band wrote was Getting Jumpy, which would become the lead-side side of the band's only record RIP 020 on Ripper Records. The Androidss' reputation tended to overshadow their music. They were very intelligent guys, but they just didn't trade on that,and they developed as they went along, falling to pieces in 1982 - although occasional reunions took place over the years - in 1987 and again in 2008. Their full-steam-ahead lifestyles began to tell, with Steve Marsden passing away in 2009, his brother Eric in 2011, Neil Spence in December 2014 and Frank Stenjees in July 2015. Mark Wilson continues to live and play music in Christchurch. |