Hoihoi
Just in time for local 4-piece post-punk group Hoihoi’s all-ages show at A Rolling Stone this Sunday, here’s a profile I’ve put together:
#nzmusic #hoihoi #tereo
Artists
Satina Saturnina
Cabaret-punk from Palmerston North’s Victoria Singh with (former Builders drummer) Derek Champion. The duo released a CD and 7″ on Andrew Tolley’s Kato Records label in the late 1990s. In a live context Singh was backed by The Santina Droids – Champion and Chris Swain.
#nzmusic #satinasaturnina
Circus Block Four
Wellington-based funky pop rock group from the mid 1980. Formed by Gavin McLean and Jeff Thorpe after the demise of their previous group The List. Percussionist Dean Hutton (and production from Ian Morris) gave them a distinct sound on their first replace ‘In Stone In Steel’.
Well-known drummer Caroline Easther later joined the group, however the group only lasted a couple years, without attaining any commercial success. They recorded an album that went unreleased.
#nzmusic #circusblockfour
Tim Teen and the Teen Tones
Auckland underground group, not to be confused with 1960’s rock’n’roll outfit Tommy Dee and the Teen Tones and featuring original first gen Auckland punk drummer Juian Hanson. Released a lathe-cut split 7″ with Pillar of State.
Keyboardist Dene Barnes would go on to have a productive experimental solo project as L$D fundraiser in the 2010s.
Julian Hanson passed away in February 2021.
#nzmusic #timteenandtheteentones
The Rainy Days
Eclectic Auckland group with a revolving line-up based around the song-writing talents of David Graham. Their music has pushed and pulled in various different directions over the years, from punky rock’n’roll to encompass full horn sections and strings, to stripped back indie-rock line-ups. Their songs just explode with melody, crazy lyrics and noisy enthusiasm.
#nzmusic #therainydays
Lanky
Lanky was a short-lived group formed by former Jean-Paul Sartre Experience singer-songwriter Jim Laing. The group put out an album on the then-fledgling Arch Hill Recordings label in 2000 before disappearing, with Laing’s backing band all going on to David Kilgour’s Heavy Eights.
#nzmusic #lanky
Willow
Obscure solitary release from Michael Webby on short-lived Palmerston North based underground lathe-cut label Secret Safari.
Debut release from a Palmerston North import from Hawkes Bay who’s now resident in Dunedin. Beautiful low-key solo guitar pieces.
– Secret Safari
#nzmusic #willow
This Boy Rob
Auckland-based pop duo featuring a barely out of High School Greg Johnson (plus guest vocals from Fiona Macdonald) – a studio production project from the likes of Mark Tierney, Paul Casserly and Joost Langveldt – essentially making it a pre-cursor to The Greg Johnson Set and Strawpeople.
#nzmusic #thisboyrob
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
Coalition Broadcasting Corporation
Auckland punky lo-fi group from former Herco Pilots members Chris Williams and Hugh Tercel. During their original run they released 2 cassettes (including one on Paul Lukers Industrial Tapes label) filled with DIY noise – toy instruments, junk percussion and the scratchy possible straight to tape recording possible!
#nzmusic #coalitionbroadcastcorporation
Papakura Post Office
South Auckland punky acoustic trio who released an EP and had songs on 2 compilations, all put out by Paul Luker’s Industrial Tapes DIY cassette label in the mid 1980s. Luker was connected to the group through vocalist Brett Mason, whom he met performing poetry.
#nzmusic #papakurapostoffice
Phantom Forth
Phantom Forth was a post-punk trio from Auckland who released an EP on Flying Nun in 1984 – their sound was influenced by excellent Scottish group Young Marble Giants. Formed by Paul Luker who went on to form side-project This is Heaven and the DIY cassette label Industrial Tapes.
#nzmusic #phantomforth
Kim Pieters
Kim Pieters is a multi-talented artist based in Dunedin who has made significant contributions to music and visual arts since the 1980s. Pieters is known for her involvement in bands like Dadamah, and her long partnership with Peter Stapleton – with whom she co-founded Dunedin’s Lines of Flight festival.
#nzmusic #kimpieters