There are almost too many NZ bands trying to emulate the synth-punk success of So So Modern nowadays. Mashing together swirling keyboards, angular guitar and hi-hat heavy 4:4 beats, numerous bands are currently putting on some awesome highenergy live shows around the country, among them Christchurch’s Bang! Bang! Eche!.

The appeal of Bang! Bang! Eche! is not their recorded music, but the live show and ‘scene’ that goes with it. That said, their recently released self-titled EP is a selfaware, raucous synth-rock party, and despite sounding similar to what’s gone before it’s got great potential. Vocalist Zach Doney can carry a song – if not a note – with charm and ease, and their songs build nicely into solid party anthems (“We’ve got a beat and we know how to use it”), even though most of their lyrics rip the shit out of the crowd they appeal to most (“fuck your scene … trashy glamour, fall down the stairs”).

Their challenge now is to diversify their sound, and thus outlive the ‘flavour of the month’ status that their recent success now puts them in. Despite the inevitable ‘sceney’ aesthetic there’s a good deal of fun, and promise, in this EP.