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Pōneke based four-piece DARTZ are a cornerstone of Aotearoa’s live punk scene. Having forged and accumulated a diehard fanbase across the country, DARTZ spoke to Ash Wallace about their unique start in the industry. DARTZ formed in 2019 after fate saw them land the opening slot for The Chats–pitched bylead singer Danz before the band even existed. The show was announced 4 weeks before the show without a song in sight, so Danz recruited his friends Clark, Rollyz and Crispy to come together and write 6 - 7 tracks to perform as DARTZ. Not your average inception story by any small means, and from that point onwards they have continued to forge a career as outside of the box thinkers.

Diving into their first body of work with a DIY mindset, the band landed on sounds that were unique to their peers. “We weren’t really thinking in the band framework. We didn’t speak the lingo so we came at it from a new angle”.

In the early days of DARTZ the goal was to write and record a song in a day, before arranging the song further for the live show.“ We were big on spontaneity and the vibe of putting something out first before we developed it for the show”.

Having released these day 1 demos, the band have created a groundswell for their audience to come along to the live set and see a new iteration of the songs they love–a unique experience every time. This recorded approach was paired with a live effort to play as many house parties on crate day as possible. After hitting 14 shows in 1 day across Wellington they established a reputation as a fun loving and chaotic act playing by their own rules.“ We bring people along for the ride and see what crazy stuff we can do. We’re always surprised but we just keep going”

Sonically the number one focus for DARTZ is to sound quintessentially kiwi and evoke intangible kiwi feelings while remaining punky. Referencing Th’ Dudes and Dave Dobbyn for their place as the bread and butter of Aotearoa’s sound, they mesh this feeling with the sound of The Chats, and Amyl and the Sniffers.

Since moving the process from the DIY space to a professional studio with James Goldsmith, the DARTZ sound has levelled up in professionalism and audio quality. Landing a number 1 album on the NZ chart, and a number 4 on the overall chart, it’s clear the process is working for them.

Across the board, the DARTZ approach is jovial and in the moment. Fans of the project are attracted to their spontaneous energy and are constantly on the edge of their seat as the band brings them along for the journey.“ Everything that happens is bizarre! We’re constantly with the fans going‘ can you believe this’, ‘this happened?’, because we never thought it would last!”.

It’s refreshing to discover an act so grateful and in the moment with the audience in such a genuine way. I highly suggest you catch DARTZ at their next show to join the community and feel the joy