Voodoo Bloo, a powerful NZ based alt-rock act unveil a dark and energetic (part) live performance video to their latest single ‘Her Name Was Human‘ – out now via Plastic Groove Records. The track has some notable credentials having been worked on by Gregory Haver (Manic Street Preachers/ Super Furry Animals/Bullet for My Valentine) as mix production adviser.
The video shows the band playing one of their usual raucously exciting gigs for die-hard fans in a suitably sweaty New Zealand club; frontman Rory McDonald lamenting his doomed relationship situation in his unique baritone voice. It also features our disguised ‘anti-hero’ wallowing in the toxicity
of his sick and doomed relationship, seeking comfort from his ‘tribe’ by heading down to the beach, lighting fires, binge- drinking and hanging out with mates. Both the track and the video have a real punk energy vibe whilst also nodding to the greats of rock, grunge, metal and indie, without losing
focus on their own youthful fire and individuality.
It’s hard not to be swept into this fantastical musical despair: Rory says “the track has a lot to do with broken relationships, and the idea of Stockholm syndrome which I felt that some of my close mates were
experiencing to some degree at the time of writing the lyrics. You know something’s bad for you, but you keep going back for more, in hopes something better comes of it.”
Rory is originally from Sheffield but now resides in Wellington, New Zealand. Voodoo Bloo’s sound is influenced by acts such as Arctic Monkeys and System of a Down, as well as some singer-songwriter artists such as Car Seat Headrest and Neutral Milk Hotel. This combination brings a great blend
of emotional and conceptual songwriting with a very catchy and frequently danceable distorted mess.
Before starting Voodoo Bloo, Rory was the frontman of Lucifer Gunne, who gained a large fan base from touring, releasing singles & EP’s. He started the new band so he could have creative freedom and because their debut album ‘Jacobus’ is a conceptual and very personal record.
“Last July, a close friend of mine for many years, took his own life while I was away overseas. This was obviously a massive shock to myself and the people around me, but being isolated from my friends while in a different country led me to writing a lot of lyrics during one of the strangest and scariest points in my life. The writing of “Jacobus” was a very cathartic process at a time when I didn’t have many people around me to talk to.”
New Zealand currently has one of the highest teen suicide rates in the world and recently the band played multiple charity shows for Lifeline Aotearoa (an organisation focused on suicide prevention and mental health treatment).
