Superette

Dave Mulcahy's first post-Jean Paul Sartre Experience band was the unfortunately short-lived Superette, who sprung up in Auckland in 1993. With Mulcahy taking guitar and vocal duties, he pulled together Ben Howe (bass) and Greta Anderson (drums/backing vox) to record the rough, thematically scary, but thoroughly charming Rosepig EP. From here the band became known as one of the better live pop-rock acts around New Zealand, and were a defining sound (along with the artists like 3Ds) in mid-1990s New Zealand music.

Superette expanded the tracks on their earlier release to the fully-fledge debut Tiger in 1995. Over the twelve stellar tracks, not a single song drags. Over the common theme of murder, and the psycho-analysis of well-known murderers, the album retains a dynamic pop hook. Tiger carefully flows between the more up-beat earlier numbers (such as "Touch Me" and album highlight, the Anderson-penned "Saskatchewan"), through to the album-closing slower numbers (notably "Funny Weather" and the charismatic "Waves," which made a big impact on the Topless Woman Talk About Their Lives movie score), without ever missing a beat.

Sadly, after touring the album for the best part of a year Mulcahy decided to move on to his own pressing solo career, leaving Ben & Greta (the moniker they took from that point on) to soldier on for themselves. Since Mulcahy left, Ben & Greta released the charming single "Creep Around the House" (with Howe on vocal duties), but the duo seems to be more interested in other pursuits. Ben Howe has gone on to form the Arch Hill record label (which released "Creep Around the House"), Mulcahy's solo debut Oddy Knocky, and the debut from Ben's new band Fang, entitled The Origin of the Species.