Supergroove Album Reviews

Supergroove barely made an impact outside New Zealand, but they were inescapable there in the summer of 1994 and 1995. Their blend of hip hop, funk, and metal had already been employed by bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Faith No More, and Rage Against the Machine earlier in the 1990s.

But Supergroove provided a fresh spin on the aggressive sound, adding joy and soulfulness. They’re strong musicians, especially bassist Joe Lonie, while the horn arrangements are dynamic. Supergroove were fun without being offensive or juvenile. The group’s most successful line-up blended two vocalists with distinctive styles. The smooth Che Fu enjoyed solo success in hip hop and R&B, while Karl Steven is nervy and hyperactive. Steven and Lonie wrote the band’s material.

The group formed on New Year’s Eve 1989, initially playing blues as The Low-Down Dirty Blues Band. Still at school, they moved into funk, playing bars and school balls. A series of singles led to their debut album Traction, which topped the NZ album chart for a month. Supergroove faltered thereafter, losing key members, changing direction on their follow-up Backspacer, then breaking up. But they reformed as a live band in 2007, and are fondly remembered.

Supergroove Album Reviews

Traction

1994, 8/10
Supergroove released an enticing series of singles leading up to their debut album. They released ‘Here Comes the Supergroove’ back in 1992. Their debut album topped the New Zealand charts for a month, an instant success.

The classic Supergroove lineup only made one album. Supergroove were in their late teens and early twenties when they released Traction. There’s obvious talent, but they’re gimmicky at this point in their career. Virtuosity and energy are more important to Traction than emotional connection or songcraft.

Fortunately, most of the songs work well. Metallic guitar riffs drive the thrilling ‘Scorpio Girls’ and ‘You Freak Me’. The funky ‘Sitting Inside My Head’ has emotional heft, with a sassy Che Fu vocal. ‘Can’t Get Enough’ and ‘You Gotta Know’ are full of non-stop hooks, frenetic and frivolous.

Traction isn’t quite a classic, but it houses some terrific singles.

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Tractor

1994
There’s not much information available about the six-song Tractor EP. I assume it’s outtakes from Traction. It’s wilder than its parent album – opener ‘Scone Farm’ is heavy, with its provocative lyrics low in the mix. ‘Where The Sun Don’t Shine’ is also tougher than anything on Traction.

‘All That Is Good’ has a ska flavour – surprisingly, Supergroove didn’t explore this direction further as funk fell out of favour in the mid-1990s.

The catchiest song, though, is ‘Next Time’. It has a great introduction, with the horn arrangement lifting into the first verse. Confusingly, ‘Next Time’ was added to later editions of Traction, making Tractor less crucial, while ‘You Freak Me’ is repeated from Traction.

Apart from ‘Next Time’, there’s nothing essential here, but it’s an interesting appendix to Traction.

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Backspacer

1997, 5/10
Despite their debut’s success, Supergroove were a substantially different band when they recorded their sophomore effort. Drummer Paul Russell quit the band due to his Christian beliefs and was replaced by Ian Jones.

The drummer change doesn’t affect the band much. But meanwhile, Lonie and Steven felt that funk had run its course and sought to reinvent Supergroove. The edgy pre-punk sounds of New York album CBGBs inspired Backspacer. There was no place for soulful vocals or horns in Supergroove Mark II, so Che Fu and trumpeter Tim Stewart were dismissed, while Nick Atkinson switched to keyboards.

Backspacer isn’t a terrible album, but it doesn’t play to Supergroove’s strengths. Karl Steven is talented, but vocally limited to front a rock album with commercial ambitions. Lonie’s bass playing is also buried, so Supergroove makes an album without most of its best traits. Guitarist Ben Sciascia’s textures are their strongest remaining suit. When I saw Supergroove live in 2025, they played nothing from Backspacer, damning when they only have two studio albums.

Even the best songs lack the spark of their best work. ‘5th Wheel’ is the most memorable tune, while ‘Backspaced’ tries valiantly to recapture the energy of their first album. Lead single ‘If I Had My Way’ feels flat, with Steven’s whiny vocal.

On the ensuing tour, Steven spent his tour advance on a rare book (an original 1796 edition of The Monk by Matthew Lewis) and then broke up the band. They’ve never recorded new material, although they’re a popular live attraction in 21st-century New Zealand.

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Postage – The Best of Supergroove

2003, 8.5/10
Kudos to whoever compiled Postage, which is probably all the Supergroove you’ll ever need. Creating a solid compilation from only two albums, one regarded as disappointing, is impressive. Early singles and b-sides like ‘Here Comes the Supergroove’ and ‘Let the Funk Be Free’ fill out the tracklist.

Source – AudioCulture

10 Best Supergroove Songs

Scorpio Girls
Sitting Inside My Head
Can’t Get Enough
Next Time
You Gotta Know
Here Comes the Supergroove
You Freak Me
5th Wheel
Let the Funk Be Free
All That Is Good