Dukes

There has been no escaping the song ‘Vampires’ by Dukes in New Zealand - 18 months in the airplay charts, delivering a Top 10 single, ‘Video of the Year’ at the Juice Awards and ‘Breakthrough Artist’ from Myspace. The Christchurch band, fronted by Indonesian brothers Matt and Jo Barus, saw its album ‘Still Life’ pick up Best Independent Rock album in Oz/NZ on i-tunes for 2010. Dukes have gone from winning MTV’s Kickstart competition to supporting Blondie and The Pretenders, Gomez and INXS on their NZ dates. Formed in Christchurch by brothers Matt and Jo Barus, Dukes’ music is infectious, unpretentious and steeped in tradition. The band cares about the craft of songwriting, the art of performing, and it shows. Old fashioned values to be sure, but that's what makes this band and their music so captivating. " I love these guys - they are of the moment" - Chris Stein, Blondie “The infectious personality of the southern boys makes them a brilliant live act." NZ Herald "Singer Matt Barus is a born frontman and an ingenious songwriter.” The Christchurch Press