Biography
Emerging amid New Zealand’s post-punk scene in mid-1979, the Spelling Mistakes coalesced from personnel drawn from two groups already established at Auckland’s storied punk venue Zwines. Vocalist Nick Hanson and drummer Julian Hanson had previously played in Get Smart, while guitarist Warwick Fowle and bassist Keith Bacon arrived from the Aliens. The new quartet quickly became regulars at Zwines, yet the club’s closure left them, like many contemporaries, with scant prospects for future bookings. Although numerous bands folded under the pressure, the Spelling Mistakes persisted and cultivated an intensely loyal but notoriously volatile audience that effectively barred them from most local stages. Bacon departed soon afterward, reportedly enraged by “Rachel,” a track written by Julian and Fowle about his girlfriend.
With Nigel Russell recruited on bass, fortunes improved when the group captured first place in the Windsor Castle club’s Battle of the Bands contest in March 1980. The prize—a complimentary day in the studio—led Propeller to release their debut single “Feel So Good.” Although the record earned favorable notice, onstage provocations mounted: Fowle’s habit of appearing in a Nazi SS uniform, paired with the band’s existing “boot boy” following, prompted a blanket exclusion from Auckland venues. Even Windsor Castle eventually refused them entry, and the Spelling Mistakes dissolved in late 1980 after issuing their final recording, the split single “Reena’s Piss Flaps” with the Whizz Kids—an updated version of the earlier “Rachel.” In the aftermath, Nick Hanson joined Green Eggs and Ham, Julian resurfaced in Terror of Tiny Town, Fowle enlisted with the Texas Rangers, and Russell later found success in Danse Macabre.
With Nigel Russell recruited on bass, fortunes improved when the group captured first place in the Windsor Castle club’s Battle of the Bands contest in March 1980. The prize—a complimentary day in the studio—led Propeller to release their debut single “Feel So Good.” Although the record earned favorable notice, onstage provocations mounted: Fowle’s habit of appearing in a Nazi SS uniform, paired with the band’s existing “boot boy” following, prompted a blanket exclusion from Auckland venues. Even Windsor Castle eventually refused them entry, and the Spelling Mistakes dissolved in late 1980 after issuing their final recording, the split single “Reena’s Piss Flaps” with the Whizz Kids—an updated version of the earlier “Rachel.” In the aftermath, Nick Hanson joined Green Eggs and Ham, Julian resurfaced in Terror of Tiny Town, Fowle enlisted with the Texas Rangers, and Russell later found success in Danse Macabre.