There is nothing original.

Hi there,

Just some info on upcoming shows and general news. We have almost finished writing the as-yet-untitled new album and will be starting recording some time in March.

We have a bunch of shows coming up too:

Saturday March 10th – The Meteor – Hamilton
HAMTOWN SMAKDOWN

Thursday March 15th – Valve – Wellington
w/ THE WRONGMEN, DIAL, KNIFE FIGHT

Friday April 6th – Upsett Records – Hamilton
w/ THE WRONGMEN, GAWJ, SMASHIN' OFF

Saturday April 7th – The Schooner – Auckland
w/ THE WRONGMEN, SMASHIN' OFF, THE POISONERS (maybe)

Wednesday April 11th – Valve – Wellington
w/ KILL THE FAKE PATIENT + more

Saturday April 14th – Happy – Wellington
w/ AKANAME, DIAL

We will also be on tour throughout May and June, will announce dates as it gets closer to the time. Some more shows lined up as well and it looks like a busy year.
Here are a couple of quick reviews of our demo as well (will post more as they come):

FROM AVERSIONONLINE.COM
"From Action Man Records comes the latest output from New Zealand’s Strangers (formerly known as Guest Stabs Host) in the form of this absolutely raging four-track CD-R demo, “Holding”. The band’s style is a curious blend of harsh, chaotic, dissonant metallic textures with an energetic backbone of fast-paced hardcore/punk rhythms - all fronted by blown-out shouting/screaming. And it’s honestly more creative than that description might indicate, because these dudes pack a shitload of riffs into short, energetic compositions that just burst forth and never let up. You’ll find everything from subtle hints of melody and grinding picking patterns to post-hardcore textures and sludgy/crusty levels of density, among other influences, and the songwriting totally kicks ass. Plus, the recording is solid and the packaging totally rules. The disc is housed in a simple six-panel sleeve printed with a sepia toned aesthetic on matte brown paper, with a clean layout and nice photography to boot. Hell, even the lyrics are fuckin’ great:

I walked the wrong way home the other night and found a friend in the corner of a lane, wounded pride and gutterfucked in the rain. He was hungry and he followed me home. And I was overjoyed for I’d always been alone. Strangers. We saw the pain of life reflected in the light. Seraphs wandering doleful at no great height. Weeks had passed. He grew strong and I was loved again. But desperation! He’d want more but I had none, I saw frustration stir his stance, we parted ways, he took the food and I was left without. But it was fine for I was not alone. The next night I begged him not to let me starve. And he sneered and leapt and tore, all the while he laughed. So I lay bleeding with saliva on my throat. His shadow beckoned over me, and I thanked god for I hadn’t died alone.

Strangers “Teenagers”
This shit is seriously fuckin’ awesome, and I can’t wait for a full-length. The demo’s limited to 200 copies, and I believe most of ‘em were sent out as promos, so… if you want one (and you should), don’t sleep on it"

FROM MUZIC.NET.NZ
"STRANGERS are a Wellington band whose sound and line up evolved throughout 2006 by gigging, and, it would seem from their site and press release, self-reflection. This Demo CD presents four songs as an indication of their sound.
So what is that sound? Aggression. Screaming/howling vocals. Thundering drums, with plenty of double bass drumming and double time backbeats. Guitars with absolutely no fat on them at all and no time wasted with solos - or time wasted at all - with the longest track clocking in at 2:45. Super tight arrangements. A taut, intense musical experience.
So, a bold musical statement, and an idiosyncratic one. Is it going to alienate an audience? Well yes. And no. It’s an aggressive sound, and you might not want to be up the front of their live shows or play it to the “olds” but in this music there is brains and musicianship. Listeners with open ears will find real rewards. The best “way in” would be the final song of this CD, 'Teenagers' which is clearly the standout track.Extra credit in three areas:
1) A wonderfully presented CD.
2) Obviously an “organic” sound. Which is intended to mean that the creative process has plainly been musicians playing together to develop it …. One doubts very much if much editing, overdubs or Pro Tools shenanigans have gone on here.
3) The lyrics, reproduced here on the CD cover, are at times extraordinary (best example? Track two 'Holding') It is a shame though - and this is a criticism - that the needs of the sound mean that the lyrics are hard to get without having them in front of you to read. This is especially true when the lyrics are actually worth hearing."

So buy the demo because they said to. More coming soon.