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alpaca brothers

The Great Unwashed

The Great Unwashed were a quieter, folkier edition of The Clean, a contrast to their raucous earlier sound. Peter Gutteridge’s contributions to their song-book should not be understated, with ‘Born in the wrong time’ an absolute classic.

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Alpaca Brothers

The Alpaca Brothers were a short lived noisy post-punk band from Dunedin formed by Bruce Blucher and Nick Wilkinson in 1984, with a young Steve Cournane soon joining as drummer. The group disbanded after releasing a single EP for Flying Nun, but miraculously resurfaced recently (after a 36 year absence) with a new album.

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Mr Big Nose

‘Various Outakes’ is one Of Robert Scott’s many one-off releases on his own Every Secret Thing label.

Recorded in a typically DIY fashion and released straight to cassette in 1989, the album features a stellar band line-up – Dave Saunders just arrived in Dunedin and yet to mark his mark in The 3Ds, Australian guitarist / vocalist Ken Stewart, Peter Gutteridge – just about to reach his creative zenith with his solo release ‘Pure’, and the ever-busy (and Gutteridge’s Snapper bandmate) Alan Haig on the kid.

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Look Blue Go Purple

Look Blue Go Purple was an influential and resilient all-female indie-pop group from Dunedin during the Early-Mid 1980s. Despite facing chauvinistic attitudes, they released 3 stellar EPs on Flying Nun, with their debut ‘Bewitched’ reaching No. 21 on the pop chart. Their impact endures through the compilation ‘Still Bewitched’.

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The Cartilage Family

The Cartilage Family were a short-lived Dunedin group featuring Peter Gutteridge (and a bunch of his best early songs), Shayne Carter, Lesley Paris and Francisca Griffin. No official recordings exist and they only performed live twice; but the Cartilage Family were an important stepping stone for New Zealand Music.

Trash

Noisy Dunedin rock group formed by Ex-Alpaca Brothers Bruce Blucher and Paul Cahill. Robbie Yeats was their primary drummer, but their recordings feature contributions from a number of well-known underground performers. Released 3 albums and a couple 7″ singles.

Cyclops

Excellent Dunedin 4-piece with a stellar line-up. Dark, noisy guitar and driving rhythm, but sadly only a single hard-to-find album (plus a couple 7″ singles) to their name. Closely tied to Bruce Blucher concurrent band Trash.

Snapper

The key group of New Zealand underground legend Peter Gutteridge (despite being a founding member of BOTH the Clean and the Chills). Snapper made driving, droning guitars-infused with synths post-punk throughout the 1980s and 1990s before Gutteridge disappeared from the public eye.

The Clean

The Clean have left a giant stamp on New Zealand Independent Music. The group that came to define ‘The Dunedin Sound’ had a terrific topsy-turvy career that spanned 5 albums and a number of EPs, singles, compilations and live releases over a 31 year time-span.

The Chills

Biography Over the years the Chills have released a number of brilliant pop songs, right from the outset their material has been catchy and melodic, and have a certain eerie quality to them that separates them from most mainstream pop… Read More »The Chills

Weetbix Boys

Dunedin-based skiffle group featuring Simon Vare, Steve Cournane (Alpaca Brothers, C.L. Bob Etc), Andy Scott (Electric Blood) and Richard Morris. Andy Scott left the band in 1989, replaced behind the kit by Donald Harman. The band toured the North Island,… Read More »Weetbix Boys

Brown Velvet Couch

Biography Essentially the group Trash with Paul Cahill, Bruce Blucher (Wreck Small Speakers on Expensive Stereos, Alpaca Brothers), Robbie Yeats (The Renderers, The Dead C, The Verlaines) performing under his Bo Martak alias, , but fronted by Viv Crowe (Fats Thompson). Brown… Read More »Brown Velvet Couch

Flying Nun Records

The independent label that put New Zealand Music on the map. From Roger Shephard’s formation of the label in 1980 through to now, Flying Nun has been a mark of creative, quirky, inventive music with a distinct kiwi flavor.