November 10th, 2017
CAROL'S SONG
Jel penned this one 26 years ago long before the internet and mobiles phones. On Christmas morning, in Britain, TV was full of folks from all over the world in strange places wishing those back home a 'Merry Christmas', along with presenters in stupid jumpers and endless 'Specials'. Christmas day is the oddest of them all - so many people are lonely and so many relationships break under the financial pressure of the ultimate consumerism. For many people it's just an ordinary day because it has to be - that's the only way to survive it for some. The homeless spend it still homeless and the troops are a long way from home facing danger. We are not against Christmas, but we do look forward to switching off and ignoring the world for a few days .... and especially the TV. So what was written in '91 hasn't really changed 26 years later...
Released 10 November 2017
LYRICS
Hey it's late I've been working hard
I can see you're tired too
Please don't try to talk about those things
I don't want to fight with you.
So while you sleep I'll watch the late night TV
Tonight the world will fall apart, for you and for me.
I light a cigarette and pour a drink
I can feel it going wrong
Please don't try to reach me now
I've been far away too long.
So while you sleep I'll watch the late night TV
Tonight the world will fall apart, for you and for me.
Between the rock stars with a temporary chart reprieve
And the token seasonal offerings they schedule Christmas Eve
Everyone is finding the time to stop and think
Of all the Yule Tide greetings free with every drink.
On channel 3, a sermon, rallies around the nation
On channel 2, a man in blue talks of low inflation
The troops say hello to mum and wave to girlfriends missed
And Harris found a crate or two to help the lads get pissed.
And friends from 40 years ago, are 20 second stars
Reunited with a lost one living life on mars
The newsman with a straight face, who tells us life is grim
Is dancing on the specials and advertising gin.
The saviours of the needy remind us of their cause
The refuges are freezing, it's Christmas in the wars
And there's a man with a cardboard house, it's built between the breaks
An ideal gift for mother, from the box a home he makes.
On channel 4, a classic, a favourite family show
The one that has the tears falling in the snow
I can't believe this is happening, I can't believe this is real
Tonight I held you for the last time, you'll never know how I feel.
Hey it's late I've been working hard
I can see you're tired too
If we never get to talk again
At least I'll never fight with you.
VIDEO
November 1st, 2017
MR BREEZY
"Storm clouds gathering in far away lands. Take the moments while we have them in our hands." The world is getting unsafer by the day. Little did we imagine, having lived through the heights of the Cold War and the end of nuclear proliferation, that it would come to this. For years no one mentioned nuclear weapons, they were a part of a frightening history. Now nations threaten to use them as children throw firecrackers. Maybe here in NZ we will miss the initial worst of it, but it's not all about us, there are millions who won't if it happens. Besides it will affect everyone on the planet, and so we remember the unpublished 'Protect and Survive' UK Government booklet from the 1980s. 32 pages to strike fear into anyone's heart. Those times were real, and they are again. This is our take on it - we used to say 'kiss your arse goodbye' if it ever happens, now we say go to the beach and enjoy the last few moments.
Released 1st November 2017
LYRICS
We've awakened from a dreary haze
A drunken slumber that's stretched for days and days and days
Both barrels burnt. no caffeine in sight
Yesterday is dusted, the sun is shining bright
No time for sleep, no missing treats
No holding horses
Count to three, kick back the sheets
Make mine over easy, Mr Breezy
Your grab the key, I'll find the Keates
Not forever, can feel it in my bones
I'll pick the flowers, you pick the skimming stones
Tame the tide for hours and talk of Rubenstein
Laugh until the tears fall, and be glad we are alive
No time for sleep, no missing treats
No holding horses
Count to three, kick back the sheets
Make mine over easy, Mr Breezy
Your grab the key, I'll find the Keates
July 13th, 2017
UNTIL THE SEAS RUNS DRY
Reworked to join the OLDER collection, this old favourite of ours 'Seas Run Dry' was originally in the set of our mid 90's band, Driving Morris. Written by the ultra-talented Tiipene Babbington, this version uses his original vocals from 22 years ago salvaged from an old 8-track tape. With him, our very own Jules on backing vocals, albeit 22 years younger.
Reworked to a point - at the end you can here a fade to the original! We hope you enjoy this timeless classic from the amazing Teeps!
Released 13 July 2017
LYRICS
Whenever I needed to
Though in not so many words
I would conjure up your memory
Within my pleading
For the presence of your mind
Your body and your soul
It was in vain
Could have been anybody's pain
If they loved you
Til the seas run dry
Whenever we needed to
We confided in our hearts
But they were never in control
Within my pleading
For the presence of your mind
Your body and your soul
It was all the same
Could have been anybody's shame
If they loved you
Til the seas run dry
It was all in vain
Could have been anybody's pain
If they loved you
Til the seas run dry
June 15th, 2017
APATHY
Things are happening in monumental proportions around the globe and it seems many look out their window and observe. They twitch their curtains and, like the dumbed down reality of television broadcast to billions, while on their very doorstep they choose not to see it. You see "things happen to other people, in other neighbourhoods, in other countries".
Out of pure frustration APATHY highlights the mellow many, those that have become numb to their own emotions and who fail to have an opinion. Meanwhile a 'revolution' takes place.
It's a raw song - we don't believe in endless production.
Released 15 June 2017
LYRICS
There is no next time, maybe
No cheap cigar tricks baby
You lay like rigamortus
Has already set in
Where is your voice of change
Your call to rearrange
Your lack of roar is booming
Your end of life is looming
Your silence drowns the thunder
The storm will take you under
Resist the urge to cower
You have the key to power
Rise up and make those choices
Inhale your inner voices
Awake the sleeping dogs
Unleash the demagogues
Apathy breeds apathy, apathy
Your pulse is barely beating
A soul that's past retreating
No maybe, if and when
This is your carpe-deim
The air is charged with changes
The static rearranges
Your mind is past dialating
Too late for contemplating
The rage has split the street
Close curtains be descrete
Head down and blinkered eyes
Your choice, you're paralysed
Uprising, warnings posted
All indolence is noted
Your conscience, absolution
Now comes revolution
Apathy breeds apathy, apathy
C'est la vie is not for me
VIDEO
May 27th, 2017
THIS IS NOT A PUNK SONG
We imagine a scenario of OLDER playing at a local Workingman's Club or provincial pub on a Friday night, playing the same old monotonous drawl from 70's, 80's and 90's. Obviously, that would be a booking failure on both parts - them fooled by the name hoping for a nice cover's band, preferably Country & Western, to croon songs 'we all know and love'.
If you have been to one of 'those' nights over the decades, things haven't changed much. Cheap food, live entertainment, TAB and DB on tap, and aunty up for a dance....
Released 27 May 2017
LYRICS
Harold hold your horses
Audrey get a round
This song's for you
A 70's sound
Shimmy past the pokies
Finish up your pies
Aunty ditch the handbag
We got a nice surprise
This is not a punk song, sing along
You can dad dance, won't be long
This is not a punk song, just a nice guitar
Have yourselves a good time, see you at the bar
Got you by the curlies
Possums in the light
Uncle's had a moment
Feeling young tonight
Rest just move along
Nothing to see hear
Imagine we're a covers band
Playing for our beer
This is not a punk song, sing along
You can dad dance, won't be long
This is not a punk song, just a nice guitar
Have yourselves a good time, see you at the bar
Middle 8 can go oh-so slowly
Like old time favouries you know and love
This is not a punk song, sing along
You can dad dance, won't be long
This is not a punk song, just a nice guitar
Have yourselves a good time, see you at the bar
VIDEO
May 9th, 2017
1984
1984 is a George Orwell classic. Written in 1949 it writes about a superstate in a perpetual war, government surveillance and public manipulation. One of the many persecuted crimes is individualism and independent thinking -- aka 'thoughtcrime' and enforced by the Thought Police.
Fast-track to 2017, we have the internet and bless, Facebook. Once considered a channel for freedom of speech and sharing holiday snaps with loved-ones, has quickly revealed as a media not interested in the good of others, but interested solely in power. Personal opinion is managed and AI marks each post by 'relevance scores' and dishes up to only those likely to engage, if not banned for not conforming.
Friends are whomever you want the to be, but seldom friends. Lives are augmented, independent thinking is discouraged, news stories are forgeries and falsifications. Cat videos and memes reign supreme. To blend in, do not look up from your phone.
Released 9 May 2017
LYRICS
I'm the millions sharing silence on the bus
No human contact, no need for fuss
Send a request to be my friend, I know we've never met
The real world scares me, I'm not ready for it yet
Facebook friends I'm up tonight,
I'm on show, gimme a like
My esteem grows on a share, gimme a love
Show that you care
I'm the blank face that you never look at twice
An ice cold aura, a silence vice
Send a request to be my friend, I know we've never met
The real world scares me, I'm not ready for it yet
Facebook friends I'm up tonight,
I'm on show, gimme a like
My esteem grows on a share, gimme a love
Show that you care
Yeah I know I could switch off my phone
But I bore myself when I'm alone
Facebook friends I'm up tonight,
I'm on show, gimme a like
My esteem grows on a share, gimme a love
Gimme a love, gimme a love, gimme a love, gimme a love
Facebook friends I'm up tonight,
I'm on show, gimme a like
My esteem grows on a share, gimme a love
I'm the millions sharing silence on the bus
No human contact, no need for fuss
Send a request to be my friend, I know we've never met
The real world scares me, I'm not ready for it yet
Facebook friends I'm up tonight,
I'm on show, gimme a like
My esteem grows on a share, gimme a love
Show that you care
VIDEO
April 27th, 2017
CÔTE D'AZUR
We live in interesting times. While some struggle to pay heating bills and keep clothes on their back, others are experiencing emotional melt-downs at the cost of private school fees under the pressure of low-performing stocks. The gap between the haves and the have-nots is massive.
Much of our lyric writing is observational and mostly with tongue firmly in cheek. We channel a couple that have challenges keeping up with the Jones. Times are tough, something's got to give...but not the annual holiday, Lord no. Darling, it's the Côte d'Azur (aka The French Riviera) just put it on the card.
Released 27 April 2017
LYRICS
Feeling the pinch, got a new Maseratti
School fees, gym subs, dinner party
Whitening appointment, personal styling
Herbal ointment, keep smiling
Tightening the belt, got a lunch at Hestons
Nanny had to go, don't mention
Stocks are stalling, bank keeps calling
Put it on the card, so boring
Let's get away - summer sun, Dom Perignon, stiff upper lip it's been too long
Time to play - ride the debt and buy some more, have some fun in the Cote d'azur
Times are tough, need a tuck and a face lift
Missed a golf trip, hard shit
Marble top fail, cancelled the kitchen
Life's getting grimy, it's bitchin'
Keepin up Jones, Safron & Hugos
Pawning the silver, God knows
Eating al fresco, take out from Tesco
Savin the coupons, let's go
Let's get away - summer sun, Dom Perignon, stiff upper lip it's been too long
Time to play - ride the debt and buy some more, have some fun in the Cote d'azur
Squeeze is stifflin', future's frighten'
Time to face it, can't ignore it
We're drowning with the poor
Let's get away - summer sun, Dom Perignon
Time to play, escape it all in the Cote d'azur
Reality cuts a jagged edge
We lick our wounds and put it on red
Let's get away - summer sun, Dom Perignon, stiff upper lip it's been too long
Time to play - ride the debt and buy some more, have some fun in the Cote d'azur
VIDEO – CÔTE D’AZUR FROM ‘AT HOME WITH OLDER’
October 26th, 2016
SIXTEEN
Our sixteenth OLDER track, we wanted to commemorate it appropriately. Yes are are OLDER but were sixteen once ourselves. Regardless of the decade it does mark a momentous age of independence, adventure, rebellion and 'the world's my oyster, I'm gonna grab it by the balls' mindset.
We thought we'd do a throw-back to when we were sixteen in the 80's. The glamorous world of hairspray, drainpipes, smoking cigarettes, catching the bus and an almighty social calendar. Jel doesn't sing much but pulled this one out of his backpack for the occasion.
Released 26 October 2016
LYRICS
Sixteen standing on the corner
Smoking cigarettes and waiting for the bus to come
Sharp lad, likes to get around
Couple of quid, heading to town
You're sixteen...the things you dream
Lip gloss, colours for jamaica
Fashion in a can and a friend over later
Top girl, mint reputation
Eye's right, waiting at the station
You're sixteen...the things you dream
You're a brand new generation
It's your time, your liberation
It's the best it's ever been
It's your world at sixteen
You're sixteen...the things you dream
You're sixteen, You're sixteen
VIDEO
October 5th, 2016
BANSHEE
In Irish folklore a Banshee is a female spirit whose wailing warns of a death in a house. Think: scream like a banshee, wail like a banshee, Siouxsie and the Banshees. The wail is a message of pending death, grieving for the one who is about to die. To us, BANSHEE laments the death of the Kiwi dream, the quarter acre yard.
With urban development tearing down houses to make way for apartments, old bungalows that once stood in farmland are reduced to rumble. Not just the house, but the way of living - growing your own vegetables, kids playing in a tyre swing that sways beneath an old apple tree.
Released 5 October 2016
LYRICS
You're givin it that
Oyster Rockafellas and a wee Gewürzt
From where we're sat
Rome is slowly burning
We're the ones who's getting hurt
Banshee in a quarter arce yard
Screaming for a changing of the guard
You're moving your lips
Silver spoon and your tea leaf views
See the sinking ships?
Country overboard, so did you read it in the news?
Banshee in a quarter arce yard
Screaming for a changing of the guard
Heartless, fearless Humpties on a wall
10 to 1 we bet you're gonna fall
Banshee in a quarter arce yard
Screaming for a changing of the guard
Going, going, going, gone
VIDEO
September 4th, 2016
NOT LIKE ME
Creatives think differently. This is a blessing and a curse as it means much of the time they go about their life being misunderstood or just considered a bit 'out there'. Like-minded others get us, most people don't.
It's a beautiful, frustrating and exceptionally short life. We plan to wring out every second, as we have done for the seconds that precede this moment. Our lifetime (however long that may be) is a pimple on the arse of our planet. Yet, we are alive and have an opportunity to live it in the way we choose to -- something we remind ourselves daily. NOT LIKE ME was written some 20 years ago but is as relevant today as it was then, if not more.
Released 4 September 2016
LYRICS
Not like me, Not like me
Nothing stands the test of time and
In the end what's yours is mine
Only those who run like me
Know the visions that I see
Few of us are made to find
Higher plains of any kind
Think beyond the garden wall and
See the stars begin to fall
Not like me, Not like me
Nothing built will last forever
Drift apart or come together
Nothing comes to those who wait
Tomorrow's chances are too late
Every day brings strength of mind
The years are leaving you behind
I won't rest until I'm whole
Body, mind, aching soul
Not like me, Not like me
Never sought for second best
Never found the time to rest
Never closed my eyes to change
Always looked to rearrange
Nothing matters more these days
I have tried the other ways
Drifters cloud the way you see
Maybe you are not like me
Not like me, Not like me, Not like me, Not like me
VIDEO – NOT LIKE ME FROM ‘AT HOME WITH OLDER’