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Artists

Cameron Bain

Between stints in King Loser, Snapper and a million other bands, Cameron Bain released a 7″ release on Stella Corkery and Alan Holt’s excellent Pink Air label.

One-half of the oft-referenced, seldom heard Constant Pain. Bain passed away in 2014.

The Haemogoblins

Christchurch-based art-rock group from the mid 1980’s who put out one EP on Bill Direen’s South Indies label. Several members came from low-key Flying Nun acts Mainly Spaniards and Ballon D’Essai.

Paua Fritters

Auckland-based pop-songwriting outfit based around the trio of Alice Mckenzie, Penny Laybourn and Hilda Mcclutchie.

Julian Dashper

Formerly Auckland-based abstract artist who produced a string of lathe cut releases in the late 1990’s – 2000’s on Circle Records and the Luxus imprint.

The Heptocrats

Auckland duo of Mike Knuckley and Brett Higson. Released a cassette and appeared on a live compilation on Paul Lurkers Industrial Tapes label. Had some songs recorded live by Chris Knox and Doug Hood at the Rumba Bar with ‘One More’ turning up on the famed ‘The Last Rhumba’ live compilation on Flying Nun.

Murdering Monsters

Dunedin-based outfit who released a split EP with Matt ‘Crude’ Middleton’s Aesthetics, along with a couple other Lo-Fi low-rent releases.

Throw

Christchurch-based shoegazey indie-rock group that started out as a studio project but became a fairly successful touring group with 2 albums and an EP on band member Rob Mayes Failsafe Recordings.

Jousting Vandals

One of Rob Scott’s many one-off bands – this time with R. Dejoux and Sarah Robin. They put out the Ground Level cassette on Scotts’ own Every Secret Thing label in 1985. Scott reissued the Ground Level cassette as a CDr in 2022.

The Vacuum

A formative group for 2 significant groups in New Zealand music – The Terminals song-writing duo of Peter Stapleton and Stephen Cogle, and Bilders duo Bill Direen and Allan Meek. Though a fairly significant group at the time, their recordings were sparse.

Skank Attack

Wellington 3-piece from the mid 1980’s. Skirted the line between underground and pop without ever fitting in to either camp, despite an album produced by Nick Roughan (The Skeptics) and Brent McLachlan (The Gordons).

David Mulcahy

Moody but sadly inconsistent solo material from JPSE / Superette front-man released on bandmate’s nascent Arch Hill label in 1999.

Crystal Zoom

General craziness in musical form at the hand of Michael Weston and his troops Bruce Mahalski, Eric Neuman and Nathan McConnell.

The Dunedin music compilation But I Can Write Songs OK includes their brilliant stars-on-45 take on Flying Nun bands ‘Dunedin sound on 45’, and even featured guest appearances from some of the targets – David Kilgour and Martin Phillips.

Negative Eh

Wellington trio making lo-fi psychedelic and experimental noise. The group released a flurry of lathe cut releases in the late 90’s before resurfacing as the Electronic / Abstract / Experimental / Jazz outfit Nova Scotia.

Bill Direen

One of the longest running mythic underground figures of New Zealand rock who has worked (and commanded) such significant figures in the New Zealand music scene as Chris Knox, Peter Stapleton, Maryrose Crook, Dave Mitchell, Malcolm Grant – the list goes on.