Blindspott
Encyclopedia
Blindspott is a nu metal
/alternative rock
band from Waitakere
, New Zealand
. 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).
, their self titled debut album, was released in 2002 and reached number 1, going platinum in New Zealand in its first week of release. The album has since been certified 3× Platinum in New Zealand.
Blindspott were voted New Zealand's favourite band by the public as part of an Air New Zealand
competition in 2003. Their songs have also been hits in Australia and in Asia.
. Fleming and Vilisini were replaced by Dave McDermott on bass and Brandon Reihana as a second guitarist. 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. 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.
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 #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. Blindspott were the first New Zealand music act to have both their albums debut in the charts at the #1 position.
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.
. On 27 July 2009 they released a live CD/DVD filmed at the Powerstation concert.
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.
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. The same day they were confirmed for Homegrown
2011. 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. Entertainment lawyer Mick Sinclair is handling the case for Blindspott.
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
/alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band from Waitakere
Waitakere
Waitakere City was the name of a city which existed from 1989 until 2010 in the Auckland region. It was New Zealand's fifth largest city, with an annual growth of about 2%...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. 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).
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 #2 on the charts), "Blank", "S.U.I.T" and "Lit Up". BlindspottBlindspott (album)
Blindspott is the self-titled debut album by the New Zealand Rock/alternative metal music group. The band licensed its release through EMI New Zealand. The album went platinum in New Zealand in its first week of release...
, their self titled debut album, was released in 2002 and reached number 1, going platinum in New Zealand in its first week of release. The album has since been certified 3× Platinum in New Zealand.
Blindspott were voted New Zealand's favourite band by the public as part of an Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand Limited is the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 26 domestic destinations and 24 international destinations in 15 countries across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania, and is...
competition in 2003. Their songs have also been hits in Australia and in Asia.
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 SilenceEnd the Silence
End The Silence is the second album by New Zealand band Blindspott, released in 2006. Citing a desire to avoid sounding similar to Nu-metal acts from the U.S., and the departure of the former bassist and DJ of the band, Blindspott's second album departs somewhat from the format of their first release...
. Fleming and Vilisini were replaced by Dave McDermott on bass and Brandon Reihana as a second guitarist. 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. 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.
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 #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. Blindspott were the first New Zealand music act to have both their albums debut in the charts at the #1 position.
In August 2006, Blindspott played at the Summer Sonic Festival
Summer Sonic Festival
The Summer Sonic Festival is an annual two or three-days rock festival held at the same time in Osaka and Chiba. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day go to Chiba the following day and vice versa....
in Tokyo, Japan, alongside major acts such as Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, Deftones
Deftones
Deftones are an American alternative metal band from Sacramento, California, founded in 1988. The band consists of Chino Moreno , Stephen Carpenter , Chi Cheng , Frank Delgado , and Abe Cunningham . Currently Sergio Vega is standing in on bass while Cheng recovers from a car accident...
, Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
and Tool
Tool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
.
End the Silence was released in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
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 AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
. On 27 July 2009 they released a live CD/DVD filmed at the Powerstation concert.
In November 2008, Blindspott announced they were reuniting for a one off performance only, at the all-Kiwi Vodafone Homegrown Music Festival
Homegrown Music Festival (New Zealand)
Homegrown Music Festival has been held annually in Wellington, New Zealand since 2008.- The Line-Up :ROCK STAGES- Shihad, Kora, Pluto, The Feelers, Opshop, Elemeno P, Goodnight Nurse, Autozamm, The ValvesDUB & ROOTS STAGE...
in Wellington on 14 March 2009, one of three acts reforming to perform at the festival.
Reformation and current events (2010-present)
On 15 May 2010, it was announced on FacebookFacebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
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. The same day they were confirmed for Homegrown
Homegrown Music Festival (New Zealand)
Homegrown Music Festival has been held annually in Wellington, New Zealand since 2008.- The Line-Up :ROCK STAGES- Shihad, Kora, Pluto, The Feelers, Opshop, Elemeno P, Goodnight Nurse, Autozamm, The ValvesDUB & ROOTS STAGE...
2011. 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. Entertainment lawyer Mick Sinclair is handling the case for Blindspott.
Albums
| Date | Title | Label | Charted | Certification | Catalog Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2002 | Blindspott Blindspott (album) Blindspott is the self-titled debut album by the New Zealand Rock/alternative metal music group. The band licensed its release through EMI New Zealand. The album went platinum in New Zealand in its first week of release... |
New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... ) |
Triple platinum | 5435292 | |
| 29 May 2006 | End the Silence End the Silence End The Silence is the second album by New Zealand band Blindspott, released in 2006. Citing a desire to avoid sounding similar to Nu-metal acts from the U.S., and the departure of the former bassist and DJ of the band, Blindspott's second album departs somewhat from the format of their first release... |
Platinum | 3503702 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Album | Charted | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | "Nil By Mouth" | Blindspott | #38 (NZ) | - |
| 2002 | "Room To Breathe" | #44 (NZ) | - | |
| "S.U.I.T" | #36 (NZ) | - | ||
| 2003 | "Phlex" | #2 (NZ) | Gold | |
| "Blank" | #42 (NZ) | - | ||
| 2004 | "Lit Up" | - | - | |
| 2005 | "Yours Truly" | End the Silence | #9 (NZ) | - |
| 2006 | "Drown" | #4 (NZ) | - | |
| "Stay" | #29 (NZ) | - | ||
| "Lull (Feat. Anika Moa)" | - | - | ||
| 2009 | "Coma" | - | - |