Nü Sensae

Casts a Voodoo Punk Spell on Vancouver
By Mark Richardson

In many ways, Nü Sensae are a punk band. Sure, newfangled tags like "noise punk" and "weird punk" are constantly hounding the group and their cohorts, but c'mon, punk is weird and noisy by definition. No, for Nü Sensae, punk will do just fine.
Now this isn't to say the Vancouver duo are exactly what you'd call a classic punk band; rather, they're a group that takes snippets from the many rungs of the continuously growing punk ladder. Bassist/vocalist Andrea Lukic's guttural screeches can be traced back to riot-grrl predecessor/punk-rock scream queen Kat Bjelland of Babes in Toyland and Le Tigre. Drummer Daniel Pitout also takes a few cues from one of his teenage loves, namely the tribal thump of X's drummer D.J. Bonebrake. Add in the duo's own twisted brand of theatrics, and they come out making a unique racket in a city full of punk bands bent on rehashing the past.
The pair takes these elements, wraps them up and hurtles them full throttle towards unsuspecting audiences—a tactic that sends some listeners careening for the exits, while holding others captive with the duo's self-proclaimed "voodoo punk" vibes.
"People have said we have a dysphoric quality. It makes people feel uncomfortable or they say we have bad vibes, an eerie feel," Pitout said. "Voodoo punk just sounded funny to us. It fit."
Nü Sensae began like many bands: as a thought in the minds of two high school friends. But upon graduation, Nü Sensae went from daydream to reality. After their first group, Maggie Gutwrath, dissolved Lukic and Pitout jammed on their own and found they only needed a rhythm section and Lukic's vocals to pound out the dark punk sound incubating in their head.
Soon after—on Mar. 24, 2007, to be exact—Nü Sensae had their first show with Mutators, Shearing Pinx and Modern Creatures at the infamous Alf House. In their minds, the show was a disaster, though the crowd and other bands didn't see it that way and encouraged Nü Sensae to keep playing. Determined, the duo practiced often and played any gig offered, including one of the first Emergency Room shows. The band has since become a staple in the ER scene and contributed three tracks to the Emergency Room compilation.
Their close-knit ties with the already burgeoning underground noise and punk scene in Vancouver soon helped solidify their DIY leanings and made the community that much stronger.
"There is a really strong community here. All of us are friends, all of the bands: Shearing Pinx, Twin Crystals, Mutators, etc., with Fake Jazz playing a major role," Pitout said. "The scene now has more direction and people find it easier to get into now."
The duo have started expanding beyond Vancouver's borders as well. They recently completed a West Coast tour in the U.S. that was booked entirely on their own. Thanks to groups like Mutators, Modern Creatures and Shearing Pinx, who have all helped carve a path down the coast, Nü Sensae had no problem setting up shows that drew large groups of kids out to see the latest Vancouver punk band—no booking agent required.
After playing an average of a show a week for most of 2008, taking part in several underground compilations and split cassettes, and releasing their debut LP, Nü Sensae show little sign of slowing the pace. The group's first 7" is soon to be released by the newly launched, local label Critiscum. The group also have a brief northwestern U.S. tour lined up.
For those looking to get a piece of the band right now, you can nab a copy of their debut full-length vinyl LP (or half-length—the LP is one-sided), which was paid for by saving the money from a year's worth of shows. Released on the local punk/noise/drone/everything label Isolated Now Waves, the album was recorded in a single day by close associate Nic Hughes of Shearing Pinx, and the band silkscreened all the covers themselves.
Even if Vancouver hasn't been the most accommodating city for the noisy underground, Nü Sensae and their brethren refuse to let this stop them and have created their own opportunities, whether that be setting up and playing illegal venues or self-releasing their albums. As the crowds expand with every show, it seems the rest of the city is finally catching up to what has been bubbling underground.
"Vancouver's music scene is pretty diverse; it's noise, it's punk, it's everything," Pitout said. "I think this is because it's a small community of bands who are really into making music and playing with one another, and I think the crowds respond to that."
"If these [illegal venues] ended tomorrow the bands would still be playing music and putting out records. Everyone is great about doing things for themselves and not waiting around for things to open up. I think this says more about the bands than the venues."

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