Blindspott

Blindspott were an alternative metal^[1] band from Waitakere, New Zealand, now performing under the name Blacklistt.^[2][3] They were formed in 1997, originally consisting of Damian Alexander (vocals), Marcus Powell (guitar, backing vocals), Shelton Woolright (drums), Gareth Fleming (bass) and Karl Vilisini, also known as DJ Dlay (turntables, keyboards).^[3]

History

Formation and debut album (1997-2004)

Blindspott began in 1997 and developed a loyal following in the years leading up to their self-titled album release. Often labelled as a "nu-metal" band, they have insisted this genre label was a result of the world catching up to their early development, rather than capitalising on a popular sound at the time. Blindspott's first single, "Nil By Mouth", was a success in 2001 and gained major airplay on television and radio channels across the country. Other hits released during 2001-2003 were "Room to Breathe", "Phlex" (which reached No. 2 on the charts), "Blank", "S.U.I.T" and "Lit Up". Blindspott, their self-titled debut album, was released in 2002 and reached number 1, going platinum in New Zealand in its first week of release.^[3] The album has since been certified 3× Platinum in New Zealand.^[3]

Blindspott were voted New Zealand's favourite band by the public as part of an Air New Zealand competition in 2003.^{[citation needed]} Their songs have also been hits in Australia and in Asia.^{[citation needed]}

End The Silence and line-up change (2005-2007)

Blindspott underwent a line-up change for the writing and recording of their second album, End the Silence. Fleming and Vilisini were replaced by Dave McDermott on bass and Brandon Reihana as a second guitarist.^[4] McDermott had worked for the band as a technician, while Reihana first toured with the group as substitute bassist when they went to Japan in 2004.^[5] The second album digressed significantly from the nu-metal style of their debut album, developing a darker hard-rock sound, without scratching and hip-hop influences.^[5]

Their first single from the new album, "Drown", was released on 1 May 2006 and entered the official New Zealand music chart on 7 May 2006, going straight to No. 4. End the Silence was released shortly after in New Zealand on 29 May 2006 and broke New Zealand music records - in the first week of release it went straight to the top of the official New Zealand music charts.^[3] Blindspott were the first New Zealand music act to have both their albums debut in the charts at the No. 1 position.^{[citation needed]}

In August 2006, Blindspott played at the Summer Sonic Festival in Tokyo, Japan, alongside major acts such as Metallica, Deftones, Linkin Park and Tool.

End the Silence was released in Australia on 2 September 2006.

Break-up and reunion show (2007-2009)

In 2007, after 10 years together and many publicised band fallouts along the way, Blindspott broke up to focus on solo efforts. They played their final concert of the era on 25 August 2007 at the Powerstation nightclub in Auckland. On 27 July 2009 they released a live CD/DVD filmed at the Powerstation concert.^[6]

In November 2008, Blindspott announced they were reuniting for a one off performance only, at the all-Kiwi Vodafone Homegrown Music Festival in Wellington on 14 March 2009, one of three acts reforming to perform at the festival.^[7]

Reformation and current events (2010-present)

On 15 May 2010, it was announced on Facebook that Blindspott had reunited and were writing new material. The band had also reformed to include its earliest and original members, with the line up consisting of the original members Damian Alexander (vocals), Marcus Powell (guitar, backing vocals), Gareth Fleming (bass) and Karl Vilisini (turntables, keyboards). On 26 September 2010 Shelton Woolwright pulled their Facebook page down.^{[citation needed]} The same day they were confirmed for Homegrown 2011.^[8] On 27 September a photo was posted by a band member showing Tristan Reilly as the new drummer for the band. A week before homegrown Shelton Woolwright had Blindspott's Facebook page pulled down once again.

On 5 March 2011, lead singer Damian Alexander announced they would be releasing their new single "From The Blind Spot" under the name Blacklist due to legal reasons. Currently the band members are in a legal battle with former drummer, Shelton Woolright to keep releasing music under the name of Blindspott.^[9] Entertainment lawyer Mick Sinclair is handling the case for Blindspott.^[10] It August 2011, it was revealed that the band would continue under the name Blacklist instead of giving into Shelton Woolwrights outlandish demands. A video clip for the band's single From the Blind Spot was released in January 2012.

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

• NZMusic.com Blindspott Biography
• Blindspott's official myspace page