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The Clean

Arclife Records

Arclife Records was an excellent ‘home-grown’ independent label formed by the Arclife Trust, an arts organization that formed out of the Arc Cafe in central Dunedin.

The label had a strong, tight-knit community of local Dunedin groups on its roster – many of whom had moved on from the by-then Auckland based Flying Nun Records.

#nzmusic #arcliferecords

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.

#nzmusic #greatunwashed #theclean

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.

#nzmusic #alpacabrothers

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.

#nzmusic #mrbignose

The Clean - Anthology (2002, Flying Nun Records, FN468)

The Clean – Anthology

Flashback to my 2002 review of The Clean’s ‘Anthology’ (2002, Flying Nun Records, FN468, a double CD monster packed to the brim with material from The Clean’s early and mid-period releases.

#nzmusic #theclean #anthology #flyingnun

Edmund Cake

Edmund Cake is the quirky alias of talented Auckland-based musician and producer Edmund McWilliams – or at least it was for his 2004 album ‘Downtown Puff’. McWilliams has made his name with the brilliant trio Bressa Creeting Cake and as a producer to the likes of the Finn brothers, Anika Moa and Bic Runga.

#nzmusic #edmundcake #bressacreetingcake #piewarmer #rikstarrr

Onanon

Dunedin 4-piece indie-rock outfit with a sound heavily indebted to the classic early Flying Nun groups. Self-released a couple albums and toured with support from A Low Hum before ending in 2009.

#nzmsuci #onanon

Victorian Coffee Gallery

Bohemian Cafe that was one of the very few late night spots in Christchurch during the late 1970’s through to early 1980s. The Clean filmed the music video for notable early single ‘Beatnik’ here in 1982. The Volkswagens played here regularly, along with the likes of The Topp Twins (as 17 year olds!), and various other folk performers.

#nzmusic #nzvenues #theclean #beatnik #thevolkswagons #topptwins

The Gordons

The Gordons appeared out of (almost) nowhere in March 1980 to take the mantel of Christchurch’s (and soon New Zealand’s) loudest band; however they were more than just loud. It’s the songs they created during their initial year and a half run that have fuelled the legend of the Gordons. Through blistering feedback and propulsive bass come visions of a dystopian future, and anti-regime anthems.

#nzmusic #thegordons #bailterspace

Live: Flying Nun Records 30th Birthday

Flashback to the Flying Nun Records 30th Birthday show, November 26th, 2011 at the CPIT Students Association with The Clean, The Subliminals and T54.

#nzmusic #flyingnun #t54 #thesubliminals #theclean

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.

Salad Boys

Indie pop-rock out of Christchurch based around Joe Sampson (guitar / vocals / keys / bass etc) with James Sullivan (drums) and Ben Ordering (bass) on most of their recordings.

Strong on melody with big chiming guitar and unfussy rhythmic backing, their songs have a timeless quality to them – sometimes jangling, sometimes driving, and with Sampson’s powerful guitar playing always ready to attack.

Electric Blood

Electric Blood was the formative group of Robert Scott; forming the group with his brother in 1978, and featuring any number of local friends and family members on extremely lo-fi DIY recordings.

Bedford Tours

A bizarre cassette release from Robert Scott and Andrew Strang; providing incidental sound and commentary of the long drive (in a Bedford van) from Christchurch to Dunedin.

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.