"ALL HAIL THE DATSUNS- HEROES OF THE NEW ROCK REVOLUTION!" – NME cover

"THE WORLD’S MOST ESSENTIAL NEW GROUP" -- NME

“We’re not trying to spearhead some new movement, we’re not making some big statement. We’re just trying to have as much fun as possible.” -- Phil Datsun

Dolf De Datsun - vocals, bass * Christian Datsun – guitar * Matt Datsun – drums * Phil Datsun – guitar

Rock, it is said, is back. Of course, there are those for whom it never went away. Take the Datsuns – these four Cambridge, New Zealand scruffs have long been busting out raunchy riffs and big bellowed choruses, only now getting around to cutting their full-length debut.

“THE DATSUNS” is the sound of 21st Century rock ‘n’ roll cranked up to the proverbial 11 – a dozen unadulterated slabs of pure primordial power, played loud and fast and hard, with gleeful, glorious, howling abandon. From the glitterstomp sludge of “Harmonic Generator” to the amphetamine fury of “MF From Hell,” the Datsuns’ uninhibited brand of kicks and licks is exactly what the world has been waiting for. It’s just that the world didn’t know it until now.

“It’s kinda funny,” laughs shouter/bassist Dolf de Datsun. “Six months ago we were doing a radio show in New Zealand where the interviewer said, ‘Why don’t you just admit that guitar music is dead?’ It just goes to show that you can be seen as stupid one minute, and genius the next.”

Dolf, Matt, and Phil first got together in 1995, making a righteous ruckus under the moniker of Trinket. They became instant local heroes, winning radio-sponsored Battle of the Bands two years running. When Christian came aboard in 1997, the band re-christened themselves as the Datsuns and began cranking out singles on their own Hell Squad Records label, all the while developing a reputation for their furious and fervent performances.

In early 2002, the band opened a handful of New Zealand dates for the White Stripes and an instant friendship was formed. At Jack and Meg’s behest, the band ventured out of the Southern Hemisphere and proceeded take the US and the UK by storm. They played to sweat-soaked screaming houses alongside kindred spirits such as the Mooney Suzuki, and before they knew it, the Datsuns’ mad racket was the hottest property in rock ‘n’ roll.
“It was quite strange,” says Phil of the industry’s feeding frenzy. “The fact that people were willing to pay for stuff was cool, especially when you’ve been starving the way we had. But what’s important is whether you can work with these people. We’ve been around long enough to know that that’s all that matters.”

With that in mind, the Datsuns decided to ink with V2, home to their good pals the White Stripes. Deal in hand, the lads quickly set about recording their years-in-the-making debut album with producers Liam Watson (Thee Headcoatees, the Flaming Stars) and Richard Woodcraft (the Boo Radleys, Echo & the Bunnymen) behind the board. Joining the Datsuns in the studio were the Von Bondies’ Marcie and Carrie, who contributed sugar-sharp backing vocals to the album’s triumphant first single, “In Love.”

The result of their labours is as joyful a noise – and we do mean NOISE! – as anyone could have hoped for. “THE DATSUNS” is rock music as it was meant to be – an exuberant and anarchic soundtrack to the biggest baddest party of your life.