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Artists

Anji Sami

Auckland-born singer songwriter who made an impact in 2006 while studying a Bachelor of Music at the University of Otago in Dunedin, with several choice support slots and a mega-talented backing band. Self-released an EP produced by Arc Life Records Thomas Bell, utilising the Universities Albany Street Studio.

Moved to Auckland and formed The Sami Sisters, along with Priya and (comedic actress) Madeline Sami, then the 2012 Taite Music Prize nominated shoe-gaze group She’s So Rad.

#nzmusic #anjisami #shessorad #thesamisisters

Hyphen-Smythe

The early 1980’s solo recording alias of Kevin Smith – who went on to find fame as an actor with the character Ares in the Hercules and Xena: Warrior Princes franchises before his life was tragically cut short.

Smith recorded and released a series of lo-fi underground rock cassettes, often with Pat Faigan (aka Duane Zarakov – later of Space Dust, King Loser etc) and Steve Watson – initially as part of The Picnic Boys collective and later as a member of Say Yes to Apes, who self-recorded and released a variety of lo-fi DIY releases on their own TV Eye label.

#nzmusic #undergroundmusic #hyphensmythe #kevinsmith

King Loser

Led by the dynamic duo of Celia Mancini and Chris Heazlewood, New Zealand’s surf and noise guitar gods King Loser were one of the best local groups for much of the 1990’s with 3 terrific albums and a handful of singles and bootleg releases before their split in 1997.

#nzmusic #kingloser

Say Yes To Apes

Say Yes To Apes were a loose, noisy, often sloppy and usually creative Dunedin-then-Christchurch-based underground rock outfit formed by frontman Kevin Smith (several years before his acting career took off), drummer Pat Faigan (aka Duane Zarakov of Space Dust, King Loserand multi-instrumentalist Steve Watson, born out of the earlier Picnic Boys.

Hyphen-Ears

Hyphen-Ears was an underground group formed by South Island-based duo Kevin Smith (aka Hyphen-Smythe) and Steve Watson (aka Legacy of Ears) as a sideline to their Dunedin-based group Say Yes to Apes – which itself was an outgrowth of the The Picnic Boys recording collective).

The two Hyphen-Ears releases were some of the last by the TV Eye collective – vocalist Kevin Smith was soon channelling his creativity into acting…

#nzmusic #hyphenears #tveye

The Picnic Boys

The Picnic Boys was a loose collective formed around the core trio of Kevin Smith, Patrick Faigan and Steve Watson (who later became Say Yes to Apes). At Faigan’s behest the various members recorded their own take on ‘experimental’ music to tape, which was later compiled into a handful of cassette releases on the groups TV Eye label in the early 1980s.

#nzmusic #thepicnicboys #sayyestoapes #tveye

Straitjacket Fits

Straitjacket Fits were a corner stone in New Zealand independent rock from their formation in 1986 till their inevitable break-up in February 1994. Though predominantly a kiwi indie-rock group, they were at times dissonant (and incredibly loud), hiding their delicate… Read More »Straitjacket Fits

Marginal Era

Marginal Era were a synth and based-driven pop act formed in 1981 by song-writer Warwick Paul Agar (ex Vivid Militia).

Probably best known for ‘This Heaven’, originally an instrumental track that would later become the theme to the popular ‘Radio with Pictures’ television show.

#nzmusic #marginalera

The Ho’ Dogs

Extremely wild Dunedin old-school rock’n’roll from a handful of underground experimental or lo-fi musicians. I managed to catch them once at the Provincial Lounge in Christchurch and was blown away by their stage antics; which included jumping on the Prov’s bar, kicking over drinks.

#nzmusic #thehodogs

Bad Evil

Fuzzy guitar-rock with surf-trash overtones from Stink Magnetic one-man band (and purveyor of classic New Zealand guitars) Aidan Moody; formerly of super-group The Dallas Pro-Drag Allstars. Moody started out in the Manawatu region but moved to Christchurch around 2006.

Expanded to a 3-piece for a handful of shows with support from ‘The Dirty Germs’, a pickup group featuring the likes of his Grand Chancellors bandmate Luke Wood (drums) Violet French (bass) and others.

#nzmusic #badevil #stinkmagnetic

Magic Eye

3-piece indie-rock group formed by the Melted Ice Cream label’s Brian Feary in August 2009. Though connected to the label the trio never recorded and released any material, with Feary playing in a whole swag of other groups.

#nzmusic #magiceye

The Snares

Dunedin based avant-indie trio featuring Mike Dooley (Toy Love and Snapper – Drums) his step-daughter Maxine Funke (Guitar) and Brett Moodie (Guitar), that formed out of the Dooley / Funke duo The Beaters.

Their debut EP was a meditative production guided by Arc Life engineer (and member of David Kilgour’s Heavy Eights) Tom Bell, whilst their follow-up Dance The Dervish is closer to a live recording, though still capturing their eclectic strengths – both released on the bands own Horrible Records (the name, not the quality) label.

#nzmusic #thesnares

Feast of Stevens - Etch EP (1992, Failsafe)

Feast of Stevens

A well-liked melodic indie-rock group that emerged from Palmerston North in the early 1990s, self-recorded a cassette before being picked up by Rob Mayes Failsafe Records label for their discography highlight; 1992’s ‘Etch’ EP.

#nzmusic #feastofstevens #failsaferecords

Cancer Maidens

Palmerston North indie-rock 3-piece featuring ex-members of Foisemaster, Feast of Stevens and Shoeshine. Appeared on ‘Swamp MUSAK’, a compilation of local groups compiled and distributed by Radio Control 99.4 (Massey University’s student radio station).

Ross Harkness passed away in May 2020.

#nzmusic #cancermaidens

Don’t Make Noise

Christchurch free-noise group featuring future Breathing Cage bandmates Greg Malcolm and Michael Kime, plus Into the Void’s Paul Sutherland and the drums of John Kennedy.

#nzmusic #dontmakenoise