The Beatniks are named after the track ‘Beatnik’ by OG Dunedin Sound band The Clean, which itself makes reference to the Beat Generation subculture of the 60s. Although what The Beatniks do is different to what happened in the 60s, they’re part of a subculture of their own: the Dunedin sound and student scene. Critic Te Ārohi caught up with the band amidst a busy month of shows.
The Beatniks are Seth Sinclair (drums), Ollie Charlesworth (rhythm), Alex Kendall (bass), Logan Edwards (lead), and Sam Charlesworth (vocals/guitar), and they came together in 2021. Sam had already been performing and recording as a solo musician, under his own name, for three years before he moved to Ōtepoti. He met Logan while at Selwyn, who had been keen on performing together from the get-go, dropping hints that he too played guitar. “Ever since I started listening to his music I was like, ‘Right, this is the guy to know,’” said Logan. Luckily for him, Sam had been asked to open for local band Man Ray and wanted to put together a band for the occasion, also enlisting Kendall at the time. Ollie, who is Sam’s older brother, had never played music before but this proved a good chance to get involved. Ollie: “I asked if I could play three songs.” Sam: “I taught him a couple of chords on the guitar and he jumped up halfway through the gig and started playing.” Seth joined the band earlier this year.
Initially, they were performing Sam’s original music and performing under his name for around six months. But, eventually, they chose to pursue their own sound as well. Sam: “[We thought] we should just turn it into its own thing, really. I'm still doing my own solo stuff, as well as The Beatniks.” They’re currently working on a new album full of fresh material that they’ve created as a band and all of which is being recorded and produced by Sam. “We've got a little bedroom studio that we do everything out of,” said Sam. “We’re doing it all DIY.”
Their most recent release is ‘Wake Up Jane’, a grungy-pop-rock number whose namesake came from it sounding a bit Brit-rock in its creation. It began as a few lines Sam had written down as potential lyrics or a poem that he brought to a jam. The whole group expanded on those lines lyrically and musically, ending up with a complete product. Their music, thematically, is a pretty mixed bag, with descriptions such as “lust”, “romance”, and “the stage of life where everything is rapidly changing.” Simply put: they make music about their current experiences in their early twenties. Sam: “It’s hard to fake it and be real. That’s one of the main things we strive for.”
You may have caught The Beatniks at the Hyde Street Party, making this the second time they’ve played the event. At last year’s party, they were the first band lined up to play on the day and Alex was the first in line, bass in hand, dressed as Jesus Christ. The rest of the band were already in for soundcheck, but since he arrived separately to the others, security would not let Alex in ahead of the masses. It’s not the first time Jesus has had trouble with authority.
If you were one of the unlucky ones who did not get drawn in the Hyde Street lottery, no fear. You can catch The Beatniks playing Pint Night at U-Bar this Wednesday. ‘Wake Up Jane’ is available to stream online and you can keep up with them on socials (Insta: @__the__beatniks__).