Hamilton Live Music Trust presents Ninth Annual Hamilton Circle Jerk
With a name like The Hamilton Circle Jerk, you would be forgiven for thinking you have somehow discovered Hamilton’s dark seedy underworld of low budget porn.
It all started from an idea formulated by a local musician Mark Tupuhi that germinated into a music event. The rules are simple: each band must perform two covers of songs by other Hamilton bands/musicians, past or present, and one of their own. Indeed, seeing the love shown by local musicians for their rich local musical history, expressed by their enthusiastic covering of each other’s songs, was not lost on this local ideas man, hence the appropriately and colourfully titled ‘Circle Jerk’ was born.
Following the tradition from where it first began, the event showcases the diversity of musical talent and genres Hamilton has to offer, between 10 to 15 bands playing on one night. The Circle Jerk features artists from differing genres including reggae, alt-country, indie, electronic, shoegaze, hard core, post rock and anything else you can throw into the mix.
One of the pleasantries of “the Jerk” is the appearance of Hamilton music veterans and those who have moved away, but who still hold an affinity for the Hamilton scene. New up and coming bands that are establishing themselves a reputation for their amazing live performances also have the opportunity to “show their stuff” (cue the obligatory jokes!) to a large and appreciative audience.
This year’s line-up is no exception and continues to celebrate the fun, malarkey, tasty musical treats and the many creative reinterpretations of Hamilton tunes that make up the Circle Jerk.
Bands making their Circle Jerk debut this year are Wolf Wizard, Hedge Fund Trader and DateMonthYear. All bands feature members who consistently have played in some Hamilton most notable and well-known acts. One our cities most recent arrivals Occasional G will also be making their debut bringing some gorgeous sounds our way. Members of Dickheads are anything but, having already played in some of Hamilton’s most well-known bands Ancient Tapes, Dynamo Go, Sora Shima and The Contenders. We look forward to seeing what they bring to the Circle Jerk table.