Straitjacket Fits

Noisy New Zealand guitar pop band Straitjacket Fits was led by singer/guitarist Shayne Carter and rounded out by his former Doublehappys mate John Collie on drums and bassist David Wood; a second guitarist, Andrew Brough, signed on shortly after the group’s 1986 formation. The 1987 EP Life in One Chord was Straitjacket Fits’ debut, scoring a minor hit with the wonderful “She Speeds”; they resurfaced a year later with the LP Hail, which received almost universal acclaim. A world tour followed before the quartet returned to the studio to record 1990’s Melt, highlighted by the hit single “Bad Note for a Heart.” After a grueling tour, Brough quit to form the group Bike and was replaced by guitarist Mark Peterson. Without Brough’s more melodic contributions, Straitjacket Fits adopted an even rawer sound than in the past, first evidenced by the 1992 EP Done; the 1993 LP Blow continued in a similar vein, but after touring America with the Bats and the JPS Experience, the band amicably dissolved. Carter eventually resurfaced in Dimmer. Andrew Brough died on February 4, 2020. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi