ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Cairo Knife Fight

Perennial jokers, Nick Gaffaney and Aaron Tokona a.k.a Christchurch's Cairo Knife Fight also have a serious side. Not that it surfaces much.

I’d read that Nick Gaffaney (drums/vocals/bass/loops) and Aaron Tokona (guitars/vocals) of Cairo Knife Fight fame like to have a bit of fun with journalists, and they didn’t disappoint. During a three-way conference call from Christchurch they put on voices, dropped phones, laughed uproariously and generally had a gay old time at my expense. Despite the giggles though, they seem like two men on a mission - to take their particular take on the heavier side of New Zealand music to the world.

And they are well on the way, after being together for just a little over two years, playing the likes of New York’s CMJ Festival and being chosen as the local support act for the New Zealand leg of tours by the likes of the Foo Fighters, Them Crooked Vultures and Queens of the Stone Age . They also have a brand new collection of songs that don't just follow the tried and true format, but grow and develop as you listen, to unleash upon fans both old and new under the guise of their second EP, II.

The power duo is also on the cusp of a couple of tours, the first with Tokona’s side project AHoriBuzz, and the second with local live legends Head Like a Hole. I ask if they’re actually pretty bloody relieved to get out of quake-damaged Christchurch for a while and the answer from Aaron is, “Most definitely, it’ll be good just to get away from the shakes for a bit.” And neither feel the slightest bit guilty for splitting town.

“We can have a laugh now,” he continues, “but when we were on tour with Queens of the Stone Age in Wellington and the first quake struck we felt a bit guilty, especially as we couldn’t get in contact with our families straight away.” Nick adds that the pair were on a plane at the time and couldn’t get off, “and our phones went completely dead when we finally did, it was actually quite hilarious looking back.”

When asked if they’ll be unveiling any new live tricks when they hit the road Aaron says that they’ll, “definitely playing all of the songs off the new EP, we just had band practice tonight and they sound really big and grunty.” When I ask if each tour will have its own modus operandi Nick replies, “Nah, they’ll be pretty much the same, sadly.” Aaron adds that if they show up to play and only five people have actually paid to see them though, “We might start with a slow song, just because.”

When asked if they’ve got a bit of performance anxiety happening in the weeks up until they share a stage with the woolly beast that is Head Like a Hole, Aaron says with a laugh that, “They are pretty mental, but I think they’re a lot more chilled out these days. I did a bit of touring with them in the nineties and they were fucking off the scale. I think a couple of the boys have cleaned up their acts these days though, in more ways than one.” He adds that it’s always inspiring being on the road with a great live band, “and it definitely makes you lift your game.”

After the pair played with Them Crooked Vultures, the legendary John Paul Jones was moved to disclose that he was a fan, which must have been absolutely surreal. In light of Aaron’s previous statement, what matters more: having a fan like the Led Zep bassist, or forging ahead as a headline act? “John Paul Jones being a fan”, laughs Tokona, with Gaffaney chiming in with, “I put that on my Facebook page straight away.”

They go on to say that getting to spend several days with Them Crooked Vultures was definitely a professional highlight, especially given that most acts playing support in New Zealand get one gig and barely a rider. Did they pick up any key learnings from Homme et al? “It’s good to make money out of music,” says Nick, before the two dissolve into laughter.

They say that they hope the people that saw them live as a warm up act will be moved to buy the new EP, “especially as it’s a lot rockier and bigger and louder than the first one,” says Nick. “It’s more like what they heard live and they hopefully want to hear that at home.” Tokona adds that it’s, “definitely a step up from the last one, in all sorts of ways.” All of the songs have been co-written this time around as well, rather than being songs that the pair had brought with them from previous bands.

Lastly - the obvious question - after two EPs, when will we see an album? “Well if you play both of those back to back you’ve got an album,” laughs Nick. “We’ll just start gaffer taping them together and sell them as one.”

Cairo Knife Fight's new EP is out now.

Cairo Knife Fight - Big Face

By Helene Ravlich