Khaki Department: The band that ain’t yucking anyone’s yum

In a not-so-quiet office tucked away in the corner of Manawatū’s beloved Radio Control, Jordan Kupe and Ce Goacher from the band Khaki Department, are engaged in an intellectual discussion. The topics of which include furries, banh mi, David Seymour, and Nickelback.  

“Official stance of Khaki Department is pro furry,” says Ce, followed up by a hearty laugh and a “don’t yuck anyone’s yum” from Jordan. 

This is one of Khaki Department’s best aspects – their love for community. Khaki Department don’t care who you are, as long as you’re not a dick and don’t yuck anyone’s yum, you’re welcome in their mosh pits. 

Ce says local community is very important to the band, “I don’t think we care about anything else.” 

“It’s more about hanging out with everyone who comes to the gig, not so much the gig itself.” This community focus extends from live gigs and into the space of releases, “We’ll buy everyone’s music from Palmy. If it is from Palmy, we’ll buy it.” 

They hate David Seymour, they love bahn mi, and they’re indifferent towards Nickelback. 

“Fuck David Seymour, put that in there,” Jordan jabs his finger forwards for emphasis on this comment, causing Ce to retort, “I would love to spawn David Seymour and Luxon and shit into a mosh pit”.  

The group – consisting of Ben, Brody, Dan, Ce, and Jordan – has not been around for too long, the band beginning with a few demos, and a desire to simply create music. Their three-track demo EP consists of songs Friday Night, Saturday Morning, and Sunday Afternoon. Jordan says, “I wrote those songs on those three days, at that time of day, over one weekend. And by Tuesday, Dan had released it and added drums and everything.”  

The band had no idea what Khaki Department was when making their first demos. “There was no real thought to it other than ‘man, I just wanna make music’.” 

“I had a creative energy spur over one weekend, sent it through to Daniel and was like ‘can you do something?’, and they literally put the drums down straight away.” 

Making music just because you desire to create something, or want to express yourself, is one of the best reasons to start writing or recording. It can be hard for students starting out, but Jordan says, “You don’t need the biggest, fanciest setup.” 

“I reckon if you’re a Palmy band for sure come to Radio Control or The Stomach and talk to them. If you’re a student band, we would be keen to help you out in some way.” Jordan uses the software that came with his MIDI keyboard, and runs everything through an interface into his early 2000s workstation. 

Ce seconds this DIY approach, “If you’re a student band, sometimes you gotta start at the bottom, send in a demo, record something on Audacity.” 

Khaki Department is proof that starting out in your bedroom with an idea, a desire to create, and not a lot else can lead to something really awesome. From their initial raw demos to an excellent live-to-air set, they’re becoming a beloved piece of the Manawatū music scene.