Pretty Wicked Head & The Desperate Men


In 1989, Invercargill’s small but lively alternative music scene was spearheaded by a band named Pretty Wicked Head and the Desperate Men. They were trailblazers for a generation of southern New Zealand bands that followed their example, proving that anyone could make their own way from a town at the bottom of a country, at the bottom of the world.

Theirs is a story of tenacity, brave endeavour, late nights, fist fights, fast food, cheap booze and, ultimately, missed opportunities. It’s a quintessential Kiwi rock and roll tale, minus the 15 minutes of fame.

Pretty Wicked Head & the Desperate Men. From left: Kane Ker, Shaun Kirkpatrick, Vaughan Burtenshaw.
Pretty Wicked Head & the Desperate Men - New Age Savage artwork by Pablo Kelly, 1990.
Vaughan Burtenshaw on drums with Pretty Wicked Head & the Desperate Men.
Pretty Wicked Head & the Desperate Men, left to right: Vaughan Burtenshaw, Shaun Kirkpatrick, Kane Ker.
Pretty Wicked Head & the Desperate Men - It's Ok, It's Clean (from New Age Savage, 1992)
Pretty Wicked Head & the Desperate Men - All New Zealand Heroes (from New Age Savage, 1992)
Kane Ker, Pretty Wicked Head & the Desperate Men.
Shaun Kirkpatrick, Pretty Wicked Head & the Desperate Men.
The four-piece Pretty Wicked Head & the Desperate Men. From left: Shaun Kirkpatrick, Pablo Kelly, Vaughan Burtenshaw, Kane Ker.
Members:

Shaun Kirkpatrick - vocals, guitar

Vaughan Burtenshaw - drums, vocals

Kane Ker - bass, vocals

Pablo Kelly - guitar, vocals

Labels:

Oreti Records


BMG Arista/Ariola (NZ) Ltd

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