Going Out On Your Own Terms With JON TOOGOOD From SHIHAD

Interview by Kris Peters
For the better part of three decades New Zealand rock outfit Shihad
have ruled the proverbial roost, with albums like The General
Electric, Pacifier, and even their most recent offering Old Gods
showcasing an unflinching course of rock DNA to satisfy even the
harshest of critics.
Songs like My Minds Sedate, Pacifier, Home Again and Tear Down
Those Names became the go-to-songs on pub jukeboxes everywhere, but
it was in the live domain where Shihad excelled. Frontman Jon
Toogood's energy and vibrancy each time the band hit the stage has
always been infectious, enabling Shihad to thrive on a variety of
levels to a mixed bag of audiences.
Put simply, they deservedly command respect in the same league of
bands like AC/DC, Rose Tattoo and Grinspoon in the annals of
Australian/New Zealand rock history.
But, as inevitably happens to everything, Shihad's time is drawing
to an end, choosing to go out on their own merits instead of
waiting for the axe of public expectation to fall. With a series of
farewell shows planned between Australia and New Zealand before the
band's official changing of the guard in their hometown of
Wellington on March 15, Toogood sat down with HEAVY to say
goodbye.
The Shihad way.
"At the moment people are saying 'these shows must be emotional',"
he smiled, "but it's more like, no, these shows are wicked because
we've rehearsed hard, and we're playing a lot of stuff that's quite
challenging and quite different to what we've played in the past.
Obviously we're going to have to play the bangers - which is
totally cool because we love those songs and there's reasons why
they are bangers - but we're doing deep dives into records that
we've never done before. It keeps you on your toes. We're not gonna
be phoning these shows in. We have to work, which is great, and I
like that."
In the full interview, Jon talks more about the shows and what to
expect, the reasons behind calling it a day, the New Zealand shows
late last year and how the fans reacted, maintaining energy and
enthusiasm for performing as he gets older, playing The General
Electric and Pacifier in full at select shows, what he will miss
most about being in Shihad and more.

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